Genesis 23

The death of Sarah (vs. 1-2)—The chapter records the death and burial of Abraham’s wife, Sarah. She was 127 years old. She is mentioned as a great woman of faith in Hebrews 11.

Buying a burial plot from the sons of Heth (vs. 3-20)—Abraham wanted a certain cave of Machpelah from a man named Ephron, a Hittite, or “sons of Heth.” Heth was a son of Canaan, who was the son of Ham, Noah’s offspring. At the time, the Hittites were not a very numerous or powerful people, but they would become so. Indeed, they had quite a huge empire based in what is today Turkey, and for several centuries during the 2nd millennium B.C., were quite active, and feared, in Middle Eastern affairs.

Extreme (often feigned) courtesy, bargaining, and haggling were quite common among the Oriental/Asiatic peoples of Abraham’s day, and indeed, still are. Ephron first offers simply to give Abraham the cave, and field in which it existed, probably assuming Abraham would not take a free gift. And he was correct. Abraham asked a selling price; Ephron said 400 shekels of silver. Most commentators don’t seem to be bothered with this figure, but one suggested that the asking price was outrageous, that Ephron fully expected Abraham to wrangle with him. I’m inclined to agree, since that was a very common custom (Jacob bought a field for 100 shekels of silver in Genesis 33:19. Of course, we don’t know the differing sizes.). But haggling over money is not the height of spiritual maturity; I wouldn’t condemn it, it can be humorous, and again, expected in certain cultures. But Abraham wasn’t going to do it. Buying a burial plot for his wife (and eventually himself Genesis 25:9-10) was a serious matter to him and he wasn’t going to condescend to bickering over it. So he paid what Ephron asked, much to the latter’s delight, I’m sure. And Abraham inters Sarah there. The cave, verse 19 notes, was near the city of Hebron in southern Canaan. No one today knows where it is.

This story is not one of the most imperative in the Bible but the Lord does ask us to pay final respects to a godly woman. Nothing wrong with that.