The Way

genesis-23-nkjv

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Genesis 23

The Death and Burial of Sarah

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Full Text (NKJV)

Genesis 23:1-20

Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”

And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, “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.”

Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me as a burial place among you.”

Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!”

Then Abraham bowed down before the people of the land; and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.”

And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.

So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the borders around it, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.

Bull’s Eye: How Genesis 23 Points to Yeshua

Even in death, Abraham acts in faith.

  • Abraham refuses to accept the field as a gift — he pays the full price in silver to secure a permanent burial place for Sarah in the Promised Land.
  • This is the first piece of the Promised Land that Abraham legally owns.
  • The cave of Machpelah becomes the burial place for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives — anchoring the family in the land God promised.

Yeshua Connection:

  • Yeshua paid the full price with His own blood to secure an eternal inheritance for His people.
  • Just as Abraham purchased this burial plot in faith, Yeshua purchased our redemption, guaranteeing our place in the true Promised Land — the New Creation.

Key Truth:
Faith acts with integrity and pays the full cost. Yeshua paid the ultimate price so we could have an everlasting possession in Him.

Cross-References