The death of Abraham’s wife Sarah created a pressing need for her burial. Rather than simply committing her into the earth, he sought a permanent place for her and his family. He purchased a field at Machpelah to acquire a cave he and his family would then use as a burial tomb. Tradition places the Cave at Machpelah about 20 miles south-southwest of Jerusalem.

We find the account in Genesis 23:3-23. From this passage we can gain additional insight into land transfers in Bronze Age Canaan and see the challenge wealthy nomadic peoples faced as resident aliens in a foreign land.

Verse 3 records that Abraham spoke to the sons of Heth about his need to bury his dead. Genesis 10:15 records Heth, their ancestor, as Canaan’s second son. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, usually referred to as the ISBE, reports that this Heth was the ancestor of the Hittites.  The question then arises as to why we would find a community of Hittites south-southwest of Jerusalem when the Hittites had settled the area we know as Syria?

The ISBE suggests this Hittite community was probably made up of early migrants or colonists from some part of the Hittite empire even though the empire never actually extended so far south into Palestine.

In Verse 4, Abraham makes his alien status quite clear. He says,

“I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”  (Genesis 23:4 NASB).

What does his alien status have to do with his ability to own real property? As a stranger, foreigner or resident alien he had no legal right to buy Hittite land. For the first time, Abraham encountered a situation where he felt he needed to actually buy and own a piece of land. The sense of it is that he did not want to bury Sarah in someone else’s property.  He went to the sons of Heth asking for an exception, requesting permission to do something that is normally not allowed. He was given that permission.

The sons of Heth answered Abraham in verses 5-6. They said:

“Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.” (Genesis 23:5-6 NASB).

Abraham then sought their help by requesting that they speak with Ephron the son of Zohar on his behalf. He sought the cave of Machpelah located at the end of Ephron’s field. He was willing to pay the full price or as we would say the full market value or the property.

Who was Ephron? We are told that he was a Hittite who dwelled among the sons of Heth.

We now encounter Abraham and Ephron bargaining at the gate of the city. In Canaan it was at the city gate that land transfers were negotiated in public such that that there were witnesses and all would know the transfer had taken place.

Abraham specifically wanted the cave nothing more. Ephron has something else in mind. He wanted Abraham to become a landowner. Once Abraham would become a landholder he was bound to be their ally with a duty to defend the city and its lands. Under Hittite law a man’s military obligation, not just his personal obligation, was to provide solders for the common defense determined by the amount of land he owned.

From Ephron’s view he could reduce his military obligations by selling the whole field. Under Hittite law, if a man sold only a portion of a field it did not reduce his military obligations. If he sold the whole field in tact he did have that obligation reduced.

Does this explain why Abraham would want only the corner of the field with the cave? He wanted to remain free of such obligations. Abraham sought to walk before God and be blameless (Genesis 17:1) and he wanted to avoid getting involved with Canaanite legal entanglements. In this case he accepted the burden because there was no effective way of avoiding it.

Ephron answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth who were present at city gate. At verse 11 he is reported to have said:

“No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!” (Genesis 23:11 NASB).

This was not a sincere offer but rather how such negotiations began. Verse 12 provides Abraham’s answer. He wasn’t looking for a gift that would indebt himself to these Hittite people. He also knew this was their custom for bargaining for land sales. He was expected to propose a price. The bargaining process was business like and polite. Abraham then spoke to Ephron, in the hearing of the people, that:

“If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.” (Genesis 23:12 NASB).

In other words, he wanted Ephron to propose the price. He did not want to insult him by offering a price that would be so law as to be seen as an insult.

Ephron had no problem in responding. He proposed an outlandish price. At Verse 15 he said:

“My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” (Genesis 23:15 NASB).

At this point Abraham did not quibble or attempt to haggle. He weighed out the silver for Ephron, which he had proposed in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants. He paid the price. Now we learn of the land conveyance to Abraham at verse 17-18.

So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. (Genesis 23:17-18 NASB).

 What does the statement “all the trees that were in the field” tell us?

By studying the customs of the Hittites we can learn that in order for a land sale to be legal it had to make mention of all the trees on the property and in the boarder of the property. Otherwise, the deed was invalid and there was not a legal transfer.

Why is this detail important to us? What does it suggest as to the veracity of the Genesis account?

This is self-authenticating evidence of the event. Centuries later, in the dys of Joshua, these legal practices no longer existed.

We have here in the way of a tradition, perhaps maintained orally for centuries, of what was necessary for a Hittite deed to be official so that Abraham was recognized as the legitimate purchaser of the field as well as the cave. It is inconceivable that a writer would be able to compose a fictional account containing such detail.

As far as we know, the custom of having to mention the trees in he field and in the borders was exclusive to the Hittites. Others living in Canaan did not observe that practice. It was wholly Hittite.

Abraham then buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.