Genesis 23:7

7 And Abraham [a]rose, and worshipped the people of the land, that is, the sons of Heth. (And Abraham arose, and bowed before the people of the land, that is, the Hittites.)

Genesis 23:7 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 23:7

And Abraham stood up
For, having made his speech to the children of Heth, he sat down waiting for an answer; or rather perhaps they obliged him to sit down, out of reverence to so great a personage; and when they had done speaking, he rose up: and bowed himself to the people of the land;
the principal of them, in token of the grateful sense he had of the honour they had done him, and of the great civility with which they had used him: [even] to the children of Heth;
this seems to be added to distinguish them from the common people, and as an explanation of the preceding clause; (See Gill on Genesis 23:3).

Genesis 23:7 In-Context

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.)

7 And Abraham [a]rose, and worshipped the people of the land, that is, the sons of Heth. (And Abraham arose, and bowed before the people of the land, that is, the Hittites.)

8 And he said to them, If it pleaseth your soul that I bury my dead body (If it pleaseth your soul that I bury my dead wife's body here), hear ye me, and pray ye for me to Ephron, the son of Zohar,

9 that he give to me the double cave, which he hath in the uttermost part of his field; for sufficient money give he it to me before you into possession of [a] sepulchre. (that he give me the cave at Machpelah, which he hath in the uttermost part of his field, for the full price; yea, let him sell it to me for a possession of a burial place here among you.)