Genesis 23:15

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Genesis 23:3-15

Here is, I. The humble request which Abraham made to his neighbours, the Hittites, for a burying-place among them, Gen. 23:3, 4. It was strange he had this to do now; but we are to impute it rather to God's providence than to his improvidence, as appears Acts 7:5; where it is said, God gave him no inheritance in Canaan. It were well if all those who take care to provide burying-places for their bodies after death were as careful to provide a resting-place for their souls. Observe here, 1. The... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Genesis 23:15

My lord, hearken unto me ,.... Since it is your mind to buy the field, and not receive it as a gift, then hear what I have to say as to the value of it: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver ; which, reckoning a shekel at two shillings and sixpence, comes to fifty pounds of our money: what is that betwixt thee and me ? between two persons so rich, the sum was trifling and inconsiderable, whether the one paid it, and the other received it, or not; or between two such... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 23:15

The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver - Though the words is worth are not in the text, yet they are necessarily expressed here to adapt the Hebrew to the idiom of our tongue. A shekel, according to the general opinion, was equal to two shillings and sixpence; but according to Dr. Prideaux, whose estimate I shall follow, three shillings English, four hundred of which are equal to sixty pounds sterling; but it is evident that a certain weight is intended, and not a coin, for in ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 23:1-20

The death and burial of Sarah. I. THE DEATH OF SARAH . 1. The mournful event . The death of— 2. The attendant circumstances . Sarah died— II. THE BURIAL OF SARAH . 1. The days of mourning . "Abraham came to mourn and to weep for Sarah." The sorrow of the patriarch was— 2. The purchase of a grave . Here may be noted— 3. The last rites of sepulture . " After this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah;"... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 23:14-15

And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him, My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. The word "shekel," from shakal , to weigh, here used for the first time, was not a stamped coin, but a piece of metal of definite weight, according to Exodus 30:13 , equal to twenty gerahs, or beans, from garar, to roll. Coined money was unknown to the Hebrews until after the captivity. In the time of the Maccabees (1 Macc. 15:6) silver coins were struck bearing 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

Group of Brands