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Genesis Chapter
Twenty-Three
I.
Content of the Chapter
Sarah Died and Was Buried in the
A. Abraham mourned for Sarah (v.1-2);
B. Abraham bought a burial place for Sarah:
1. He asked the sons of Heth for a burial place
(v.3-4);
2. The sons of Heth planed to hinder Abraham
from buying the land for burial (v.5-6);
3. Abraham insisted to buy the land for burial
(v.7-9);
4. Abraham and the owner of the land reached an
agreement (v.10-15);
5. Abraham paid for the land (v.16);
6. The land was delivered to Abraham (v.17-18);
C. Sarah was buried (v.19-20);
II.
Verse by Verse Commentary
Gen. 23:1 “Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of
Sarah.”
YLT:
“And
the life of Sarah is a hundred and twenty and seven years -- years of the life
of Sarah;”
Literal
Meaning: in the Bible, Sarah
was the only woman, whose age was recorded, which showed that her life was
meaningful and the whole days of her life were valuable and were remembered by
God.
Spiritual
Meaning: from the
circumcision of Abraham to the death of Sarah, and from the death of Sarah to the
death of Abraham, both periods were exactly “thirty-eight” years (see Gen. 17:17, 24;
25:7). It seems that the Bible calls to our mind that the Israelites went round
the wilderness. God did not allow them to enter into the land of Canaan until
all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host (Deut.
2:14). Besides, it tells us that God keeps us on the earth after we are saved
to let our natural life be dealt with so that we will partake of the heavenly
reward.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We may have done thousands of things in our
life. However, how many of them are valuable and are remembered before God on
earth?
2) Let
us learn all spiritual things as long as we live today, lest we should be
chastened by the Lord when He comes again (Matt. 24:50-51; 25:11-12, 30).
Gen. 23:2 “So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is,
YLT:
“and
Sarah dieth in Kirjath-Arba, which
Meaning
of Words: “Kirjath Arba”: city of four directions, the city of
giant man; “
Literal
Meaning: “Kirjath
Arba (that is,
“And Abraham came
to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her”, “mourn” refers to the inner emotion. “Weep” is
the outer expression, which shows that Abraham wailed much and made great
lamentation over Sarah.
Spiritual
Meaning: “
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) It is a normal expression that believers mourn
the death of their family members.
2)
Spiritual giants also have tears, and even the Lord offered up supplications
with strong crying and tears when he was on the earth (Heb. 5:7). Spiritual
giants do have affections, but they are not bothered by affections.
3) The
children of God are unable to avoid mournful things when they live in the
world. However, they will not be too sad as those worldly people who have hope
(1Thess. 4:13-14).
4)
Sarah died in the promised land and she did not receive the promise of God.
Therefore, she died in faith (Heb. 11:13). Let us seek and wait for a better
and heavenly country by faith (Heb. 11:10-16).
Gen. 23:3 “Then Abraham stood up from before his
dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,”
YLT: “And
Abraham riseth up from the presence of his dead, and speaketh unto the sons of
Heth, saying,”
The
Background: “stood
up from before his dead”, according to the
custom of the Middle Easterners, he who cried and mourned fell before the dead
and then he would prepare for the funeral.
“The sons of Heth”, they dwelt in the
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Faith makes us not remain in dead mourning but
turn to the coming resurrection.
2)
Though we may be confronted with great troubles, we have to still rise up from
troubles. Difficulties or even death are unable to trouble us (2Cor. 4:8-9).
3) No
matter how sorrowful things we have met, let us not give ourselves to despair,
but stand up strongly and walk the rest of the way.
Gen. 23:4 ““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.””
YLT: “`A
sojourner and a settler I with you; give to me a possession of a burying-place
with you, and I bury my dead from before me.'”
The
Background: “I am
a foreigner and a visitor among you”, such kind of foreigner at
that time had the right to take part in social activities, though it was
limited. They could not own the landed property except for special cases.
Literal
Meaning: “I am a foreigner
and a visitor among you”, the word of Abraham was spoken
according to the visual situation rather than the promise of God.
“Give me
property for a burial place among you”, it meant that Abraham would
buy a land from them. Abraham cherished the land there for he hoped for the
possession of the land on the day of resurrection.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), and
we are “sojourners” and “foreigners” on the earth now (Heb. 11:13; 1Pet. 2:11).
We are on the earth, but not of the earth (John 15:19; 1John 4:5-6).
