ABRAHAM’S PURCHASE OF LAND AT HEBRON

GENESIS 14–23

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord changed his name from Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of many, see Gen. 17:1–5). Soon after, the Lord appeared to Abraham at the great trees of Mamre (i.e., Hebron; Gen. 18:1–15; see also 23:19) to announce that Sarah would give birth to the promised heir. And so Isaac was born (Gen. 21:1–5).

Then the passing of Sarai, now called Sarah by God (Gen. 17:15), Abraham’s beloved wife and the mother of the promised heir, Isaac, precipitated an unprecedented event (Genesis 23). Abraham purchased land in Kiriath Arbah (Hebron). While the need for a tomb is unquestioned in that culture at that time, the significant amount of space dedicated to the telling of this event begs for explanation. Why did the writer of Genesis give the location of this tomb with such precision? Why was the business transaction relayed in graphic detail? And why did Abraham choose property in Hebron? The answers to all these questions make it clear that it happened there for a reason.

Abraham and his family were nomadic. Since the animals they tended required water and fresh pastures, it meant they were a family on the move. The family living quarters was a tent. As the seasons changed, the stakes were pulled from the ground and reset in one location after another as this family sought fresh pastures for their flocks and more temperate climate. That is why Abraham described himself to Hebron’s local landowning residents as a foreigner and sojourner in the land (Gen. 23:4). The Lord had promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. But for the moment, they pitched their tents and grazed their animals wherever they found space.

The death of Sarah brought about a change in circumstance. She was the first member of this family to die in Canaan, presenting the practical need for a tomb. Abraham identified a location to purchase and make his own—a field and associated cave owned by Ephron the Hittite near Mamre. The importance of this incident is indicated by the great amount of detail used in relating these events to the reader. We hear the bartering between Abraham and Ephron, the exact price that is paid, as well as the specific portion of Ephron’s property that exchanged hands (Gen. 23:10–18). And lest anyone care to challenge the veracity of the contract, all of this took place in front of the appropriate witnesses at the city gate. At the end of the encounter, Abraham legally owned a specific piece of the Promised Land.

Hebron on the Ridge Route

This massive structure was built by Herod the Great over the burial cave of Machpelah at Hebron, which was purchased by Abraham in order to bury his wife, Sarah.

The location of the property Abraham purchased indicates that he had larger plans for this tomb. Following the tradition of the time, this cave would also become the burial vault for other family members.13 Ultimately the bodies of Abraham, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah joined Sarah’s bones there. As the survivors visited this tomb, Abraham surely wanted them not only to remember those who had passed away but also to recall the promises made to this family and the great hope for all the world that was attached to them. First, the direct promise that Sarah would give birth to a son occurred at Hebron (Mamre, see Gen. 18:1–15). Second, the initial fulfillment of possessing the Promised Land occurred when Abraham purchased the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre for Sarah’s burial (Gen. 23:19).

Abraham could have bought a tomb in many locations, but he purchased land in Hebron for a reason. Turning personal tragedy into an opportunity, Abraham purchased property at Hebron near the location where the Lord informed him of Sarah’s child-to-be, Isaac. Thus Sarah’s tomb at Hebron was not that of a childless woman but instead marked the initial fulfillment of the Lord’s promise of numerous descendants in a land in which those descendants would proclaim the one true God.

Remains of a palace built by Herod the Great at Ramat el-Khalil, identified with the site of Mamre.

The traditional cenotaph of Sarah, located inside the Machpelah at Hebron.