Genesis · Chapter 23

Verse 1. And Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years old] It is worthy of remark that Sarah is the only woman in the sacred writings whose age, death, and burial are distinctly noted. And she has been deemed worthy of higher honour, for St. Paul, Galatians 4:22, 23, makes her a type of the Church of Christ; and her faith in the accomplishment of God’s promise, that she should have a son, when all natural probabilities were against it, is particularly celebrated in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hebrews 11:11. Sarah was about ninety-one years old when Isaac was born, and she lived thirty-six years after, and saw him grown up to man’s estate. With SARAH the promise of the incarnation of Christ commenced, though a comparatively obscure prophecy of it had been delivered to Eve, Genesis 3:15; and with MARY it terminated, having had its exact completion. Thus God put more honour upon these two women than upon all the daughters of Eve besides. Sarah’s conception of Isaac was supernatural; she had passed the age and circumstances in which it was possible, naturally speaking, to have a child; therefore she laughed when the promise was given, knowing that the thing was impossible, because it had ceased to be with her after the manner of women. God allows this natural impossibility, and grants that the thing must be the effect of Divine interposition; and therefore asks, Is any thing too hard for God? The physical impossibility was increased in the case of Mary, she having no connection with man; but the same power interposed as in the case of Sarah: and we find that when all aptitude for natural procreation was gone, Sarah received strength to conceive seed, and bore a son, from whom, in a direct line, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, was to descend; and through this same power we find a virgin conceiving and bearing a son against all natural impossibilities. Every thing is supernatural in the births both of the type and antitype; can it be wondered at then, if the spiritual offspring of the Messiah must have a supernatural birth likewise? hence the propriety of that saying, Unless a man be born again-born from above-born, not only of water, but of the Holy Ghost, he cannot see the kingdom of God. These may appear hard sayings, and those who are little in the habit of considering spiritual things may exclaim, It is enthusiasm! Who can bear it? Such things cannot possibly be.” To such persons I have only to say, God hath spoken. This is sufficient for those who credit his being and his Bible; nor is there any thing too hard for him. He, by whose almighty power, Sarah had strength to conceive and bear a son in her old age, and by whose miraculous interference a virgin conceived, and the man Christ Jesus was born of her, can by the same power transform the sinful soul, and cause it to bear the image of the heavenly as it has borne the image of the earthly.

Verse 1. The years of the life of Sarah — Of all the women that had lived, it is the peculiar honour of Sarah, the mother of the faithful, 1 Peter 3:6, to have the number of the years of her whole life recorded in Scripture.

DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH, 1-20.

At length a dark shadow falls over the aged patriarch’s path. The revelations and promises have ceased, his history drops down to the mere facts of domestic life, and hastens to its close. The beloved wife dies and is buried out of his sight, but faith in the word of God abides.

1. A hundred and seven and twenty — The only woman whose age is given in the Bible is this mother of the chosen seed. Sixty-two years had passed since she left Haran to wander with her husband she knew not whither, and thirty-seven years since Isaac’s birth.

V. 2. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep-He did not only perform the ceremonies of mourning according to the custom of those times, but did sincerely lament the great loss he had, and gave proof of the constancy of his affection. Therefore these two words are used, he came both to mourn and to weep.

Verse 2. Sarah died in Kirjath-arba] Literally in the city of the four. Some suppose this place was called the city of the four because it was the burial place of Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; others, because according to the opinion of the rabbins, Eve was buried there. with Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah. But it seems evidently to have had its name from a Canaanite, one of the Anakim, probably called Arba (for the text, Joshua 14:14, does not actually say this was his name,) who was the chief of the four brothers who dwelt there; the names of the others being Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. See Judges 1:10. These three were destroyed by the tribe of Judah; probably the other had been previously dead.

Abraham came to mourn for Sarah] From verse 19 of the preceding chapter {Genesis 22:19} it appears that Abraham had settled at Beer-sheba; and here we find that Sarah died at Hebron, which was about twenty-four miles distant from Beersheba. For the convenience of feeding his numerous flocks, Abraham had probably several places of temporary residence, and particularly one at Beer-sheba, and another at Hebron; and it is likely that while he sojourned at Beersheba, Sarah died at Hebron; and his coming to mourn and weep for her signifies his coming from the former to the latter place on the news of her death.

Verse 2. Sarah died in Kirjath-arba, or city of Arba — So called, it seems, from Arba, a giant, who lived and ruled in those parts, Joshua 14:15, and 15:13. Abraham came into Sarah’s tent to mourn for Sarah. He did not only perform the ceremonies of mourning according to the custom of those times, but did sincerely lament the great loss he had sustained, and gave proof of the constancy of his affection. Therefore these two words are used, he came both to mourn and to weep.