2) The
world is not our home, so let us set our eyes upon the heavenly country (Heb.
11:16).
3) No
matter how rich or wealthy we are in the world, we will finally obtain a burial
place only. Therefore, let us not pay too much attention to physical things.
4) No
matter how beloved or precious or good the dead is, he should be buried. All
dead things are filthy in the sight of God. And He does not please that men
always stay in the dead conditions (Num. 19:11-19).
5) The
old man of us ---- the old creature, the nature, the flesh, the temperament,
the jealousy and the covetousness ---- should also be buried (Rom. 6:2-4).
6)
Believers should not disregard the funeral arrangement and make the dead one
buried solemnly, not flippantly.
Gen. 23:5 “And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,”
YLT:
“And
the sons of Heth answer Abraham, saying to him,”
Gen. 23:6 ““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.””
YLT:
“`Hear
us, my lord; a prince of God 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.'”
Meaning
of Words: “a mighty prince”: prince of God;
The Background: in the ancient times, if the burial place
was not one’s own property, it meant that there was not resting place for his
body. Therefore, the answer of the sons of Heth was merely an oral favor.
Literal
Meaning: “You
are a mighty prince among us”, this was merely a complimentary word, for
Abraham owned many slaves and cattle and sheep (Gen. 13:2; 20:14). Such word of
the sons of Heth was for the purpose of hindering Abraham from buying an
everlasting land.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) A man who has mature life is able to let others
see God through him.
2)
Whenever we have manifested God, people will call us “mighty prince”. Believers
are respected by others by the spiritual life, not wealth or status.
3)
Abraham was unwilling to bury Sarah in the burial places of the sons of Heth,
which showed us that those who were of God were separated from the world (2Cor.
6:17-18).
Gen. 23:7 “Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of
the land, the sons of Heth.”
YLT: “And
Abraham riseth and boweth himself to the people of the land, to the sons of
Heth,”
Literal
Meaning: “bowed”, it was a
kind of social courtesy at that time, not worship.
Enlightenment
in the Word: the
more one is spiritual, the more will he be humble to others. Rude believers may
humiliate the testimony of the Lord.
Gen. 23:8 “And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish that I
bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar
for me,”
YLT: “and
he speaketh with them, saying, `If it is your desire to bury my dead from
before me, hear me, and meet for me with Ephron, son of Zoar;”
Meaning
of Words: “Zohar”: white; “Ephron”: strong;
Gen. 23:9 “that he may give me the
YLT:
“and
he giveth to me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which in the extremity of
his field; for full money doth he give it to me, in your midst, for a
possession of a burying-place.'”
Meaning
of Words: “Machpelah”: sheepfold, double;
Literal
Meaning: according to the
promise of God, all the
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) Though we believers have obtained the eternal
inheritance in Christ (Eph. 1:11), we shall still not rob the present
possession. We shall not disregard righteousness because of grace.
2)
Believers shall not covet for things of others, but obtain everything in
integrity and uprightness.
3) We will not obtain the testimony in our
conversation until we have paid sufficient price. The testimony without any
price or with insufficient price will not glorify God.
4) “Machpelah” means “double” ---- if we seek Christ
earnestly when we live on the earth, we will gain when we die (Phil. 1:21) ----
he who obtains the birthright obtains double blessings.
Gen. 23:10 “Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of
Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of
Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,”
YLT: “And
Ephron is sitting in the midst of the sons of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite
answereth Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, of all those entering the
gate of his city, saying,”
The
Background: in the ancient
times, the gate of city in the
Gen. 23:11 ““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!””
YLT:
“`Nay,
my lord, hear me: the field I have given to thee, and the cave that in it, to
thee I have given it; before the eyes of the sons of my people I have given it
to thee -- bury thy dead.'”
The
Background: according to the
rules of the sons of Heth at that time, if an land owner sold only a part of
the land, he had still to charge for the taxes of the whole land.
Literal
Meaning: Abraham needed only
the
Gen. 23:12 “Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the
land;”
YLT: “And
Abraham boweth himself before the people of the land,”
Gen. 23:13 “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.””
YLT: “and
speaketh unto Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, `Only -- if
thou wouldst hear me -- I have given the money of the field -- accept from me,
and I bury my dead there.'”
Enlightenment
in the Word: let
believers walk properly toward those who are outside (1Thess. 4:12) and own no
one anything (
Gen. 23:14 “And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,”
YLT:
“And
Ephron answereth Abraham, saying to him,”
Gen. 23:15 ““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.””
