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 negotiations which everyone in earshot no doubt expected. By all accounts, 400 shekels of silver was an exorbitant price. "Omr1paid 6,000 shekels for the whole site of Samaria, and Jeremiah gave only 17 shekels for a parcel of land probably about the size of Machpelah."[18]

However, Abraham merely weighed out the required amount of silver and closed the transaction. Many have commented upon the grace, courtesy and fairness of this whole episode. Adam Clarke's quaint comment was that, "Had Lord Chesterfield read this account, his good sense would have led him to propose it as a model in all transactions between men and his fellows."[19]

"What is that betwixt me and thee ... ?" Ephron meant by this: "The land is worth 400 shekels of silver, a mere trifle; what is a small price like that between mighty and wealthy men such as we are?