2. Sarah died in Kirjath-arba — To this place Abraham had again brought his family after his residence in Beer-sheba. Genesis 22:19. Kirjath-arba appears to have been the original name of Hebron, named after its founder or distinguished resident, Arba, a chief among the Anakim. Joshua 14:15. Mamre was in the immediate neighbourhood. See on Genesis 13:18. In the land of Canaan — As distinguished from the land of the Philistines. Genesis 21:34. Came to mourn — This implies that he was absent from Hebron when she died. His coming may have been from Beer-sheba, whither he had gone for some business with his distant herdsmen, (comp. Genesis 37:12-17,) or from some other similar field of his flocks; or perhaps from the neighbouring Mamre. Some suppose that the expression is only a formal mode of statement, not necessarily implying absence from home. To mourn… to weep — A great display of loud lamentation and bitter weeping would be made on occasion of the death of one so distinguished as Sarah. This is a part of Oriental reverence and respect for the dead. Comp. Genesis 50:1-4, 10.

Verse 3. Abraham stood up from before his dead] He had probably sat on the ground some days in token of sorrow, as the custom then was, (see Tobit 2:12, 13; Isaiah 47:1; and Genesis 37:35;) and when this time was finished he arose and began to treat about a burying place.

3. Stood up from before his dead — After being bowed down with the mourning for Sarah, he rose up from the presence of his beloved dead, and went forth to secure a burying place. The standing up and bowing were essential parts of Oriental etiquette. Comp. verse 7. Sons of Heth — The same as the Hittites, a Canaanitish tribe, sprung from the Heth named in Genesis 10:14, who settled in this part of Canaan. They were, perhaps, only a southern colony of the great people who figure on the Assyrian monuments as Khatti, and on the Egyptian monuments as Khita, whose chief seat was on the Orontes, but whose dominion was widespread over Syria and Asia Minor. They appear to have been a powerful military nation in the time of the later kings of Israel. 2 Kings 7:6, 7. Inscriptions recently discovered at Hamah and other places are believed to be records of this ancient and powerful people.

V. 4. I am a stranger and a sojourner with you-Therefore I am unprovided, and must become a suiter to you for a burying-place. This was one occasion which Abraham took to confess that he was a stranger and a pilgrim upon earth. The death of our relations should effectually mind us that we are not at home in this world.

That I may bury my dead out of my sight-Death will make those unpleasant to our sight, who while they lived were the desire of our eyes. The countenance that was fresh and lively becomes pale and ghastly, and fit to be removed into the land of darkness.

Verse 4. I am a stranger and a sojourner] It appears from Hebrews 11:13-16; 1 Peter 2:11, that these words refer more to the state of his mind than of his body. He felt that he had no certain dwelling place, and was seeking by faith a city that had foundations.

Give me a possession of a burying place] It has been remarked that in different nations it was deemed ignominious to be buried in another’s ground; probably this prevailed in early times in the east, and it may be in reference to a sentiment of this kind that Abraham refuses to accept the offer of the children of Heth to bury in any of their sepulchres, and earnestly requests them to sell him one, that he might bury his wife in a place that he could claim as his own.

Verse 4. I am a stranger and a sojourner with you — Therefore I am unprovided, and must become a suiter to you for a burying-place. This was one occasion which Abraham took to confess that he was a stranger and a pilgrim upon earth. The death of our relations should effectually put us in remembrance, that we are not at home in this world. That I may bury my dead out of my sight — Death will make those unpleasant to our sight, who, while they lived, were the “desire of our eyes.” The countenance that was fresh and lively becomes pale and ghastly, and fit to be removed into the land of darkness.

Verse 4. A burying-place. Abraham believed in a future state; therefore he, as well as the other patriarchs, buried his dead. Joseph, actuated by this belief, gave commandment for his bones to be brought out of Egypt. It is the most decent way of disposing of the dead, that the dust may return to its original dust. The practice of burning the dead, and depositing the ashes in an urn, with coins and trinkets, is of great antiquity, and there are few of the ancient nations who did not more or less use this custom. Burrows, containing these urns, abound in this country, in Ireland, and other parts of Europe. Sir Thomas Browne wrote in 1685 his Hydriotaphia, occasioned by the sepulchral urns found in Norfolk; but he has not been able to trace the origin of this custom, which ceased as christianity obtained. The Jews sometimes used it, though a pagan custom. The men of Jabesh, wishing to honour Saul and his sons, burned their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. 1 Samuel 31:12, 13. Hence they regarded cremation as the highest honour they could pay the bodies of their insulted princes. A passage in Amos 6:10, seems to suggest the idea that the custom originated in burning the hut or tent of a man who had died of some contagious disease.

