Bereshis 25:8

8 Then Avraham breathed his last, and died in a good old age, a zaken, full of years; and was gathered to his people.

Bereshis 25:8 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 25:8

Then Abraham gave up the ghost
Very readily and cheerfully, without any previous sickness or present pain, but through the decay of nature by reason of old age, in a very easy quiet manner:

and died in a good old age, an old man;
for quantity, in those times few arriving to a greater; for quality, not attended with those inconveniences and disadvantages with which old age generally is, and therefore called evil:

and full [of years];
in the original it is only, "and full"; the Targum of Jonathan adds, "of all good"; temporal and spiritual, with which he was filled and satisfied; or he had had enough of life, and was willing to depart, and was full of desires after another and better world:

and was gathered to his people;
which is to be understood not of his interment, there being only the body of Sarah in the sepulchre in which he was laid; but of the admission of his soul into the heavenly state upon its separation from the body, when it was at once associated with the spirits of just men made perfect. The Arabic writers F6 say that he died in the month of Nisan, others say Adar, in the year of the world 3563; but, according to Bishop Usher, he died A. M. 2183, and before Christ 1821.


FOOTNOTES:

F6 Elmacinus, p. 34. Patricides, p. 21. Apud Hottinger. Smegma Oriental. p. 315.

Bereshis 25:8 In-Context

6 But unto the bnei hapilageshim (sons of the concubines), which Avraham had, Avraham gave mattanot, and sent them away from Yitzchak bno, while he yet lived, eastward, unto eretz kedem.
7 And these are the days of the years of Avraham’s life which he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen shanim.
8 Then Avraham breathed his last, and died in a good old age, a zaken, full of years; and was gathered to his people.
9 And his banim Yitzchak and Yishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the sadeh of Ephron ben Tzochar the Chitti, which is near Mamre;
10 The sadeh which Avraham purchased of the bnei Chet, there was Avraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
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