Genesis 23:14-16 NIV

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 23:16

And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron (either as knowing that the price he asked was reasonable, or as being in no humor to bargain with him on the subject); and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver ,—"Even this is still common; for although coins have now a definite name, size, and value, yet every merchant carries a small apparatus by which he weighs each coin to see that it has not been tampered with by Jewish Clippers"— which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth (the... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 23:1-20

- The Death of Sarah2. ארבע קרית qı̂ryat-'arba‛, “Qirjath-arba‘, city of Arba.” ארבע 'arba‛, “Arba‘, four.”8. עפרון ‛eprôn, “‘Ephron, of the dust, or resembling a calf.” צחר tshochar, “Tsochar, whiteness.”9. מכפלה makpêlâh, “Makpelah, doubled.”The death and burial of Sarah are here recorded. This occasions the purchase of the field of Makpelah, in the cave of which is her sepulchre.Genesis 23:1-2Sarah is the only woman whose age is recorded in Scripture. She meets with this distinction as... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Genesis 23:1-20

Further expressions of faith (22:20-23:20)While Abraham was establishing his family in Canaan, the family of his brother Nahor in Mesopotamia was growing. The writer records this growth to introduce Rebekah, the future wife of Isaac (20-24).Back in Canaan, Abraham moved from Beersheba to Hebron, and there Sarah died (23:1-2). Though God had promised the whole of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants, Abraham still owned no land there. The death of Sarah gave him an opportunity to buy a piece of... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Genesis 23:15

what is that. Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 23:14-16

"And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead. And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the children of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant."It would appear to be most likely that Ephron announced the price merely as a starting point for the... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 23:15

Genesis 23:15. Four hundred shekels, &c.— Money, and pieces of money, have been mentioned before, but this is the first place in which shekels are mentioned. Prideaux, who has given us the best estimation of Hebrew and Attic coins, reckons a shekel to be equivalent to three shillings of English money; so that the sum, which Abraham paid for his new purchase, will amount to sixty pounds sterling. But what is that, said Ephron politely, betwixt me and thee? this is too inconsiderable a matter... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Genesis 23:16

Genesis 23:16. Abraham weighed, &c.— They did not tell the money, as we do now, but gave it out by weight. In time, convenience taught men to give it a public stamp, in order to denote its value: yet it continued to be weighed among the Jews, in David's time; see 1Ch 21:25 and even till the captivity. Indeed, as Bp. Patrick observes, the very word shekel comes from shakal, to weigh. The same custom of weighing prevailed among the Romans till about the four hundred and seventy-fifth year of... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 23:15

15. the land is worth four hundred shekels, c.—as if Ephron had said, "Since you wish to know the value of the property, it is so and so but that is a trifle, which you may pay or not as it suits you." They spoke in the common forms of Arab civility, and this indifference was mere affectation. read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Genesis 23:16

16. Abraham weighed . . . the silver—The money, amounting to £50 was paid in presence of the assembled witnesses; and it was weighed. The practice of weighing money, which is often in lumps or rings, each stamped with their weight, is still common in many parts of the East; and every merchant at the gates or the bazaar has his scales at his girdle. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 23:3-16

Typically ancient Near Easterners buried family members in their native land. [Note: Ross, "Genesis," p. 66.] Abraham’s desire to bury Sarah in the Promised Land shows that he had turned his back on Mesopotamia forever (Genesis 23:4). Canaan was his adopted homeland.God had made Abraham a powerful person, which his neighbors acknowledged (Genesis 23:6). [Note: On Abraham as a "mighty prince," see Wiseman, "Abraham . . . Part II: Abraham the Prince," pp. 228-37.] "Abraham has put himself at the... read more