Genesis 23:11

11 Attend to me, my lord, and hear me, I give to thee the field and the cave which is in it; I have given it thee before all my country men; bury thy dead.

Genesis 23:11 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 23:11

Nay, my lord, hear me
Or not so, my lord, as Aben Ezra paraphrases it; not that he denied his request entirely, or refused him the cave at any rate, but that he should not buy it of him, he would give it to him, and therefore he desires he would hear what he had to say further: the field give I thee, and the cave that [is] therein I give it thee;
which was more than Abraham asked to purchase; he only desired to have the cave, which lay in one corner of the field, but Ephron proposes both to give him the cave, and the field also: in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee;
both field and cave; three times he says, "I give it thee", to show that he freely gave it, and that Abraham was welcome to it, and for the confirmation of the grant: bury thy dead;
in the cave, at once, immediately, without any more ado.

Genesis 23:11 In-Context

9 And let him give me the double cave which he has, which is in a part of his field, let him give it me for the money it is worth for possession of a burying-place among you.

10 Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Chet, and Ephron the Chettite answered Abraam and spoke in the hearing of the sons of Chet, and of all who entered the city, saying,

11 Attend to me, my lord, and hear me, I give to thee the field and the cave which is in it; I have given it thee before all my country men; bury thy dead.

12 And Abraam did obeisance before the people of the land.

13 And he said in the ears of Ephron before the people of the land, Since thou art on my side, hear me; take the price of the field from me, and I will bury my dead there.

Footnotes

• [a]. Gr. be with me.