Genesis 23:4

4 I am a comeling and a pilgrim with you; give ye to me (the) right of [a] sepulchre with you, that I bury my dead body. (I am a newcomer and a foreigner among you; sell ye me some land for a burial place, so that I can bury my dead wife's body on it.

Genesis 23:4 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 23:4

I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you
Not a native of the place, only dwelt as a sojourner among them for a time; but had not so much as a foot of ground he could call his own, and consequently had no place to inter his dead: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you;
not that he desired it as a free gift, but that he might be allowed to make a purchase of a piece of ground to bury his dead in; so the Targum of Jonathan,

``sell me a possession,'' &c.

( Genesis 23:9 ) ; and this he was the rather desirous of, not only because it was according to the rules of humanity, and the general custom of all nations, to provide for the burial of their dead; but he was willing to have such a place in the land of Canaan for this purpose, to strengthen his faith and the faith of his posterity, and to animate their hope and expectation of being one day put into the possession of it; hence the patriarchs in later times, as Jacob and Joseph, were desirous of having their hones laid there: that I may bury my dead out of my sight;
for, though Sarah was a very lovely person in her life, and greatly desirable by Abraham, yet death had changed her countenance and was turning her into corruption, which rendered her unpleasant, and began to make her loathsome; so that there was a necessity of removing her out of his sight, who before had been so very agreeable to him; and this is the case of the dearest relation and friend at death.

Genesis 23:4 In-Context

2 and died in the city of Arba (and then she died in Kiriatharba), which is Hebron, in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to bewail and (to) beweep her.

3 And when he had risen from the office of the dead body, he spake to the sons of Heth, and said, (And when he had risen up from before his dead wife's body, he said to the Hittites,)

4 I am a comeling and a pilgrim with you; give ye to me (the) right of [a] sepulchre with you, that I bury my dead body. (I am a newcomer and a foreigner among you; sell ye me some land for a burial place, so that I can bury my dead wife's body on it.

5 And the sons of Heth answered, and said, (And the Hittites answered, and said,)

6 Lord, hear thou us; thou art the prince of God with us; bury thou thy dead body in our chosen sepulchres, and no man shall be able to forbid thee, that not thou bury thy dead body in the sepulchre of him. (My lord, hear thou us; thou art the prince of God with us; bury thou thy dead wife's body in the choicest of our burial places; none of us shall forbid thee, to bury thy dead wife's body in his burial place.)