Sarah, mother of Isaac
and wife of Abraham, lived to be 127 years old. She had Isaac at the age of 91 - that means Isaac was 36 years old when he his mother died. Sarah died in Kirjath, also known as Hebron, which is located about 20 miles south of present-day Jerusalem, in the valley of Judah. Hebron was the place where Sarah and Abraham went after Lot and Abraham chose to go their separate ways. Lot chose Sodom and Abraham went to Hebron. As Abraham was weeping for Sarah, at the time of her death, he went to the city gate to purchase a burial cave for her. It always blows my mind - that in the middle of grieving the dead we have to worry about worldly transactions while in the living. Abraham stood up and spoke to the sons of Heth, who are the descendants of Canaan (the grandson of Noah that was cursed) who inhabited that land. For some reason, which I do not understand, the sons of Heth were called “Hittites” in the land. Although Abraham was a foreigner, he was rich and well-respected. When Abraham asked to pay for a burial cave this is how they responded, “Hear us, my Lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.” Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself down to them, and said, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, then hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, 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.” Ephron, who was there, at the transaction heard him and said, “No, my Lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!” Abraham bowed down again, and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of everyone, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.” Ephron answered Abraham, “My Lord, listen to me; the land is worth 400 shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” Abraham listened to Ephron; and weighed out the silver which he had been decided and heard by the sons of Heth, the inhabitants of the land. “So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 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.” Genesis 23:1-20 After Sarah died, Abraham remarried, and lived to be 275. “His sons, Isaac and Ishmael, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi.” Genesis 25:7-11 And many years later, when Isaac’s son, Jacob, had died, in the land of Egypt -Joseph his son, who was second in command to Pharaoh, commanded the physicians to embalm his father, Israel (The name given by God to Jacob). It took 40 days for the embalming to take place, and 70 days to mourn him. Then, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, ‘My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ” And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.” So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering. Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. So his sons did for him just as he had commanded them. For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place. And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.” Genesis 50:1-14 I guess the transaction that took place between Abraham and Ephron, was a very successful one. It was heard and known by everyone, heavens' watchers and earthly humans - Everyone knew that the children of Yahweh, the Eternal God, were buried there.
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