Negotiations for Sarah’s burial and the deed to Hebron (Genesis 23)

The events around Sarah’s death are not mentioned simply as a marker of time. She was a prominent person in her own right. Her Biblical biography is the only one of a woman that mentions her age at the time of her death as well as the elaborate negotiations surrounding the location of her final repose. The negotiations for her burial place have implications into the present day.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:25 — 4.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Food for thought from the recorded discussion

What is unique about Genesis 23? Why does God want us to know old Sarah was when she died? How old was Isaac at this time?

Where did Sarah die? What kind of people lived in this area? What does the word Hebron mean?

When did Abraham have to gather a legion of men? What book of the Bible calls Abraham the “friend of God” (James 2:22)?

What does the name Mamre mean (Strong’s Hebrew lexicon No. 4471)? Is this land a fertile land or a desert land at the time of Abraham? How important is Hebron in the history of the Israelite people?

Who are the sons of Heth (cheyt in Hebrew, Strong’s 2845)? What does the name Heth mean? What do the sons of Heth call Abraham (Gen. 23:6)?

What kind of power did Abraham and Moses carry compared to King David?

How was the legal agreement between Abraham and the people of Heth affirmed?

Reader: David.