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LXX Genesis

Septuagint

About this book
Chapter 23

1 And the life of Sarah was one hundred and twenty-seven years. 2 And Sarah died in the city of Arba, which is in the valley, this is Hebron in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to lament for Sarah and to mourn. 3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead; and Abraham spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4 I am a temporary resident and a stranger⁠ among you, give me therefore possession of a burying-place among you, and I will bury my dead away from me. 5 And the sons of Heth answered to Abraham, saying, 6 Not so, Sir, but hear us; you are in the midst of us a king from God; bury your dead in our choice tombs, for not one of us will by any means withhold his tomb from you, so that you should not bury your dead there. 7 And Abraham rose up and bowed in respect to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth. 8 And Abraham spoke to them, saying, If you have it in your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me, and speak for me to Ephron the son of Zohar. 9 And let him give me the double cave which he has, which is in a part of his field, let him give it to me for the money it is worth for possession of a burying-place among you. 10 Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham and spoke in the hearing of the sons of Heth, and of all who entered the city, saying, 11 Attend to me, my lord, and hear me, I give to you the field and the cave which is in it; I have given it you before all my countrymen; bury your dead. 12 And Abraham bowed in respect before the people of the land. 13 And he said to Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, Since you are on my side, hear me; take the price of the field from me, and I will bury my dead there. 14 But Ephron answered Abraham, saying, 15 No, my lord, I have heard indeed, the land is worth four hundred silver didrachmas, but what can this be between me and you? but bury your dead. 16 And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham rendered to Ephron the money, which he mentioned in the ears of the sons of Heth, four hundred didrachmas of silver approved with merchants. 17 And the field of Ephron, which was in Double Cave, which is opposite Mamre, the field and the cave, which was in it, and every tree which was in the field, and whatever is in its borders all around, were made sure 18 to Abraham for a possession, before the sons of Heth, and all that entered into the city. 19 After this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the Double Cave of the field, which is opposite Mamre, this is Hebron in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave which was in it were made sure to Abraham for possession of a burying place, by the sons of Heth.

Texts in conversation

Compare LXX Genesis 23:4 and 1 Peter 2:11

Septuagint · New Testament

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Summary

Abraham calls himself a resident alien and sojourner among the Hittites while arranging Sarah's burial. 1 Peter echoes the same pair of Greek terms to urge believers, as foreigners and exiles, to live apart from worldly desires.

Passages

LXX Genesis 23:4

Septuagint
2 And Sarah died in the city of Arba, which is in the valley, this is Hebron in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to lament for Sarah and to mourn. 3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead; and Abraham spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4 I am a temporary resident and a stranger among you, give me therefore possession of a burying-place among you, and I will bury my dead away from me. 5 And the sons of Heth answered to Abraham, saying,
300–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Genesis

1 Peter 2:11

New Testament
10 You once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul, 12 and maintain good conduct among the non-Christians, so that though they now malign you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God when he appears.
80–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Peter

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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LXX Genesis 23:4 and 1 Peter 2:11

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