Genesis 23:7
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Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Sarah is the only woman whose age is mentioned in the Scriptures, because as the mother of the promised seed she became the mother of all believers (Pe1 3:6). She died at the age of 127, thirty-seven years after the birth of Isaac, at Hebron, or rather in the grove of Mamre near that city (Gen 13:18), whither Abraham had once more returned after a lengthened stay at Beersheba (Gen 22:19). The name Kirjath Arba, i.e., the city of Arba, which Hebron bears here and also in Gen 35:27, and other passages, and which it still bore at the time of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites (Jos 14:15), was not the original name of the city, but was first given to it by Arba the Anakite and his family, who had not yet arrived there in the time of the patriarchs. It was probably given by them when they took possession of the city, and remained until the Israelites captured it and restored the original name. The place still exists, as a small town on the road from Jerusalem to Beersheba, in a valley surrounded by several mountains, and is called by the Arabs, with allusion to Abraham's stay there, el Khalil, i.e., the friend (of God), which is the title given to Abraham by the Mohammedans. The clause "in the land of Canaan" denotes, that not only did Sarah die in the land of promise, but Abraham as a foreigner acquired a burial-place by purchase there. "And Abraham came" (not from Beersheba, but from the field where he may have been with the flocks), "to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her," i.e., to arrange for the customary mourning ceremony.
Open source ↗Here is, I. Abraham a mourner for the death of Sarah (Gen 23:1, Gen 23:2). II. Abraham a purchaser of a burying-place for Sarah. 1. The purchase humbly proposed by Abraham (Gen 23:3, Gen 23:4). 2. Fairly treated of, and agreed to, with a great deal of mutual civility and respect (Gen 23:5-16). 3. The purchase-money paid (Gen 23:16). 4. The premises conveyed and secured to Abraham (Gen 23:17, Gen 23:18, Gen 23:20). 5. Sarah's funeral (Gen 23:19).
Open source ↗23:7-16 Abraham wanted to buy Ephron’s cave at Machpelah, but Ephron wanted him to buy the entire field.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
And Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.
Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown,
Finally, all of you, be like-minded and sympathetic, love as brothers, be tenderhearted and humble.