Genesis 22:20 Now after these things Abraham was told, “Milcah also has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 And Bethuel fathered Rebekah. Milcah bore these eight to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
Abraham's brother had many sons! This sets us for showing us how Rebekah was related to Isaac before they were married.
Genesis 23:1 Now Sarah lived 127 years; these were all the years of her life. 2 Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites: 4 “I am a foreign resident among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead.”
5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Listen to us, lord. You are God’s chosen one among us. Bury your dead in our finest burial place. None of us will withhold from you his burial place for burying your dead.”
7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down to the Hittites, the people of the land. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing for me to bury my dead, listen to me and ask Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 to give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me in your presence, for the full price, as a burial place.”
10 Ephron was sitting among the Hittites. So in the presence of all the Hittites who came to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham: 11 “No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
12 Abraham bowed down to the people of the land 13 and said to Ephron in the presence of the people of the land, “Please listen to me. Let me pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, and let me bury my dead there.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham and said to him, 15 “My lord, listen to me. Land worth 400 shekels of silver—what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” 16 Abraham agreed with Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had agreed to in the presence of the Hittites: 400 shekels of silver at the current commercial rate. 17 So Ephron’s field at Machpelah near Mamre—the field with its cave and all the trees anywhere within the boundaries of the field—became 18 Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who came to the gate of his city. 19 After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.20 The field with its cave passed from the Hittites to Abraham as a burial place.
Abraham outlived his wife. He was trying to prepare a place to bury her. The land he wanted was owned by a man who was willing to give the land for free to Abraham, but Abraham insisted on paying for it. (Why this is I do not know. Perhaps someone has some insight on why Abraham insisted on paying). Business was done at the gate of the city, so it was a public exchange of silver for land. That way neither side could say it was stolen or cheated from him. My husband told me that business was usually done at the city gate.
These verses also pointed out that the Hittites recognized Abraham as God's chosen. They knew he was righteous and favored by God. We should live our lives so those around us also know we are the chosen of God.
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