Gen 23:1
Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.: Isaac was 37. Sarah is the only woman whose age is recorded in the Bible. Must be pretty important. We should remember that she went from "my princess (Sarai)," to "the princess (Sarah)."
Gen 23:2
So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.: For some reason not noted here, Abraham wasn't with Sarah when she died. He had to come to mourn and weep for her.
Gen 23:3
Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,: In the Preacher's Homiletical commentary, they note that "his dead" is recorded there to show that even after death, the bond isn't broken because of the hope of a happy resurrection. The sons of Heth are Caananites.
Gen 23:4
"I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.": Abraham was not a resident of the land of Canaan. He knew that God will one day give his descendents the land. He asks for a place to bury Sarah from the Canaanites. This is the first time a burial place is mentioned in the Bible.
Gen 23:5
And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,: The sons of Heth are decendents of Canaan.
Gen 23:6
"Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.": They speak to him in a manner fitting of the highest respect here. Commentators say the words, "denote excellence of the superlative degree," which means the highest degree. There is no higher degree of respect.
Gen 23:7
Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.: This is an example of the exceeding politeness of Abraham. He prostrated himself before them, showing his submission, even though they spoke so highly of him. On a side note, one of the commentaries I looked at referred to this act as condescension, and I was confused. In our world today, condescension has a negative connotation, like looking down on someone. But the Webster Bible dictionary says, "CONDESCENSION, n. Voluntary descent from rank, dignity or just claims; relinquishment of strict right; submission to inferiors in granting requests or performing acts which strict justice does not require. Hence, courtesy." Strange how words get so twisted over time.
Gen 23:8
And he spoke with them, saying, "If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me,: The only thing I could find on Ephron is that Abraham buys a cave from him. I believe that when Abraham says that he wishes to bury Sarah "out of my sight," is that Abraham doesn't plan on staying there.
Gen 23:9
that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.": According to Cyclopedia, "Machpelah is "the plot of ground in Hebron containing the cave which Abraham bought of Ephron the Hittite for a family sepulcher." Hebron is around Mamre. Here's a link to a map. This cave stays in the family for quite a while. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah are recorded as being buried there. Today, the Cave of Machpelah is called the "Tomb of the Patriarchs," and is the second most holy place for the Jewish people, after the Temple Mount. Abraham wasn't messing around here. Normally, there'd be haggling, but Abraham cuts to the chase and says he wants to purchase the cave at full price.
Gen 23:10
Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,: In ancient times, the city gates were where the important people of the city would gather. In my mind, I see it like the stock exchange. Abraham wanted the deal to be done in public, so there could be no shenanigans.
Gen 23:11
"No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!": Nothing is free. The intent here wasn't to give away the land as some form of kindness, but to have Abraham owe Ephron in a different way. Abraham was rich and powerful, so to have Abraham indebted to Ephron would have been more profitable to Ephron.
Gen 23:12
Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land;: He bows down to show that he recognizes the "kindness."
Gen 23:13
and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, "If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.": Abraham doesn't want to go through this procedure. He just wants to bury his wife. He also does not want to be indebted to Ephron either. He will pay full price, whatever it is.
Gen 23:14
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,: Ephron then starts to provide Abraham his answer. This would normally be where the haggling process begins.
Gen 23:15
"My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.": And as per the normal haggling process, Ephron names a very high price. I picture this like some sort of Shakespeare performance, with Ephron putting on a show, expecting Abraham to haggle back.
Gen 23:16
And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.: But Abraham didn't play along and offer a ridiculously low price in return. He simply counted out the four hundred shekels as Ephron had stated. I'm sure Ephron was happy about it, and that was probably Abraham's intent here, so the cave wouldn't come into dispute in the future. The price paid was more than it was worth.
Gen 23:17
So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded: That was the end of the haggling, before it even began. Abraham now owned the cave officially, in the sight of all the town leaders.
Gen 23:18
to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.: The deed went to Abraham, as we see throughout history. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah are all recorded as being buried there.
Gen 23:19
And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.: Finally, Abraham gets to bury Sarah in his new family tomb.
Gen 23:20
So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.: This is the conclusion of the story. Basically a TLDR.
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