4. I am a stranger and a sojourner — Though heir of the world (Romans 4:13) and rich in promised possessions, he confessed himself but a stranger and a pilgrim, (comp. Hebrews 11:13-16,) and never owned a place of rest except his grave. A possession of a burying place — “This is the first mention of burial. It was noted by the heathen historian as a characteristic of the Jews, that they preferred to bury their dead rather than to burn them. Tacitus, Hist. 5:5. It is observable that this is first mentioned when the first death takes place in the family of him who had received the promises. The care of the bodies of the departed is a custom apparently connected with the belief in their sanctity as vessels of the grace of God, and with the hope that they may be raised again in the day of the restitution of all things.” — Speaker’s Commentary.

Verse 5. The children of Heth answered — From Abraham’s treating with the people of Heth, and from many other transactions related in the Scriptures, it seems as if kings and magistrates in those days did nothing of a public nature, but in conjunction with the people; and that the people had a great share in the management of all affairs.

DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH, 1-20.

At length a dark shadow falls over the aged patriarch’s path. The revelations and promises have ceased, his history drops down to the mere facts of domestic life, and hastens to its close. The beloved wife dies and is buried out of his sight, but faith in the word of God abides.

1. A hundred and seven and twenty — The only woman whose age is given in the Bible is this mother of the chosen seed. Sixty-two years had passed since she left Haran to wander with her husband she knew not whither, and thirty-seven years since Isaac’s birth.

V. 6. Thou art a prince of God among us-So the word is; not only great, but good. He called himself a stranger and a sojourner, they call him a great prince.

Verse 6. Thou art a mighty prince] אלהים נשיא nesi Elohim, a prince of God-a person whom we know to be Divinely favoured, and whom, in consequence, we deeply respect and reverence.

Verse 6. Thou art a prince of God — So it is in the original, not only great, but good. He called himself a stranger and a sojourner, they call him a great prince; and well they might, considering his wealth, prosperity, and retinue, and the simple manners of those times.

6. Thou art a mighty prince — Hebrews, a prince of God. These Hitties had observed that Abraham was one on whom God had put honour. Compare Abimelech’s words in Genesis 21:22. In the choice — In the one thou may choose for thyself. Abraham had a choice, and in most respectful form he shows (verse 8, 9) that he has already made a choice in the possession of one of the Hittite chiefs. But to obtain it requires diplomacy and tact. If the ancient habits of making a bargain were like the modern in the East, all this generous liberality on the part of the sons of Heth was but a courteous formality, and was so understood by Abraham.

V. 7. Abraham returns them thanks for their kind offer, with all possible decency and respect. Religion teaches good manners, and those abuse it that place it in rudeness and clownishness.

Verse 7. Abraham bowed himself — Thus returning them thanks for their kind offer, with all proper decency and respect. Religion not only allows, but requires civility and good manners, and those gestures which express it, and every professor of it should carefully avoid rudeness and clownishness. “Love doth not behave itself unseemly.”

DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH, 1-20.

At length a dark shadow falls over the aged patriarch’s path. The revelations and promises have ceased, his history drops down to the mere facts of domestic life, and hastens to its close. The beloved wife dies and is buried out of his sight, but faith in the word of God abides.

1. A hundred and seven and twenty — The only woman whose age is given in the Bible is this mother of the chosen seed. Sixty-two years had passed since she left Haran to wander with her husband she knew not whither, and thirty-seven years since Isaac’s birth.

Verse 8. Entreat for me to Ephron] Abraham had already seen the cave and field, and finding to whom they belonged, and that they would answer his purpose, came to the gate of Hebron, where the elders of the people sat to administer justice, &c., and where bargains and sales were made and witnessed, and having addressed himself to the elders, among whom Ephron was, though it appears he was not personally known to Abraham, he begged them to use their influence with the owner of the cave and field to sell it to him, that it might serve him and his family for a place of sepulture.

8. He communed with them — Thus it appears there was a large amount of talking on the occasion. Entreat for me — He seeks the mediation and help of these Hittites that he may obtain his desire. Much depends, in such transactions, on influence brought to bear on the owner.

Ver. 9. Machpelah. Simply the name of a place; but some contend that it signifies a double cave; that is, a cave within a cave, or one place for the men, and another for the women.

