So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. 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. The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham by the children of Heth as a possession for a burial place.
Parallel Translations
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So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded
to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
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.
The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham by the children of Heth as a possession for a burial place.
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And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that 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: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
Show all 3 translations
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So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof round about, were made sure
unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that 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 — the same is Hebron — in the land of Canaan.
And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the children of Heth.
Cross-references (34)
- Genesis 50:13 (vv17, 19, 20) for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the…
- Genesis 25:9 (vv17, 20) Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is near Mamre,
- Genesis 23:20 (v17) The field, and the cave that is in it, were deeded to Abraham by the children of Heth as a possession for a burial place.
- Genesis 49:29-32 (vv17, 19) He instructed them, and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron…
- Ruth 4:7-10 (vv17, 20) Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: a man took off his…
Show all 29 cross-references
- Jeremiah 32:10-14 (v20) I signed the deed, sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed the money in the balances to him. So I took the deed of the purchase, both that…
- Acts 7:16 (v17) and they were brought back to Shechem, and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in silver from the children of Hamor of Shechem.
- Genesis 3:19 (v19) You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall…
- Genesis 25:9-10 (v19) Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is near…
- Genesis 34:20 (v18) Hamor and Shechem, his son, came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,
- Genesis 35:27-29 (v19) Jacob came to Isaac his father, to Mamre, to Kiriath Arba (which is Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners. The days of Isaac…
- Genesis 47:30 (v19) but when I sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place.” Joseph said, “I will do as you have…
- Genesis 49:31-32 (v20) There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah: the field and the…
- Genesis 50:5 (v20) ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying. Bury me in my grave which I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now…
- Genesis 50:24-25 (v20) Joseph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to…
- Genesis 50:25 (v19) Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”
- Ruth 4:1 (v18) Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. Behold, the near kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by. Boaz said to him, “Come over here,…
- 2 Samuel 24:24 (v20) The king said to Araunah, “No; but I will most certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God…
- 2 Kings 21:18 (v20) Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza; and Amon his son reigned in his…
- Job 30:23 (v19) For I know that you will bring me to death, To the house appointed for all living.
- Psalms 112:5 (v17) It is well with the man who deals graciously and lends. He will maintain his cause in judgment.
- Ecclesiastes 6:3 (v19) If a man fathers a hundred children, and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not filled with good,…
- Ecclesiastes 12:5 (v19) yes, they shall be afraid of heights, and terrors will be on the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a…
- Ecclesiastes 12:7 (v19) and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
- Jeremiah 32:7-14 (v17) ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is…
- Jeremiah 32:12 (v18) and I delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and…
- Matthew 10:16 (v17) “Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
- Ephesians 5:15 (v17) Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,
- Colossians 4:5 (v17) Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
29 distinct cross-references across this passage (34 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv18, 20 Or, citizens.
Or, citizens.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv17–20 Gen 23:17 And the field of Ephron, which [was]…
Gen 23:17 And the field of Ephron, which [was] in Machpelah, which [was] before Mamre, the field, and the cave which [was] therein, and all the trees that [were] in the field, that [were] in all the borders round about, were made sure
Ver. 17. Which was in Machpelah.] Where was a double cave, one within another: and haply one for men, and another for women. This was not that purchased burying place whereof Stephen spake, {Act 7:16} for that was in Sychem, this in Hebron; that was bought of Emor the father of Sychem, this of Ephron.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv17–18 And after this,.... After this affair was over, the…
And after this,.... After this affair was over, the bargain struck, the money paid, and possession secured:
Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah,
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before Mamre; and here he himself was buried, and also Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah, Gen 25:9. Benjamin of Tudela (h) says, in his time (who lived in the latter end of the twelfth century), in the field of Machpelah was a city or town, and in it a large temple called Saint Abraham, where were shown the sepulchres of the six persons before mentioned, and inscriptions over each of them, showing whose they were; and that at the end of the field was the house of Abraham, and before the house a fountain, and no other was suffered to be built there in honour to Abraham:
the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan; that is, Mamre is the same place which afterwards was called Hebron, a city in the land of Canaan, in the tribe of Judah, about twenty two miles from Jerusalem to the south, and was one of the cities of refuge. Hebron has the title of Hhaleah, i.e. the chosen or beloved, among the Arabs, where the (Maggarel Mamra) cave of Mamre or Machpelah is still shown, and is always lighted up with lamps, and held in extraordinary veneration by the Mahometans (i).
