Genesis 23
Hittite Negotiations
The Death of Sarah
1Sarah lived 127 years.
People lived longer after the flood, because they were closer genetically to the perfect gene pool of Adam and Eve. Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose death age is recorded. This shows her significance in history. Abraham was 137 years old at this time. Isaac was 37 years old.
2Then she died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
Kiriath Arba means the “Village of the Four.” Later, it was named Hebron, meaning “friend.” Abraham was a friend of God.
3Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife and said to the sons of Heth,
The sons of Heth were the Hittites, known as the lost civilization. The Hittites expanded their territory and were now living in the land of Canaan. There are 47 Biblical references to the Hittites. The Assyrians later exterminated them, leaving no trace of them in history for over 3000 years. For centuries, skeptics mocked the Bible, claiming that the Bible was in error. Then, Hugo Winkler dug up forty Hittite cities. This archaeological find silenced the skeptics.
4“I am a temporary settler among you. Grant me ownership of a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead.”
The Hittites were a strong and powerful empire who lived next door to the Egyptians. The Hittites were so powerful, that the Egyptians were forced to make a peace treaty with them. Archaeologists have dug up this original peace treaty, showing the Bible to be historically accurate.
Abraham was promised all of the land between the Tigris to the Nile, but he was forced to purchase a burial cave for his wife.
5The sons of Heth answered Abraham,
The Hittites controlled the land and the prices.
6“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.”
The Hittites respected the power, wealth, and influence of Abraham. Abraham’s name had become great among the powerful Hittites. They offered him free choice of any burial cave. However, this was a part of the Hittite negotiation process.
7Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, the sons of Heth.
Abraham did not follow the Hittite religious customs, but he did follow their social customs. Therefore, he bowed and negotiated slowly.
8Then he said to them, “If you agree that I may bury my dead, then hear me out. Ask Ephron the son of Zohar
Abraham wanted the burial cave which belonged to a Hittite named Ephron, the son of Zohar.
9if he will sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly for the full price, so that I may own it as a burial site.”
Machpelah means “double cave.” Abraham offered to buy the cave at full price.
10(Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hettite replied to Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate of his city –
Ephron was sitting at the city gate, meaning that he was in a position of authority. The city gate was where all of the business arrangements were made and all judicial decisions were signed. The sons of Heth were witnesses to the business arrangements and legal proceedings.
11“No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell you both the field and the cave that is in it. In the presence of my people I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
This sounds like a free offer, but it was part of the negotiation process. Abraham was expected to turn it down and make a counter-offer.
12Abraham bowed before the local people
Abraham followed the customs of the day.
13and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay to you the price of the field. Take it from me so that I may bury my dead there.”
Refusing a free offer and offering to purchase at a price was part of the middle-eastern custom of that day.
14Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15“Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
The average price of land at that time was four shekels per acre. Ephron asked an extremely inflated price of forty shekels per acre. This would be like selling a $200,000 house for $2,000,000! This inflated offer violated the Abrahamic Covenant and my have led to their extinction.
16So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and weighed out for him the price that Ephron had quoted in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time.
Abraham was expected to counter down the price, but he decided to accept the inflated price without negotiation. Abraham was a very wealthy man, but as a prophet of God, he did not value money.
17So Abraham secured Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border,
Ephron sold Abraham the field and the trees around the cave as well so that Ephron would not have to pay funeral services to the Hittite King.
18as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city.
The purchase was completed at the city gate in front of legal witnesses.
19After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
Sarah was buried.
20So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site from the sons of Heth.
Abraham was promised all of the land between the Tigress and Nile River. The only land that he owned at his death was this burial cave. Therefore, God will have to raise Abraham from the dead in order to keep His promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.
In conclusion, the human viewpoint of the satanic world system teaches that Abraham was just a myth.
The divine viewpoint of the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God teaches that God must raise Abraham from the dead and give him all of the land promised to him through the Abrahamic Covenant.
Human viewpoint teaches that whenever there is no archaeological evidence available to support the Biblical record, then the Bible must be wrong.
Divine viewpoint teaches that whenever there is no archaeological evidence available to support the Biblical record, then it just has not been found as of yet. An example is the Hittites, who were a lost nation mentioned in the Bible 47 different times. Skeptics mocked the accuracy of the Bible, until Hugo Winkler discovered forty Hittite cities.
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1. SAQ--What is the theme of Genesis 23?
2. How old was Sarah at her death?
3. Why did Sarah live so long.
4. Who were the Hittites?
5. How powerful were the Hittites?
6. Who wiped out all of the Hittites?
7. Why did skeptics mock the Bible?
8. How many Hittite cities did archaeologists find?
9. What kind of price did the Hittites offer to Abraham?
10. How did the Hittites violate the Abrahamic Covenant?