the First Week after Epiphany
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Updated Bible Version
Genesis 23:6
Bible Study Resources
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- CondensedParallel Translations
Heare vs, my lorde: thou art a prince of God among vs: in the chiefest of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of vs shall forbid thee his sepulchre, but thou mayest bury thy dead therein.
Hear us, our lord; you are a prince of God among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our sepulchres; none of us will withhold from you his sepulchre for the burial of your dead.
"Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. In the choice of our tombs bury your dead. None of us will withhold from you his tomb, but that you may bury your dead."
"Sir, you are a great leader among us. You can have the best place we have to bury your dead. You can have any of our burying places that you want. None of us will stop you from burying your wife there."
"Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead."
Hear us, my lord; thou art a prince of God among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
My lord, truly you are a great chief among us; take the best of our resting-places for your dead; not one of us will keep back from you a place where you may put your dead to rest.
"Listen to us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us, so choose any of our tombs to bury your dead — not one of us would refuse you his tomb for burying your dead."
Hear us, my lord: thou art a prince of God among us: in the choicest of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre for burying thy dead.
'Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us; in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.'
Heare vs, my Lord, thou art a mightie Prince amongst vs: in the choise of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of vs shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
"Listen to us, my lord; you are a prince of God [a mighty prince] among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave or hinder you from burying your dead [wife]."
but hear us; thou art in the midst of us a king from God; bury thy dead in our choice sepulchres, for not one of us will by any means withhold his sepulchre from thee, so that thou shouldest not bury thy dead there.
Hear us, my lord: thou art a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
"Listen to us, sir. You are God's chosen one among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs. None of us will withhold his tomb for burying your dead."
"Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince in our midst. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites. None of us will withhold his burial site from you for burying your dead."
Hear us, my lord. You are a prince among us. Bury your dead in the best of our burying places. Not a man of us will withhold his burying place from you, from burying your dead.
"Sir, you are a great leader among us. You may have the best place we have to bury your dead. You may have any of our burying places that you want, and none of us will stop you from burying your dead wife."
"Listen, sir, you are a mighty prince among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you from burying your dead."
"Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead."
"Listen, my lord, you are an honored prince among us. Choose the finest of our tombs and bury her there. No one here will refuse to help you in this way."
"Listen to us, my lord. You are a powerful ruler among us. Bury your wife in the best of our graves. None of us will keep his grave from you for burying your wife."
Hear us, my lord! A prince of God, art thou in our midst, In the choice of our buryingplaces, bury thy dead, - Not, a man from among us his, burying-place, will withhold from thee, from burying thy dead.
My lord, hear us, thou art a prince of God among us: bury thy dead in our principal sepulchres: and no man shall have power to hinder thee from burying thy dead in his sepulchre.
"Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our sepulchres; none of us will withhold from you his sepulchre, or hinder you from burying your dead."
"Listen to us, sir. We look upon you as a mighty leader; bury your wife in the best grave that we have. Any of us would be glad to give you a grave, so that you can bury her."
thou art the prince of God anentis vs; birie thou thi deed bodi in oure chosun sepulcris, and no man schal mow forbede thee, that ne thou birie thi deed bodi in the sepulcre of him.
`Hear us, my lord; a prince of God [art] thou in our midst; in the choice of our burying-places bury thy dead: none of us his burying-place doth withhold from thee, from burying thy dead.'
"Hear us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. In the choice of our tombs bury your dead. None of us will withhold from you his tomb, but that you may bury your dead."
Hear us, my lord; thou [art] a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchers bury thy dead: none of us will withhold from thee his sepulcher, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
Heare vs my Lorde, thou art a prince of God amongest vs, in the chiefest of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of vs shall forbyd thee his sepulchre, but thou mayest bury thy dead [therin.]
“Listen to us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in our finest burial place. None of us will withhold from you his burial place for burying your dead.”
O heare lorde, thou art a prynce of God amonge vs: bury thy dead in the best of oure sepulcres, there shall none of vs forbyd ye, that thou shuldest not bury thy deed in his sepulcre.
"Hear us, my lord: you are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead."
"Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will withhold from you any burial ground for burying your dead."
"Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves; none of us will refuse you his grave for burying your dead."
"Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites; none of us will refuse you his burial sites for burying your dead."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
my lord: Genesis 18:12, Genesis 24:18, Genesis 24:35, Genesis 31:35, Genesis 32:4, Genesis 32:5, Genesis 32:18, Genesis 42:10, Genesis 44:5, Genesis 44:8, Exodus 32:22, Ruth 2:13
a mighty prince: Heb. a prince of God, Genesis 21:22, Isaiah 45:14, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 3:2
prince: Genesis 13:2, Genesis 14:14, Genesis 24:35
Reciprocal: Genesis 23:11 - my lord Genesis 30:8 - great wrestlings Job 36:7 - with
Cross-References
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he mobilized his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan.
And Sarah laughed inside herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spoke to Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you do.
And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years.
And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying,
And she said, Drink, my lord. And she hurried, and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him to drink.
And Yahweh has blessed my master greatly. And he has become great. And he has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male slaves and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Hear us, my lord,.... One of them spake in the name of the rest, who calls Abraham not "our lord", but "my lord"; addressing him very honourably, and desires he would hear what he had to say on the behalf of others with himself; "hear us", representing not the body of the common people, but the princes among them, the heads of their families:
thou [art] a mighty prince amongst us; though he was pleased to call himself a stranger and a sojourner, yet they had an high opinion of him, as a person of great wealth and substance, and of great power and authority; and who lived like a prince, and was a potent one, having a large train of servants under him: or, "a prince of God" x, as it may be rendered; one raised up to grandeur and dignity by him; with whom he was, find in whose sight he had favour, and was very grateful and acceptable; and by whom he was highly honoured, and had in great esteem as a friend of his:
in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; as they had many, every family a distinct sepulchre for itself, they made offer of them to him, to bury his dead in the choicest of them, the most grand and magnificent, or in which of them soever he pleased; which was very kind, generous, and respectful:
none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead; there is not a man among us but what has such a regard for thee, that he will not deny thee the use of his sepulchre to bury thy dead in; and therefore need not scruple to make use of any that may be judged most proper and convenient: no doubt the speaker full well knew the mind of those in whose name he addressed Abraham.
x × ×©×× ××××× "princeps Dei", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Vatablus, Drusius, Schmidt, &c.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- The Death of Sarah
2. ×ר××¢ קר×ת qıÌryat-'arbaâ, âQirjath-arbaâ, city of Arba.â ×ר××¢ 'arbaâ, âArbaâ, four.â
8. עפר×× âeproÌn, ââEphron, of the dust, or resembling a calf.â צ×ר tshochar, âTsochar, whiteness.â
9. ××פ×× makpeÌlaÌh, âMakpelah, doubled.â
The death and burial of Sarah are here recorded. This occasions the purchase of the field of Makpelah, in the cave of which is her sepulchre.
Genesis 23:1-2
Sarah is the only woman whose age is recorded in Scripture. She meets with this distinction as the wife of Abraham and the mother of the promised seed. âA hundred and twenty and seven years,â and therefore thirty-seven years after the birth of her son. âIn Kiriatharba.â Arba is called the father of Anak Joshua 15:13; Joshua 21:11; that is, of the Anakim or Bene Anak, a tall or gigantic tribe Numbers 13:22; Numbers 28:0; Numbers 33:0, who were subsequently dispossessed by Kaleb. The Anakim were probably Hittites. Abraham had been absent from Hebron, which is also called Mamre in this very chapter Genesis 23:17, Genesis 23:19, not far from forty years, though he appears to have still kept up a connection with it, and had at present a residence in it. During this interval the sway of Arba may have commenced. âIn the land of Kenaan,â in contradistinction to Beer-sheba in the land of the Philistines, where we last left Abraham. âAbraham went to mourn for Sarah,â either from Beer-sheba or some out-field where he had cattle pasturing.
Genesis 23:3-16
Abraham purchases a burying-ground in the land. âThe sons of Heth.â These are the lords of the soil. âA stranger and a sojourner.â He is a stranger, not a Hittite; a sojourner, a dweller in the land, not a mere visitor or traveller. The former explains why he has no burial-ground; the latter, why he asks to purchase one. âBury my dead out of my sight.â The bodies of those most dear to us decay, and must be removed from our sight. Abraham makes his request in the most general terms. In the somewhat exaggerated style of Eastern courtesy, the sons of Heth reply, âHear us, my lord.â One speaks for all; hence, the change of number. âMy lordâ is simply equivalent to our âSir,â or the German âmein Herr.â âA prince of Godâ in those times of simple faith was a chief notably favored of God, as Abraham had been in his call, his deliverance in Egypt, his victory over the kings, his intercession for the cities of the vale, and his protection the court of Abimelek. Some of these events were well known to the Hittites, as they had occurred while he was residing among them.
