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Genesis

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Sarah's Death and Burial

Chapter 23

1 Sarah lived 127 years. 2 Then she died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife and said to the sons of Heth, 4 “I am a foreign resident, a temporary settler,⁠ among you. Grant me ownership of a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead.” 5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 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.” 7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, the sons of Heth. 8 Then he said to them, “If you agree that I may bury my dead, then hear me out. Ask Ephron the son of Zohar 9 if 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.” 10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hittite replied to Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth—before all who entered the gate of his city— 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.” 12 Abraham bowed before the local people 13 and 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.” 14 Ephron 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.” 16 So 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. 17 So 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, 18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. 19 After 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. 20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site from the sons of Heth.

Texts in conversation

Compare Genesis 23:4 and Psalm 39:12

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Abraham calls himself a foreign resident and temporary settler among the Hittites while searching for a burial site for Sarah. Psalm 39 echoes this language as the speaker calls himself a resident foreigner with God, like all his ancestors.

Passages

Genesis 23:4

Hebrew Bible
2 Then she died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife and said to the sons of Heth, 4 “I am a foreign resident, a temporary settler, among you. Grant me ownership of a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead.” 5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham,
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Genesis

Psalm 39:12

Hebrew Bible
11 You severely discipline people for their sins; like a moth you slowly devour their strength. Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah) 12 Hear my prayer, O Lord. Listen to my cry for help. Do not ignore my sobbing. For I am a resident foreigner with you, a temporary settler, just as all my ancestors were. 13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy before I pass away.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

... parepidēmos is derived from dēmos (people) and is found only twice in the Septuagint (Genesis 23:4; Psalm 38[39]:12). It means someone who lives for a short while in a foreign place as a stranger or alien. It occurs in the New Testament 3 times. In 1 Peter 1:1 and 2:11 believers are called parepidēmoi ("exiles", RSV). The word stands in parallel to paroikoi ("aliens", RSV), pointing back to Genesis 23:4 and Psalm 39:13. Because their true home is in heaven (compare Philippians 3:20), God's election has drawn them out of all their natural ties and relations. They now live on earth as exiles. This call and vocation gives rise to the warning to abstain from the lusts of the flesh (1 Peter 2:11). They are to live according to the decrees and laws of their true homeland. Hebrews 11:13 depicts Abraham and the patriarchs as patterns for the Christian. Abraham looked towards the future city (11:10). Hence he and the fathers lived as strangers and exiles on the earth. ...
Hans Bietenhard, “Foreign,” in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Volume 1, ed. Colin Brown (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975), 690.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Genesis 23:4 and Psalm 39:12

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