And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan.
19. Abraham buried SarahThushe got possession of Machpelah and deposited the remains of hislamented partner in a family vault which was the only spot of groundhe owned.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And after this,…. After this affair was over, the bargain struck, the money paid, and possession secured:
Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah,
before Mamre; and here he himself was buried, and also Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah, Ge 25:9. Benjamin of Tudela h says, in his time (who lived in the latter end of the twelfth century), in the field of Machpelah was a city or town, and in it a large temple called Saint Abraham, where were shown the sepulchres of the six persons before mentioned, and inscriptions over each of them, showing whose they were; and that at the end of the field was the house of Abraham, and before the house a fountain, and no other was suffered to be built there in honour to Abraham:
the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan; that is, Mamre is the same place which afterwards was called Hebron, a city in the land of Canaan, in the tribe of Judah, about twenty two miles from Jerusalem to the south, and was one of the cities of refuge. Hebron has the title of Hhaleah, i.e. the chosen or beloved, among the Arabs, where the (Maggarel Mamra) cave of Mamre or Machpelah is still shown, and is always lighted up with lamps, and held in extraordinary veneration by the Mahometans i.
h Itinerarium, p. 48, 49. i Shaw’s Travels, p. 339. Marg. Ed. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
19. After this, Abraham buried Sarah He has now one secure possession wherein to bury his dead . Here he himself was afterwards buried, (Gen 25:9,) and here also Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah . Gen 49:31; Gen 50:13. Is it not noticeable of Abraham and his seed that their first and last possession in the land of promise is a grave?
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And after this Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (the same is Hebron) in the land of Canaan. And the field and the cave that is in it were made sure to Abraham for a possession of a burial place by the children of Heth.’
The record summarises with satisfaction the successful conclusion of the transaction, stressing that Abraham now owns property in the land which will benefit future generations.
“The same is Hebron.” A typical scribal explanation added later to explain to later generations the whereabouts of the site mentioned.
It is possibly difficult to appreciate how much this must have meant to Abraham. His wife was not buried in a foreign land but in land which belonged to him which he held in possession (note how this was stressed). Now he and his descendants will possess the land, their own land, in death until the final promise of Yahweh is fulfilled.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
This became a memorable sepulchre afterwards for the holy seed. Gen 49:31-32 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 23:19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same [is] Hebron in the land of Canaan.
Ver. 19. And Abraham buried Sarah his wife. ] The last office of love to bring the deceased saints honourably to their “long home,” Ecc 12:5 to lay them in their last “bed,” Isa 57:2 to put them into the grave, as into a haven and harbout, where they may rest from their labours, “till their change shall come.” Job 14:14 This is to “deal kindly with the dead”; Rth 1:8 “to show mercy to them,” 2Sa 2:5 especially when “the mourners go about the streets,” Ecc 12:5 when there is a “great mourning made over them,” as for Stephen, Act 8:2 and a “great burning for them,” as for Asa, 2Ch 16:14 – of whom also it is further added, as an honour, that he was “buried in his own sepulchre, which he had dug for himself among the kings of Israel in the city of David, and laid in the bed that was filled with sweet odours,” &c. Of Joram, Joas, and Ahaz, it is expressly noted in the Chronicles, that they were buried in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of the kings of Judah. A worse place was thought good enough for them, unless they had been better. As of Tiberius the emperor it is storied, that he was so hated for his tyranny, that when he was dead, some of the people would have had him thrown into the river Tiber; a some, hanged up at such another place as Tyburn. Others also made prayer to mother Earth, to grant him, now dead, no place but among the wicked. b Contrarily when Dio died, the people of Syracuse would have gladly redeemed his life with their own blood; which because they could not, they buried him very honourably in an eminent place of their city. c Whereas anciently, as Lambinus well noteth, d kings and princes, in Homer and other poets, are not read to have been buried, but without the gates, somewhere in the fields and gardens; as the patriarchs also were, looking for the return of that everlasting spring.
a Scalae Gemoniae, [a place in Rome where condemned persons were cast down from a pair of stairs into the Tiber. – Ainsworth].
b Quidam etiam Terrain matrem orarent, &c. – Pareus.
c Cornel. Nepos in Vita Dionis.
d Dionys. Lambin. in Annot. ad locum.