9. Machpelah — This is to be regarded as a proper name applied both to the cave and to the field in which it was located. Comp. verses 17 and 19. The Septuagint and Vulgate render it as an adjective — the double cave; and perhaps two compartments or two entrances into the cave may have occasioned the name Machpelah, which is derived from lpk, caphal, to double. Gesenius, however, gives this root the sense of to divide, and to Machpelah the sense of portion, part, lot. There is little or no doubt that this important cave is now covered by the Mosque of Hebron, of which a cut is given herewith. It has been kept hermetically sealed for ages and since the Mohammedans possesed it, no Christian has been permitted inside the mosque except the Prince of Wales and his attendants, who in 1862, after much effort and diplomacy, were allowed to go in and look upon the cenotaphs which are supposed to stand above the several tombs. Into the cave, of course, they could not enter, and it is believed that no one has entered it for more than a thousand years. See the account of the prince’s visit, and a plan of the interior of the mosque, in Stanley’s History of the Jewish Church, vol. i, Appendix 2. For as much money as it is worth — Hebrews, for full money. Abraham will have a complete bargain; no gift, no half-price, no misunderstanding, from which any after strife might come.

Verse 10. And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth] And Ephron bvy yosheb, was sitting among the children of Heth, but, as was before conjectured, was personally unknown to Abraham; he therefore answered for himself, making a free tender of the field, &c., to Abraham, in the presence of all the people, which amounted to a legal conveyance of the whole property to the patriarch.

10. Ephron… at the gate of his city — Here note that the scene has changed. Those children of Heth with whom Abraham first communed (verse 8) on the purchase of the cave, have broken the matter to the owner, and he now appears sitting bvy at the gate, where all such business is publicly transacted in the audience, or hearing, of all that congregated there, and speaks. See further on verse 17.

V. 11. The field give I thee-Abraham thought he must be intreated to sell it, but upon the first mention, without intreaty, he freely gives it.

Verse 11. The field I give thee — Thus Ephron manifests his generosity. So far was he from needing to be entreated to sell it, that, upon the first mention, he freely gives it. In the presence of my people — Grants, or contracts, were then made before all the people, or their representatives. And the gates of cities were in those days, and for many centuries after, the places of judicature and common resort, for transacting business. We may observe that Abraham finds favour in the sight of every people wherever he goes. And we need not wonder at this, considering of what a noble, candid, upright, and generous character he was. Undoubtedly, however, the peculiar favour he found among all people was chiefly owing to the providence of God: for the Scriptures always teach us to ascribe our finding favour with men to the divine blessing.

11. Give I thee — Three times over this princely son of Zohar offers to give field, cave, and all. And yet, doubtless, like the modern sheik, he would expect a splendid present in return, or, by his show of kindness and profuse liberality, prevent Abraham from objecting to his price when once named.

12. Bowed — Thus again (comp. verses 3, 7) he courteously acknowledges the friendly spirit and generosity of these Hittites.

V. 13. I will give thee money for the field-It was not in pride that Abraham refused the gift; but

1. In justice. Abraham was rich in silver and gold, and therefore would not take advantage of Ephron’s generosity.

2. In prudence. He would pay for it, lest Ephron, when this good humour was over, should upbraid him with it.

Verse 13. If thou wilt give it] Instead of, if thou wilt give it, we should read, But if thou wilt sell it, I will give thee money for the field; psk keseph, silver, not coined money, for it is not probable that any such was then in use.

Verse 13. I will give thee money — Abraham was rich in silver and gold, and therefore thought it unjust to take advantage of Ephron’s generosity. Perhaps, also, there may be weight in Le Clerc’s observation: “The orientals,” says he, “seem to have had the same notions about burying-places, which prevailed among the Greeks and Romans, namely, that it was ignominious to be buried in another person’s ground: and therefore every family, the poorer sort excepted, had a sepulchre of their own, in which they would not suffer others to be interred.”

13. But if thou wilt — Hebrews, only if thou — would that thou wouldst hear me. There is a tender emotionality about his words. He is in no mood to parley long. I will give thee money — Or, I have given thee money; that is, I have purposed in heart to buy the field for money; I will have it in no other way.

DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH, 1-20.

At length a dark shadow falls over the aged patriarch’s path. The revelations and promises have ceased, his history drops down to the mere facts of domestic life, and hastens to its close. The beloved wife dies and is buried out of his sight, but faith in the word of God abides.

1. A hundred and seven and twenty — The only woman whose age is given in the Bible is this mother of the chosen seed. Sixty-two years had passed since she left Haran to wander with her husband she knew not whither, and thirty-seven years since Isaac’s birth.