YLT:
“`My
lord, hear me: the land -- four hundred shekels of silver; between me and thee,
what it? -- thy dead bury.'”
Literal
Meaning: “the
land is worth four hundred
shekels of silver”, probably the
price was too high, for David only spent fifty shekels on the threshing-floor
and oxen (2Sam. 24:24), and Jeremiah spent seventeen shekels on a piece of land
(Jer. 32:9). Ephron was seemingly generous, but actually he just took advantage
of Abraham to satisfy his greed.
Enlightenment
in the Word: let we believers
walk in wisdom toward those who are outside (Col. 4:5) so that we are able to
discern their crafty words. .
Gen. 23:16 “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.”
YLT:
“And
Abraham hearkeneth unto Ephron, and Abraham weigheth to Ephron the silver which
he hath spoken of in the ears of the sons of Heth, four hundred silver shekels,
passing with the merchant.”
Literal
Meaning: Abraham did not make
a bargain or was imposed by the environment. As long as he could buy a piece of
land, in spite of the high price, he did not spare the money, for he knew that
land was his possession and his heir would inherit that land. However, before
the day of inheriting the possession, he was unwilling to take advantage of
others.
Spiritual
Meaning: “silver” represents
trial and price.
“Four
hundred” is the product of forty times ten, which represents perfect trial.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) When the Lord comes again, believers will be
like Him (1John 3:2-3). However, when we live in the world, let us be holy and
upright and be blemish before the world.
2) The
moral level shall be above that of the world ---- it is better to be defrauded
than to defraud others.
3) The
sons of Heth considered only the high price, but Abraham perceived the true
value of the
4) If
believers want to obtain the “
5)
Believers sojourn in the world and experience the suffering and trial and
stripping of the cross, and ultimately obtain the proof of faith ---- the full
assurance of resurrection.
Gen. 23:17 “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 surrounding borders, were deeded”
YLT:
“And
established are the field of Ephron, which in Machpelah, which before Mamre,
the field and the cave which in it, and all the trees which in the field, which
in all its border round about,”
Literal
Meaning: “before”: it is the
east part (Gen. 13:9, 11);
This verse means that the
borderline of the land is distinctly set and even the tree are numbered.
Spiritual
Meaning: “field”, the place
where life grows;
“Trees” reveal vigor and vitality, which represents the strong life.
This
verse show though believers shall be asleep, they are full of hope of
resurrection (1Thess. 4:16).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) God is not the God of the dead, but of the
living (Matt. 22:32).
2)
Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward is being renewed day
by day (2Cor. 4:16).
3)
Though believers are dead in the flesh, their spirits rest in the Lord and wait
to be caught by the risen Lord and be with the Lord forever (1Thess. 4:17).
Gen. 23:18 “to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of
Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.”
YLT:
“to
Abraham by purchase, before the eyes of the sons of Heth, among all entering
the gate of his city.”
Literal
Meaning: here it indicated
that the trade was done before the elders of the sons of Heth according to
lawful procedure. Here it mentions the witness to show that this contract was
valid.
Gen. 23:19 “And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave
of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is,
YLT: “And
after this hath Abraham buried Sarah his wife at the cave of the field of
Machpelah before Mamre (which
Literal
Meaning: “
Gen. 23:20 “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.”
YLT:
“and
established are the field, and the cave which in it, to Abraham for a
possession of a burying-place, from the sons of Heth.”
Literal
Meaning: God promised Abraham
the
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The possession God has promised us is not the
earthly possession, but a better and heavenly country (Heb. 11:8-16).
2) We
can merely obtain a piece of burial land in the business and building on the
earth. Therefore, do not set the hope on earthly things.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Death of Sarah
A. The whole days of her life were remembered
by God (v.1);
B. She died by faith (v.2);
1. She did not obtain the promise when she
died.
2. She died in the fellowship of God.
C. Abraham mourned for Sarah (v.2);
The Burial of Sarah
A. The dead should be buried (v.4);
B. The separation between
those are of God and the world ---- do not borrow a burial place from the sons
of Heth (v.v.5-9);
C. Be full of the hope of resurrection
(v.17-20);
How to Walk toward Those Who Are Outside
A. Show that we are foreigners (v.4);
B. Be humble and polite toward others (v.7);
C. Not take advantage of others (v.8-9);
D. Be wise ---- be able to discern the words
(v.10-16);
E. Deal with everything clearly (v.17-18);
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou