take it of me, and I will bury my

dead there.

AND Abraham was old and || well

14 And Ephron answered Abra-stricken in age: and the LORD had ham, saying unto him,

15 My lord, hearken unto me: The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; § what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron, and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

blessed Abraham in all things. ¶

2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:

3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites amongst whom I dwell: **

4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

17¶ And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and 5 And the servant said unto him, the cave which was therein, and Peradventure the woman will not all the trees that were in the field, be willing to follow me unto this that were in all the borders roundland: must I needs bring thy son about, were made sure, again unto the land from whence thou camest?

18 Unto Abraham for a possession, in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.

19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan,

20 And the field and the cave

6. And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou, that thou bring not my son thither again.

7¶ The LORD God of heaven §§ which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me. saying, Unto thy seed will I give

* All are witnesses of the act, and therefore without any farther hesitation bury thy dead. And which is but a trifle between two such friends, both of whom are in flourishing circumstances. That is, Abraham understood by what Ephron had said, that he valued the land at four hundred shekels, as the price he would take for it; and therefore, Abraham immediately weighed to Ephron the silver. Heb. Gone into days.

¶ In age, riches and honour: so that all persons were desirous of his alliance in marriage with his son Isaac, but he would accept of none but his own family.

** For as all nations were to be blessed in his seed, he was not willing that his son should marry a daughter of the Canaanites, who were accursed from the mouth of Noah; as we find in chap. ix. verse 25, "Cursed be Canaan.”

In verse 3, he says, the God of heaven and the God of the earth; and in this, he only says, the God of heaven: the intention of which is to inform us, that, at the time that God took him from

with you: give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

6 Hear us, my lord; thou art a mighty prince amongst us; in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead: none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

7 And Abraham, stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.

8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, ** hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zoar:

9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; he shall give it me, for a possess for as much money §§ as it is worth ion of a burying-place amongst

you.

10 And Ephron dwelt amongst the children of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gates of his city, saying,

11 Nay, my lord, hear me: The field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the

It is the received opinion, that Abraham was

mount Moriah, before he could reach Beer-sheba formed of her death as he was coming from

he meant to settle.

Heb. From before me,

I have met with a curious observation on this speech; for, grammatically, they ought to have said OUR LORD, as it is spoken by the children of Heth: but, saith the observer, "though a man, in his private capacity, may style another his lord, yet, when he represents an assembly, he has no right to title him lord over them."

¶Heb. A prince of God;-and not a stranger and sojourner as thou hast said, and therefore in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead.

** If ye really mean, as ye have said; then intreat for me to Ephron that he will sell me the cave.

9 Heb. Full silver.

++ Heb. Ears.