Abraham Buries His Dead in the Promised Land – Genesis 23
by Sabrina Dawkins
Sarah lived until she was 127 and died in Hebron. And Abraham was such an honorable man that he insisted on paying for land to bury his dead, even though the generous children of Heth whom he dwelt among as a stranger would’ve given him the burying place for free, viewing him as a “mighty prince” (Genesis 23:6).
Heth was a son of Canaan: “And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth” (Genesis 10:15). And Canaan was a son of Ham: “And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan” (Genesis 10:6). Ham saw his father’s nakedness while Noah lay drunk inside of his own tent and then told his two brothers, who were outside of the tent (Genesis 9:21-22). But Shem and Japheth showed integrity by not looking at their father’s nakedness and instead covering him up (Genesis 9:23). As a result, when Noah came out of his drunken state, he cursed his son Ham’s son Canaan: “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren” (Genesis 9:25).
Nevertheless, in dealing with this cursed lineage, the humble Abraham bowed to them and insisted on paying for the land to bury his dead. But he would not have his son take for a wife one of the daughters of Canaan in the land in which he dwelt (Genesis 24:3). Instead, he had his oldest servant find Isaac a wife from Abraham’s relatives in his native land (Genesis 24:4).
Not only did Abraham insist on purchasing the land but also insisted on paying full price for it. He wanted to purchase the cave of Machpelah at the end of the field belonging to Ephron, the son of Zohar. But Ephron the Hittite wanted to give Abraham the field and cave for free; and with his people, the children of Heth, as an audience, says that he gives the field to Abraham free of cost. But Abraham insisted on paying. Ephron told him the worth of the land: 400 shekels of silver.
So Abraham not only bought the cave at the end of the land, he bought the entire field of Ephron in Machpelah and all the trees that were in the field. Abraham buried Sarah in the cave which was in Hebron, which was on the land of Canaan, and the field and the cave became Abraham’s to bury his dead.
Abraham paid for land in Hebron in the land of Canaan to bury his dead. This is the land that the Lord promised he would give to Abraham and his descendants forever (Genesis 13:12-15). And Hebron is where Abraham built an altar to God after he said, “Arise. Walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee” (Genesis 13:17).