The Death of Sarah (Gen 23)
1 Now Sarah lived a hundred years and twenty years [just as she had not sinned by twenty, sin liability not obtaining until that age, so she had not sinned by a hundred] and seven years [she was as beautiful at twenty as she was at seven], these were the years of the life of Sarah [all were uniform in goodness].
Rashi’s Commentary
Now Sarah lived a hundred years and twenty years and seven years (literally, 100 years, 20 years and 7 years)—The reason the word years is written at every term is to tell you that each term must be explained by itself as a complete number: at the age of a hundred she was as a woman of twenty as regards sin—for just as at the age of twenty one may regard her as having never sinned, since she had not then reached the age when she was subject to punishment, so, too, when she was a hundred years old she was sinless—and when she was twenty she was as beautiful as when she was seven (Genesis Rabbah 58:1).
The years of the life of Sarah—The word years is repeated and without a number to indicate that they were all equally good.
2 And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba [“the city of the four”—so called either because of the four giants who lived there, or because of the four pairs who are buried there—Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah] (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came [from Beersheba] to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
Rashi’s Commentary
In Kiriath Arba literally, the city of the four, and it was so called because of the four giants who lived there: Ahiman, Sheshai, Talmai and their father (Num 13:22). Another explanation is that it was so called because of the four couples who were buried there, man and wife—Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah] (Genesis Rabbah 58:4).
And Abraham came from Beersheba
To mourn for Sarah and to weep for her—The narrative of the death of Sarah follows immediately on that of the binding of Isaac, because through the announcement of the binding—that her son had been made ready for sacrifice and had almost been sacrificed—she received a great shock (literally, her soul flew from her) and she died (Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer).
Joh 11:35
Jesus wept.
Act 8:2
Some devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made loud lamentation over him.
3 Then Abraham rose from before his dead and spoke to the Hittites, saying,
4 “I am a stranger [from a different land] and an inhabitant with you. Give me a (land) holding for a burial site with you so that I may bury my dead one from before me.”
Rashi’s Commentary
I am a stranger and an inhabitant with you—A stranger having come from another land, but I have settled down amongst you. A Midrashic explanation is: if you agree to sell me a (land) holding for a burial site then I will regard myself as a stranger and will pay for it, but if not, I shall claim it as a settler and will take it as my legal right, because the Holy One, blessed be he, said to me, (12:7) “To your offspring I will give this land” (Genesis Rabbah 58:6).
A (land) holding for a burial site—Means possession of land to serve as a burying place.
Act 7:5
But he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even though he had no child, he promised that he would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him.
Heb 11:9, 13-16
By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
All these died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were foreigners and strangers on the earth. For people who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. If they had been thinking of that country from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he has prepared a city for them.
1Pe 2:11
Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.
5 The Hittites answered Abraham,
6 “Listen to us, my lord. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
Rashi’s Commentary
None . . . will refuse—Heb. לא יִכְלֶה, will not withhold, just as (Psa 40:11) “You will not withhold (לא תִכְלָא) your mercies,” and (Gen 8:2) “And the rain was withheld (וַיִּכָּלֵא).”
7 So Abraham rose and bowed to the people of the land, the Hittites.
Rom 12:17-18
Never repay anyone evil for evil, but give thought to do what is right in the sight of everyone. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Heb 12:14
Pursue peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
1Pe 3:8
Finally, all of you, be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, compassionate and humble in spirit.
8 And he said to them, “If it is your wish for me to bury my dead out of my sight, listen to me and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar
Rashi’s Commentary
נַפְשְׁכֶם means your wish.
And entreat for me—Heb. וּפִגְעוּ, an expression of entreaty, as in (Rth 1:16): “Do not urge me.”
Luk 7:3-4
When the centurion heard of Jesus, he sent some elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him,
9 that he may sell me the doubled cave of Machpelah [so called because it had an upper and a lower story or because it was “doubled with pairs”], which he has, which is at the end of his field. For its full price let him sell it to me in your midst as a burial site.”
Rashi’s Commentary
Doubled—It had a lower and an upper cavern. Another explanation of why it was so called is, because it has the characteristic of being doubled on account of the couples who are buried there (see Rashi in verse 2) (Eruvin 53a).
For its full price—Means all that it is worth. Thus, too, did David say to Araunah, (1Ch 21:24) “for the full price.”