(h) Itinerarium, p. 48, 49. (i) Shaw's Travels, p. 339. Marg. Ed. 2.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v20 A burying place - 'Tis worth noting,
A burying place - 'Tis worth noting,
1. That a burying-place was the first spot of ground Abraham was possessed of in Canaan.
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2. That it was the only piece of land he was ever possessed of, tho' it was all his own in reversion. Those that have least of this earth find a grave in it.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv17, 20 Verse 17. All the trees that were in the…
Verse 17. All the trees that were in the field] It is possible that all these were specified in the agreement.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v20 Gen 23:20. A burying-place — It is worth noting,…
Gen 23:20. A burying-place — It is worth noting, 1st, That a burying-place was the first spot of ground Abraham was possessed of in Canaan. 2d, That it was the only piece of land he was ever possessed of, though it was all his own in reversion. Those that have least of this earth find a grave in it.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v19 Abraham buried Sarah--Thus he got possession of Machpelah and…
Abraham buried Sarah--Thus he got possession of Machpelah and deposited the remains of his lamented partner in a family vault which was the only spot of ground he owned.
Next: Genesis Chapter 24
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv17, 19 17. Field… cave… trees… borders — Observe how every…
17. Field… cave… trees… borders — Observe how every thing is specified — The importance of this is still understood. “It is not enough,” says Thomson, “that you purchase a well-known lot; the contract must mention every thing that belongs to it, and certify that fountains or wells in it, trees upon it, etc., are sold with the field. If you rent a house, not only the building itself, but every room in it, above and below, down to the kitchen, pantry, stable, and hen-coop, must be specified.” — Land and Book, vol. ii, p. 383.
Made sure — The same word is repeated in Gen_23:20. This possession was publicly and legally confirmed to Abraham. On this Dr. Thomson also writes: “When any sale is now to be effected in a town or village, the whole population gather about the parties at the usual place of concourse. There all take part, and enter into the pros and cons with as much earnestness as if it were their own individual affair. By these means, the operation, in all its circumstances and details, is known to many witnesses, and the thing is made sure, without any written contract. In fact, up to this day, in this very city of Hebron, a purchase thus witnessed is legal, while the best-drawn deeds of a London lawyer, though signed and sealed, would be of no avail without such living witnesses.”
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv17, 18, 20 17. So the field of Ephron] This and the…
17. So the field of Ephron] This and the following verses contain, in language of legal minuteness, the description of the purchase. The sentence probably represents the form of a deed of sale, such as was included in Hebrew contracts. Similar minute details are found in Babylonian legal deeds of sale. Notice the particular mention of “the field,” “the cave,” “all the trees,” “all the border,” “made sure,” “in the presence of,” “all that went in at the gate of his city.”
before Mamre] i.e. “in front of” = “to the east of,” as in Gen_23:19, cf. Gen_16:12, Gen_25:18; Num_21:11; Deu_32:49 (“over against”). For Mamre, a locality either identified with, or contiguous to, Hebron, cf. Gen_13:18, Gen_35:27.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv17, 20 (17) Before Mamre.—That is, opposite to it. The Haram…
(17) Before Mamre.—That is, opposite to it. The Haram wherein the bodies of Abraham and Sarah lie, is situated on the eastern side of the valley, so that Abraham’s oak-grove must have been on its western slope. The old Christian tradition, which places it at Ramet-el-Chalil, does not agree with this description, and is, moreover, too far away. The remains pointed out there as those of Abraham’s house, are the ruins of a heathen temple. But it is useless to look for any remains of the abode of a nomad dwelling in tents, especially after the site has been occupied by a great city. Moreover, Hebron itself has changed its position. For Benjamin of Tudela, who visited it nearly seven centuries ago, says that the old Hebron was on the heights, but had been abandoned, and that the new city lay in the valley.
