Genesi 23:8

8 "Se piace a voi ch’io tolga il mio morto d’innanzi a me e lo seppellisca, ascoltatemi, e intercedete per me presso Efron figliuolo di Zohar

Genesi 23:8 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 23:8

And he communed with them
Entered into a discourse and conversation with them upon the above subject: saying, if it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight;
that is, in some place belonging to them, otherwise they could have no objection to the burying of his wife anywhere else: if now what they had said were not spoken in a complaisant way, but it was their real mind and will, and they were sincere and hearty in it, and very desirous of obliging him with a place among them for the interment of his dead; then he had this favour to ask of them: hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar;
a principal man among the Hittites, who had a field and a cave in it, near where Abraham dwelt, and very convenient for him, and for this purpose of his now under consideration: this man seems to be present at this time, as appears from ( Genesis 23:10 ) ; but Abraham did not think fit to address him himself, lest he should not so well and so easily succeed; and therefore entreats the princes of Heth to unite in a request to Ephron for the favour after mentioned, which he supposed they would not be backward to, if they were hearty in this affair; and, if Ephron was present, as he seems to be, it was a very handsome, honourable, and modest address to him through his brethren, which he could not with any politeness well withstand. The request follows:

Genesi 23:8 In-Context

6 "Ascoltaci, signore; tu sei fra noi un principe di Dio; seppellisci il tuo morto nel migliore dei nostri sepolcri; nessun di noi ti rifiuterà il suo sepolcro perché tu vi seppellisca il tuo morto".

7 E Abrahamo si levò, s’inchinò dinanzi al popolo del paese, dinanzi ai figliuoli di Heth, e parlò loro dicendo:

8 "Se piace a voi ch’io tolga il mio morto d’innanzi a me e lo seppellisca, ascoltatemi, e intercedete per me presso Efron figliuolo di Zohar

9 perché mi ceda la sua spelonca di Macpela che è all’estremità del suo campo, e me la dia per l’intero suo prezzo, come sepolcro che m’appartenga fra voi".

10 Or Efron sedeva in mezzo ai figliuoli di Heth; ed Efron, lo Hitteo, rispose ad Abrahamo in presenza dei figliuoli di Heth, di tutti quelli che entravano per la porta della sua città, dicendo: