Genesis 23:14 kjv
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
Genesis 23:14 nkjv
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
Genesis 23:14 niv
Ephron answered Abraham,
Genesis 23:14 esv
Ephron answered Abraham,
Genesis 23:14 nlt
Ephron answered Abraham,
Genesis 23 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 23:10 | Ephron answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites... | Ephron speaking in public assembly. |
| Gen 23:11 | "No, my lord, hear me; I give you the field and I give you the cave that is in it." | Ephron's initial seemingly generous offer. |
| Gen 23:13 | And Abraham spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, "But if you will give it, please hear me. I will pay the price." | Abraham insists on purchasing rather than receiving. |
| Gen 23:16 | Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth... | The culmination of the negotiation and payment. |
| Gen 12:7 | Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." | God's promise of the land to Abraham's descendants. |
| Gen 17:8 | "And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession..." | Reinforces the promise of land. |
| Gen 25:9-10 | Abraham and his son Isaac buried her in the cave of Machpelah...the field which Abraham purchased from the Hittites. | Sarah's burial, reaffirming the purchased ownership. |
| Gen 49:29-30 | Jacob commands his sons to bury him with his fathers in the cave...the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite... | Jacob also buried there, recognizing Abraham's purchase. |
| Gen 50:13 | they carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought... | Joseph fulfilling Jacob's dying wish, burial in the cave. |
| Acts 7:16 | ...and were laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem. | Stephen references Abraham buying a burial place. |
| Heb 11:8-10 | By faith Abraham obeyed...he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise... | Abraham's journey and dwelling as a sojourner of faith. |
| Heb 11:13 | These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar... | The patriarchs died without fully inheriting the land. |
| Deut 2:10-11 | (The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many and tall as the Anakim...like the Anakim, they were also counted as Rephaim...) | Context of Hittites and giants like Anakim/Rephaim. |
| Jer 32:6-9 | "Hanamel your uncle's son is coming to you to say, 'Buy my field that is in Anathoth...'" So I bought the field... | Prophetic act of purchasing land, even in exile. |
| Ruth 4:1-11 | Boaz conducts legal negotiations for land and a wife at the city gate in the presence of elders. | Public land transaction and legal protocol. |
| Prov 11:3 | The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. | Highlights the nature of commercial interactions. |
| Prov 12:22 | Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. | Truthfulness in negotiation. |
| Gen 24:33 | ...Rebekah said, "And Laban had a standing in his tent..." | Hospitality in receiving visitors. |
| Zech 11:12-13 | Then I said to them, "If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them." And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. | Weighing silver for payment. |
| Isa 55:1-2 | Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! | Contrast with costly purchases: salvation is free. |
| Eph 4:25 | Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. | Principle of truthful communication. |
Genesis 23 verses
Genesis 23 14 Meaning
Genesis 23:14 details Ephron's immediate verbal response to Abraham's offer to buy the Cave of Machpelah. This verse serves as a crucial transitional point in the narrative, directly following Abraham's specific request for a purchase and preceding Ephron's calculated reply, which initially sounds generous but ultimately states a high price for the property. It signifies the commencement of the actual negotiation for Sarah's burial site.
Genesis 23 14 Context
Genesis chapter 23 focuses entirely on Abraham's diligent effort to acquire a burial place for his deceased wife, Sarah. Following her death in Kiriath-arba (Hebron), Abraham approaches the Hittites, who were then the prominent residents of the land. He identifies himself as "a sojourner and resident alien among you" (Gen 23:4), despite God's promises of this land to his descendants. This establishes his unique status and the Hittites' ownership of the territory.
Abraham requests to buy a proper burial site, specifically the Cave of Machpelah. The Hittites initially offer to give him the best of their tombs, showing respect. However, Abraham insists on purchasing it at a full price, signaling his desire for indisputable, legitimate ownership in the Promised Land. This negotiation highlights Abraham's faith, as he physically acquires a piece of the land God promised him, ensuring his family's first permanent foothold there. Verse 14 specifically initiates Ephron's response to Abraham's insistence on a financial transaction. The historical context reflects ancient Near Eastern real estate transactions, often involving public pronouncements at city gates or by local elders, where land might be publicly "given" but implied a high price.