The field, and the cave . . . —It is interesting to compare this document, so legally exact and full, with the numerous tablets of terra-cotta now in our museums, and which record with equal exactness the daily business transactions of the people of Ur-Chasdim, whence Abraham had migrated.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv17, 19, 20 Vers. 17, 18. And the field of Ephron, which…
Vers. 17, 18. And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, here the word is used as a proper name (vide supra)which was before Mamre, ygepli over against (Lange), to the east of (Keil), the oak grove the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, like manner the operations in the contract are just such as are found in modern deeds. It is not enough that you purchase a well-known lot; the contract must mention everything that belongs to it, and certify that fountains or wells in it, trees upon it, &c., are sold with the field" ("Land and Book," p. 578);were made sure literally, stood up or arose, i.e. were confirmed (cf. Lev_27:14, Lev_27:19) unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of the city. "This also is true to life. When any sale is now to be effected in a town or village, the whole population gather about the parties at the usual place of concourse, around or near the gate where there is one. There all take part and enter into the pros and cons with as much earnestness as if it were their own individual affair. By these means the operation, in all its circumstances and details, is known to many witnesses, and the thing is made sure without any written contract" ("Land and Book," p. 579).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v17 The Burial of Sarah
The Burial of Sarah
v. 17. And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
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v. 18. unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. The language is that of a formal instrument used in the transfer of real estate; the location of the field is given: before Mamre, over against the grove of Mamre, adjoining the cave Machpelah, which was at one end of it; the description of the property is accurate and includes even the trees on the plot itself and on its borders on every side. The field was thus conveyed to Abraham with all the appurtenances thereof, the record of the transaction being very minute and the witnesses expressly mentioned.
v. 19. And after this Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre; the same is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. That was the object of the purchase of this field with its cave, which from its name may have had two entrances or been a double cavern.
v. 20. And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the sons of Heth. By burying his wife in Canaan, in the Land of Promise, Abraham confessed that Sarah took part in the promised blessing, that her body was buried in the sure hope of the future resurrection by virtue of the redemption of Christ. In that sense the cemeteries of Christian congregations are truly God’s acres, from which He will, on the last day, gather the harvest of rich fruit.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv17, 19 Machpela was the name of an area or region.…
Machpelah
Machpela was the name of an area or region. See how you translated this in Genesis 23:9. (See: How to Translate Names)
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Mamre
This was another name for the city of Hebron. It may have been named after Mamre, the friend of Abraham who lived there. (See: How to Translate Names)
that is, the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees
This phrase explains what the author meant when he wrote "the field of Ephron." It was not only the field, but also the cave and trees in the field.
passed to Abraham by purchase
"became Abraham's possession when he purchased it" or "belonged to Abraham after he bought it"
in the presence of the sons of Heth
Here "presence" stands for the people serving as witnesses. AT: "with the people of Heth watching as witnesses" (See: Metonymy)
the sons of Heth
Here "sons" stands for those who descended from Heth. See how you translated this in Genesis 23:3. AT: "the descendants of Heth" (See: How to Translate Names)
all those who had come into the gate of his city
This tells which sons of Heth saw Abraham buy the property. See how you translated this in Genesis 23:10. (See: Distinguishing versus Informing or Reminding)
gate of his city
The city gate was where the leaders of the city would meet to make important decisions.
his city
"the city where he lived." This phrase shows that Ephron belonged to that city. It does not mean that he owned it.
translationWords
Abraham
gate
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.