Genesis 23:7-9
Abraham now makes a specific offer to purchase the field of Makpelah from Ephron the son of Zohar. âTreat for meâ - deal, use your influence with him. Abraham approaches in the most cautious manner to the individual with whom he wishes to treat. âThe cave of Makpelah.â The burial of the dead in caves, natural and artificial, was customary in this Eastern land. The field seems to have been called Makpelah (doubled) from the double form of the cave, or the two caves perhaps communicating with each other, which it contained. âFor the full silver.â Silver seems to have been the current medium of commerce at this time. God was known, and mentioned at an earlier period Genesis 2:11; Genesis 13:2. âA possession of a burying-ground.â We learn from this passage that property in land had been established at this time. Much of the country, however, must have been a common, or unappropriated pasture ground.
Genesis 23:10-16
The transaction now comes to be between Abraham and Ephron. âWas sitting.â The sons of Heth were seated in council, and Ephron among them. Abraham seems to have been seated also; for he stood up to make his obeisance and request Genesis 23:7. âBefore all that went in at the gate of his city.â The conference was public. The place of session for judicial and other public business was the gate of the city, which was common ground, and where men were constantly going in and out. âHis city.â This implies not that he was the king or chief, but simply that he was a respectable citizen. If Hebron was the city of the Hittites here intended, its chief at the time seems to have been Arba. âThe field give I thee.â Literally, have I given thee - what was resolved upon was regarded as done. âIn the sight of the sons of my people.â This was a public declaration or deed before many witnesses.
He offers the field as a gift, with the Eastern understanding that the receiver would make an ample recompense. This mode of dealing had its origin in a genuine good-will, that was prepared to gratify the wish of another as soon as it was made known, and as far as it was reasonable or practicable. The feeling seems to have been still somewhat fresh and unaffected in the time of Abraham, though it has degenerated into a mere form of courtesy. âIf thou wilt, hear me.â The language is abrupt, being spoken in the haste of excitement. âI give silver.â âI have givenâ in the original; that is, I have determined to pay the full price. If the Eastern giver was liberal, the receiver was penetrated with an equal sense of the obligation conferred, and a like determination to make an equivalent return. âThe land is four hundred shekels.â This is the familiar style for âthe land is worth so much.â The shekel is here mentioned for the first time. It was originally a weight, not a coin. The weight at least was in common use before Abraham. If the shekel be nine pennyweights and three grains, the price of the field was about forty-five pounds sterling. âAnd Abraham weighed.â It appears that the money was uncoined silver, as it was weighed. âCurrent with the merchant.â The Kenaanites, of whom the Hittites were a tribe, were among the earliest traders in the world. The merchant, as the original imports, is the traveller who brings the wares to the purchasers in their own dwellings or towns. To him a fixed weight and measure were necessary.
Genesis 23:17-20
The completion of the sale is stated with great formality. No mention is made of any written deed of sale. Yet Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob remained in undisturbed possession of this burial-ground. Undisputed tenure seems to have been acknowledged as a title. The burial of Sarah is then simply noted. The validity of Abrahamâs title is practically evinced by the actual burial of Sarah, and is recited again on account of the importance of the fact.
This chapter is interesting as containing the first record of mourning for the dead, of burial, of property in land, of purchase of land, of silver as a medium of purchase, and of a standard of weight. Mourning for the dead was, no doubt, natural on the first death. Burial was a matter of necessity, in order, as Abraham says, to remove the body out of sight, as soon as it was learned by experience that it would be devoured by beasts of prey, or become offensive by putrefaction. To bury or cover it with earth was a more easy and natural process than burning, and was therefore earlier and more general. Property in land was introduced where tribes became settled, formed towns, and began to practise tillage. Barter was the early mode of accommodating each party with the articles he needed or valued. This led gradually to the use of the precious metals as a âcurrentâ medium of exchange - first by weight, and then by coins of a fixed weight and known stamp.
The burial of Sarah is noted because she was the wife of Abraham and the mother of the promised seed. The purchase of the field is worthy of note, as it is the first property of the chosen race in the promised land. Hence, these two events are interwoven with the sacred narrative of the ways of God with man.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 23:6. Thou art a mighty prince — × ×©×× ××××× nesi Elohim, a prince of God - a person whom we know to be Divinely favoured, and whom, in consequence, we deeply respect and reverence.
