1tn Heb And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.
2tn Heb Sarah. The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (she) for stylistic reasons.
3sn Mourn
weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, Burial and Mourning, NBD3, 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarahs tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).
4tn Heb And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.
5tn Some translate the Hebrew term Heth as Hittites here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., Hittites, Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
6tn Heb a resident alien and a settler.
7tn Heb give, which is used here as an idiom for sell (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.
8tn Or possession.
9tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.
10tn Heb bury my dead out of my sight. The last phrase out of my sight has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
11tn Heb answered Abraham saying to him.
12tn Heb Hear us, my lord.
13tn Heb prince of God. The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, mighty prince. The word for prince probably means tribal chief here. See M. H. Gottstein, Nasi elohim (Gen 23:6), VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew, VT 3 (1953) 215-16.
14tn The phrase to prevent you has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
15tn Heb to the people of the land (also in v. 12).
16tn Heb If it is with your purpose. The Hebrew noun vp#n\ (n\p#v) here has the nuance purpose or perhaps desire (see BDB 661).
17tn Heb bury my dead out of my sight. The last phrase out of my sight has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
18tn Or hear me.
19tn Heb intercede for me with.
20tn Heb give. This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for sell; see the note on the word grant in v. 4.
21tn Heb in your presence.
22tn Heb silver.
23tn Or perhaps Hittite, but see the note on the name Heth in v. 3.
24tn Heb ears. By metonymy the ears stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
25sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, Coming and Going at the City Gate, BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, Coming and Going at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speisers Paper, BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.
26tn Heb give. The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.
27tn The Hebrew text adds to you I give [i.e., sell] it. This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
28tn Heb in the presence of the sons of my people.
29tn Heb give.
30tn Heb silver.
31tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
32tn The word worth has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
33sn Four hundred pieces of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).
34tn Heb listened to Ephron.
35tn Heb and Abraham weighed out.
36tn Heb to Ephron. The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (him) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
37tn Heb silver.
38tn Heb that he had spoken. The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
39tn Heb passing for the merchant. The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.
40tn Heb And it was conveyed. The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
41tn Heb his city; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
sn See G. M. Tucker, The Legal Background of Genesis 23, JBL 85 (1966):77-84; and M. R. Lehmann, Abrahams Purchase of Machpelah and Hittite Law, BASOR 129 (1953):15-18.
42tn Heb possession of a grave.