Rom 13:8
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
10 And Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth [having that day been appointed an officer in consideration of Abraham’s being beholden to him] and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth; even of all who had come to the gate of his city [all had left their work to come to pay respect to Sarah], saying:
Rashi’s Commentary
And Ephron was sitting—It ישֵׁב is written without a “vav” so that it may be read יָשַׁב he sat, thus indicating that on that very day they had appointed him (Ephron) to be an officer over them. Because of the high standing of Abraham who needed to negotiate with him, he was elevated to a dignified position (so that Abraham whom they esteemed as a great prince might have to negotiate with an equal and not with an inferior person (Genesis Rabbah 58:7).
Of all who had come to the gate of his city—For they all left their work and came to pay their last respect to Sarah (Genesis Rabbah 58:7).
11 “No, my lord, [do not pay for it]. Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the presence of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.”
Rashi’s Commentary
No, my lord—You are not to buy it with money.
I give you (a perfect tense)—See, it is as though I give it to you.
12 And Abraham bowed down before the people of the land
13 and he said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will only please listen to me. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”
Rashi’s Commentary
If you will only . . . listen to me—You tell me to listen to you (verse 11) and to accept it without payment.
I do not desire this: If you will only (לוּ) listen to me—i.e. If only (הַלְוַאי) you will listen to me.
I will pay (perfect with present sense) old French donne; English I give. I have the money ready and I only wish that I had already given it to you.
Col 4:5
Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.
Heb 13:5
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for he has said,
“I will never leave you,
nor will I forsake you.”
14 Ephron answered Abraham,
15 “My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between [lovers like] you and me? [Forget about it] and bury your dead.”
Rashi’s Commentary
Between you and me—Between two such friends as we are, of what importance is that? Nothing at all! Leave business alone and bury your dead!
16 Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the price that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.
Bava Metzia 87a:3
From where do we derive this principle that the wicked say much and do not do even a little? We derive it from Ephron. Initially, it is written that Ephron said to Abraham: “A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between you and me?” (Gen 23:15). And ultimately it is written: “Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed . . . for Ephron the price that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.” (Gen 23:16), i.e., shekels that could be used in any location. This teaches that not only did Ephron take shekels from Abraham, he took from him only centenaria, i.e., superior coins, as there is a place where they call a shekel a centenarius.
Rashi’s Commentary
And Abraham weighed out for Ephron—The name Ephron is written defectively (without the “vav”) to indicate that there was something missing in Ephron viz, sincerity—because he promised much but did not do even the very least (Bava Metzia 87a): He took from him big shekels, viz., centenaria (worth a full 100 smaller units) as it is said, “according to the weights current among the merchants” which means, such coins as were everywhere accepted as worth a full shekel—for there are places where their shekels are of large size, centenaria; old French Centenars (cf. Ruth R. 7).
Mat 7:12
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
1Th 4:6
and that no man transgress and wrong his brother in this matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, as we told you before and warned you.
17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah, facing Mamre, was deeded (as Abraham’s possession). This included the field and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within its entire border around.
Rashi’s Commentary
Ephron’s field . . . was deeded (literally, it rose)—It received a rise in importance because it passed from the possession of a commoner into the possession of a king (Genesis Rabbah 58:8). But the real meaning of the verse is: And the field and the cave that was within it, and all the trees . . . were deeded to Abraham as a possession, etc.
Act 7:16
From there they were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
18 It was to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, in the presence of all who had come within the gate of his city.
Rashi’s Commentary
In the presence of all who had come within the gate of his city—In the midst of them all and in the presence of all he gave him legal possession of it.
19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20 So the field and the cave that is in it, were deeded over to Abraham for a burial site by the Hittites.
Scripture Index
Gen 8:2
And the springs of the deep were closed [not all the springs as in 7:11; those needed for the continuation of the world were left open] and the floodgates of the heavens, and the rain was withheld from the sky.
Gen 12:7
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there [for the tidings of the offspring and of the land] to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
Num 13:22
They went up in the Negev, and he [Caleb] came to Hebron [he prostrated himself on the graves of the patriarchs to be saved from the counsel of the spies], where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak were. (And Hebron [the lowest-grade soil in Canaan] was superior, seven-fold to Zoan [the highest-grade soil] in Egypt.)
Rth 1:16
But Ruth replied, “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn back from from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
1Ch 21:24
But King David replied to Araunah, “No, for I will buy it for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”
Psa 40:11
You, [likewise,] O Lord, will not withhold your mercies from me;
may your love and your faithfulness always protect me.
This work, "The Death of Sarah," is a derivative of "The Rashi Chumash" and "The Rashi Ketuvim" by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein used under CC BY 3.0