Gen 3:19, Gen 25:9, Gen 25:10, Gen 35:27-29, Gen 47:30, Gen 49:29-32, Gen 50:13, Gen 50:25, Job 30:23, Ecc 6:3, Ecc 12:5, Ecc 12:7
Reciprocal: Gen 15:15 – buried Gen 23:2 – Kirjatharba Gen 23:4 – bury Gen 35:29 – his sons Joh 11:38 – It was
TILL DEATH DO THEM PART
Abraham buried Sarah his wife.
Gen 23:19
From this simple and touching story of death in the home we may learn how we should behave in times of bereavement. The true attitude at such times is threefold:
I. Sorrowing love.The expression of love in sorrow is as natural as it is inevitable and beautiful. A consciousness of loss cannot fail to produce sorrow, and no one is to be blamed for feeling and expressing a sense of bereavement. It would be utterly unnatural if death were to come without eliciting sorrow.
II. Faithful service.At the same time in order that the soul may not be swallowed up with over-much sorrow there comes to us all at such occasions the call to and opportunity for definite service. The memory of a loved one is best treasured by doing what that loved one would wish were she here. Service always prevents sorrow from becoming dissipated in idle regrets and mere remembrance.
III. Blessed hope.Abraham laid Sarahs body to rest in sure and certain hope of a joyful resurrection (Heb 11:14). It was this above all things that upheld and strengthened him as he bade farewell to the wife who had shared his joys and sorrows for so many years. The expectation and anticipation of reunion in Christ on the Day of Resurrection is still the real hope, the blessed comfort, and the strong inspiration of the people of God. It enables them to look upon death without fear and to look forward without dread: In the midst of death they are in life through Him Who is the Resurrection and the Life.
Rev. W. H. Griffith-Thomas, d.d.
Illustration
The graves of the great ancestors of any people are always the sacred treasures of coming generations. Mecca, where the dust of Mohammed sleeps, is the goal to which every good Moslem turns with longing thoughts; and even the combatants in the Far East agreed to respect the ancient tombs of the Chinese Imperial Family. In striking contrast to this universal sentiment, how remarkable it is that Christians gather at the mouth of an empty grave, and hear the angels saying: He is not here, He is risen; come see the place where He lay. Our affections are set, not on Calvary or the Garden Tomb, but on Heaven. Our minds and thoughts thither ascend and there continually dwell, where the risen Lord is seated at the right hand of God.
The writer noted twice that Hebron was within the land of Canaan (Gen 23:2; Gen 23:19) and stressed repeatedly that the negotiations for the land were official (Gen 23:10; Gen 23:13; Gen 23:16; Gen 23:18). There was no doubt that this part of the land now justly belonged to Abraham and his heirs.
"This verse [Gen 23:20] is a conclusion to Gen 23:2-19. It seems strange appearing after Gen 23:19 -which would have been a reasonable note on which to conclude. Its placement here points out that the crucial element in this chapter is not Sarah’s death, but Abraham’s acquisition of land from outsiders. As such, it is a harbinger of things to come." [Note: Hamilton, The Book . . . Chapters 18-50, p. 136.]
"The very fact that Abraham buried Sarah in the land of Canaan is proof of his unwavering faith. Knowing that his descendants would have to endure four hundred years of bitter bondage in a foreign country (Gen 15:13), he looked beyond that to the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises." [Note: Davis, p. 223.]
Isaac and Jacob as well as Abraham used this burial site. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah were all buried here. Rachel’s tomb was near Bethlehem (lit. house of bread, i.e., granary).
The time of death should be the time when the godly proclaim their faith most loudly in view of our hope in God’s promises.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)