As early as Genesis 23, we see private property and property rights affirmed in Scripture. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, had passed away “in the land of Canaan” (v. 2). Abraham was “a foreigner and a visitor” (v. 4) among the people there. He “spoke to the sons of Heth” (v. 3) and requested a burial site for his wife (see v. 4). They offered to give Abraham, whom they recognized as “a mighty prince among us” (v. 6), the land he needed to bury Sarah; but Abraham insisted on paying a fair price for “the cave of Machpelah” (v. 9), which belonged to “Ephron the son of Zohar” (v. 8). This was the plot of land that Abraham was interested in using.
“Ephron the Hittite” (v. 10) explicitly offered Abraham “the field and the cave that is in it” (v. 11) as a gift, but Abraham “spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land saying, ‘If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field” (v. 13). Ephron again offered the land as a gift but named a specific amount reflecting its value (v. 15). Verses 17-18 tell us that the field and the cave were deeded to Abraham as a matter of public record.
Note these important key statements, words, phrases in Genesis 23. Put together, they are extremely instructive for us regarding private property and transactions involving private property between individuals. The Bible reveals God’s design on many different levels!
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- Abraham spoke to the people of the land and said, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has [owns] which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you” (vv. 8-9).
- After Ephron offered Abraham the property as a gift, Abraham replied to him publicly, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money [pay you] for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there” (v. 13). Thus, Abraham insisted on paying for the property.
- Ephron told Abraham that “the land is worth four hundred shekels of sliver” (vv. 14-15).
- In verses 16-18, we note that “Abraham listened to Ephron…and weighted out the silver for Ephron which he had named” publicly, “four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.” The field with the cave and trees that it contained “within all the surrounding borders were deeded to Abraham as a possession.” Again, the transaction became a matter of public record: The property and the assets it held were “deeded… in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.”
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Following this transaction, Abraham buried his wife Sarah. Bringing Genesis 23 to a conclusion, verse 20 reiterates, “So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.”
In part 2, we’ll discuss a number of these details and explore some of their implications.
Part 2 is available here.
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top image credit: woodcut by Gustave Doré depicting the burial of Sarah in the cave