Genesis 23: “A Possession of a Burial Place”
1. The Death of Sarah
“Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.” (Gen 23:1–2)
Sarah is the only woman in Scripture whose age is recorded at death — a sign of her dignity as mother of the covenant.
Her death is not treated sentimentally but reverently: the passing of the matriarch through whom God’s promise was fulfilled.
St Bede the Venerable comments:
“Her years are numbered because her faith was fruitful. She died not barren but blessed, leaving laughter as her heritage.” (Commentary on Genesis, 23)
Abraham’s mourning is brief and sincere — a sanctified grief, not despair. The believer mourns without hopelessness (1 Thess 4:13).
2. Mourning and Faith
“Abraham rose up from before his dead, and said to the Hittites, ‘I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.’” (vv. 3–4)
“Abraham rose up” — faith rises from sorrow to action.
Though he owns nothing of the land promised to him, he asks to buy a burial plot.
He is a stranger, yet he speaks as one who knows he belongs to a greater homeland.
St Augustine reflects:
“Abraham’s grief did not hinder his faith. Even in mourning, he confesses himself a pilgrim, for the saints dwell on earth but are citizens of heaven.” (City of God XVI.24)
This is the faith that looks beyond death to promise: burial in hope of resurrection.
3. The Request to the Hittites
“The Hittites answered Abraham, ‘Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs.’” (vv. 5–6)
They honour Abraham as “a prince of God.”
Even the pagans recognise the holiness shining from his life.
St John Chrysostom notes:
“The man of faith becomes a blessing even among strangers; they see in him not wealth but grace.” (Homilies on Genesis XLIX.1)
Yet Abraham politely refuses to accept a gift — he wishes to own the land by lawful purchase, not by favour. Promise must rest on covenant, not on flattery.
4. The Negotiation for Machpelah
“He said to them, ‘If you are willing that I should bury my dead, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which is at the end of his field.’” (vv. 8–9)
The cave of Machpelah (“the double cave”) will become the family tomb of the patriarchs.
Abraham’s request is precise and respectful.
He deals honourably with the Hittites — a model of justice in dealings with the world.
St Ambrose comments:
“He would not take what was offered freely, for he wished faith’s inheritance to be acquired by faith’s labour.” (On Abraham II.11)
The believer does not grasp what God has promised; he receives it through patience and righteousness.
5. Ephron’s Offer and Abraham’s Integrity
“Ephron answered, ‘No, my lord, hear me; I give you the field and the cave that is in it.’ But Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.” (vv. 11–12)
The public exchange ensures transparency.
Abraham bows — humility in negotiation.
He refuses the pretence of a gift; he insists on payment:
“I will give the price of the field; accept it from me.” (v. 13)
St John Chrysostom remarks:
“He teaches us that piety does not excuse injustice; to walk by faith is to act honourably in all things.” (Homilies on Genesis XLIX.2)
Faith never exempts us from honesty; holiness includes good manners and fair dealing.
6. The Purchase Confirmed
“Ephron answered Abraham, ‘My lord, listen to me: a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me?’ Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver.” (vv. 14–16)
The negotiation follows ancient custom: courteous words hiding firm business.
Abraham pays the full price without argument — a sign that faith is generous, not grasping.
St Bede comments:
“He who looked for a heavenly city was not greedy for an earthly bargain. He paid the price gladly, for faith makes the heart free.” (Commentary on Genesis, 23)
This act becomes the legal foundation of his future inheritance.
7. The Legal Witness
“So the field of Ephron in Machpelah… was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city.” (v. 18)
Public transaction at the city gate guarantees legitimacy.
Abraham now owns a small portion of the Promised Land — a grave.
St Augustine reflects:
“He who was promised the land possessed only a tomb in it. Yet this was the pledge of the resurrection: he buried his dead where he believed they would rise.” (City of God XVI.24)
Faith claims first not a house for the living but a resting place for the dead — a sign of hope in God’s everlasting covenant.
8. The Burial of Sarah
“After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah… Thus the field and the cave were made over to Abraham as a possession for a burying place.” (vv. 19–20)
The patriarch lays his beloved wife to rest — in sorrow, yet in serene faith.
This act consecrates the land: the first human seed of the resurrection planted in Canaan.
St Ambrose writes:
“He buries her not in despair but in faith, for he knew that the womb once barren would be fruitful again in resurrection.” (On Abraham II.11)
The cave of Machpelah becomes the cradle of Israel’s hope — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives will rest there awaiting the fulfilment of God’s word.
9. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| Sarah’s death | Mortality within divine promise |
| Abraham’s mourning | Holy grief rooted in hope |
| Purchase of the field | Faith’s integrity and perseverance |
| Possession of burial place | First step towards fulfilment of God’s covenant |
| Burial in faith | Hope in the resurrection of the body |
St Bede summarises:
“Abraham possessed the land first in death, that he might teach us to seek life beyond the grave.” (Commentary on Genesis, 23)
10. Moral and Spiritual Application
Mourn with faith. Grieve as Abraham did — not as one without hope.
Live honourably. Conduct all dealings with justice and courtesy.
Hold lightly to earth. True ownership lies in the promises of God, not possessions.
Prepare for eternity. A Christian burial is an act of faith in resurrection.
Remember the homeland. Like Abraham, we are strangers here, awaiting the city whose builder is God (Heb 11:10).
11. Christ and the Tomb of Faith
In Abraham’s burial of Sarah, the Fathers discerned a foreshadowing of Christ’s burial:
A tomb purchased at cost (cf. Matthew 27:60).
Burial in faith and expectation.
Rest in the promised land before resurrection.
St Augustine teaches:
“The cave of Machpelah is the figure of Christ’s sepulchre, in which death itself became the gate of life.” (City of God XVI.24)
Just as Abraham’s act sanctified the land for the hope of Israel, so Christ’s resting in the tomb sanctifies the grave for all believers. Death has become the place of divine promise.
12. Closing Prayer
Lord God of Abraham, God of Sarah,
You are faithful through every age and steadfast in every promise.
Teach us to live as pilgrims,
to act with integrity in this world,
and to hope with certainty in the world to come.
Comfort those who mourn,
strengthen those who wait,
and fill our hearts with the sure hope of resurrection,
through Jesus Christ, who rested in the tomb and rose in glory,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
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