Genesis 23 14 Word analysis
- And (וַיַּעַן - wa·ya·'an): This Hebrew "waw" (ו) connective indicates a sequence of events. It signifies an immediate, direct follow-up action. Ephron does not hesitate or delay; he answers without prompting after Abraham's specific offer to buy the field and cave.
- Ephron (עֶפְרוֹן - 'Ephron): A specific Hittite, a son of Zohar, who owns the field and cave Abraham desires. His name possibly means "fawn-like," "dust," or "ash." His prominence in the local community is evident by his participation "in the hearing of the sons of Heth" (Gen 23:10), indicating a position of status among the Hittites, who were a major Gentile people group of the region (ancestors mentioned as Anakim in Deut 2:10).
- answered (וַיַּעַן - wa·ya·'an): From the root verb עָנָה ('anah), meaning "to answer, respond, declare." It denotes a vocal and purposeful reply to a question or statement. Here, it signifies Ephron taking up the conversation initiated by Abraham, moving the negotiation forward from Abraham's proposal.
- Abraham (אַבְרָהָם - 'Avraham): The recipient of Ephron's words. Abraham is the patriarch through whom God's covenant promises flow. Despite being the heir to the land by divine decree, he navigates the earthly reality of needing to purchase a small parcel for a burial place, showcasing humility and integrity in dealing with the current inhabitants.
- saying (לֵאמֹר - le'mor): A common Hebrew infinitive construct used to introduce direct speech. It signals that Ephron's subsequent words are an exact quotation, providing his precise terms. This phrase is a common textual marker in the Pentateuch, guiding the reader into the actual words spoken in a dialogue.
- to him (אֵלָיו - 'elav): A simple prepositional phrase, clarifying that Ephron's words are specifically directed towards Abraham, affirming the one-to-one nature of the discourse, even if spoken publicly.
Genesis 23 14 Bonus section
The seemingly simple phrase "And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him" often introduces important speeches or legal statements in ancient Near Eastern narratives, elevating the status of the impending communication. It sets a formal tone for the declaration of price and terms that follow in the subsequent verses. This brief verse underscores the protocol of the time: even personal requests or offers were subject to public hearing and formal response among community elders. The focus is on the direct interaction between Abraham and Ephron, signifying that despite the presence of "the sons of Heth," the core negotiation is between these two individuals. This interaction solidifies the initial footprint of the covenant people within the promised land, secured not through conquest, but through upright, acknowledged purchase, demonstrating Abraham's commitment to legitimate and peaceful possession.
Genesis 23 14 Commentary
Genesis 23:14 is a terse, but pivotal, moment in the transaction between Abraham and Ephron. It acts as the verbal bridge where the dialogue shifts from Abraham's clear request for purchase to Ephron's shrewd counter-response. Though only five words in the Hebrew, it reveals Ephron's immediate willingness to engage and his promptness in moving towards the sale. The "saying to him" highlights the directness of the communication, even though the negotiation occurred publicly.
This interaction is not just a simple real estate deal; it symbolizes Abraham's enduring faith and the complex reality of God's promises. Abraham, a man living by faith in the divine promise of a land that is not yet his, secures a burial place. This specific land acquisition, the Cave of Machpelah, becomes the first tangible, owned possession for Abraham in the Promised Land. It prefigures the eventual full inheritance by Israel, yet simultaneously highlights that even the recipient of a divine promise must often navigate human societal customs, including negotiation and purchase. This specific transaction serves as a practical demonstration of Abraham's commitment to dwelling in the land, even if initially only in a burial plot, anchoring his hope and his family's future to the covenant land. The detail of "Ephron answered...saying to him" simply indicates that the critical answer (to follow in the next verse) is coming directly from the landowner himself.