V. 15. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver-About fifty pounds of our money, but

what is that between me and thee?-He would rather oblige his friend than have so much money.

Verse 15. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver] Though the words is worth are not in the text, yet they are necessarily expressed here to adapt the Hebrew to the idiom of our tongue. A shekel, according to the general opinion, was equal to two shillings and sixpence; but according to Dr. Prideaux, whose estimate I shall follow, three shillings English, four hundred of which are equal to sixty pounds sterling; but it is evident that a certain weight is intended, and not a coin, for in Genesis 23:16 it is said, And Abraham weighed lqvyw vaiyishkol, the silver, and hence it appears that this weight itself passed afterwards as a current coin, for the word lqv is not only used to express a coin or piece of silver, but also to weigh; See Clarke’s note on “Genesis 20:16”.

Verses 15, 16. Four hundred shekels of silver — A shekel is computed to be of about the value of two shillings and four pence farthing; so that the sum mentioned here amounted to about forty-six pounds of our money. What a noble and amiable pattern of a generous behaviour between friends, free from selfishness, have we in Abraham and Ephron! The one earnestly presses to give, while the other as generously declines to receive. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver — For in those times money (or, more properly, silver or gold, for it was not coined) was paid by weight, (Genesis 43:21; Jeremiah 32:10,) and continued to be so till the Babylonish captivity.

15. Four hundred shekels of silver — A nearer approach to the sense here would be four hundred weight of silver, for the payment was by weight, not in coins. We have no means of knowing the value of a shekel of silver in Abraham’s time. The silver shekel of New Testament times has been estimated at sixty cents, four hundred of which would accordingly be $240. But probably the four hundred weight of silver which Ephron named was of much greater value.

Verse 16. Current with the merchant] rjsl rb[ ober lassocher, passing to or with the traveller-such as was commonly used by those who travelled about with merchandise of any sort. The word signifies the same as hawker or pedlar among us.

Verses 15, 16. Four hundred shekels of silver — A shekel is computed to be of about the value of two shillings and four pence farthing; so that the sum mentioned here amounted to about forty-six pounds of our money. What a noble and amiable pattern of a generous behaviour between friends, free from selfishness, have we in Abraham and Ephron! The one earnestly presses to give, while the other as generously declines to receive. Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver — For in those times money (or, more properly, silver or gold, for it was not coined) was paid by weight, (Genesis 43:21; Jeremiah 32:10,) and continued to be so till the Babylonish captivity.

Ver. 16. Four hundred shekels of silver, the price no doubt of a large field. Abraham knowing his call, and being assured of the promises, would not bury his dead with the Canaanites. He was judicious and prudent in paying for the field; for had he received it as a gift, the possession might have been disputed by the next heir.—Of the shekel see on Exodus 30:13.

16. Abraham weighed… the silver — “Ancient money, being uncoined, was weighed instead of being counted. Even to this day the Oriental merchants weigh the silver and the gold which are the medium of traffic; not only the bullion, but the coined pieces also, lest some dishonest trader might pass upon them a coin of light weight. The ancient Egyptians, and some other nations, used rings of gold and silver for the same purposes that coins are now used.” — FREEMAN’S Handbook of Bible Manners and Customs. Current money — Hebrews, silver passing to the merchant. That is, such as passed among the merchants of that time.

Verse 17. All the trees that were in the field] It is possible that all these were specified in the agreement.

17. Field… cave… trees… borders — Observe how every thing is specified — The importance of this is still understood. “It is not enough,” says Thomson, “that you purchase a well-known lot; the contract must mention every thing that belongs to it, and certify that fountains or wells in it, trees upon it, etc., are sold with the field. If you rent a house, not only the building itself, but every room in it, above and below, down to the kitchen, pantry, stable, and hen-coop, must be specified.” — Land and Book, vol. ii, p. 383. Made sure — The same word is repeated in verse 20. This possession was publicly and legally confirmed to Abraham. On this Dr. Thomson also writes: “When any sale is now to be effected in a town or village, the whole population gather about the parties at the usual place of concourse. There all take part, and enter into the pros and cons with as much earnestness as if it were their own individual affair. By these means, the operation, in all its circumstances and details, is known to many witnesses, and the thing is made sure, without any written contract. In fact, up to this day, in this very city of Hebron, a purchase thus witnessed is legal, while the best-drawn deeds of a London lawyer, though signed and sealed, would be of no avail without such living witnesses.”

DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH, 1-20.

At length a dark shadow falls over the aged patriarch’s path. The revelations and promises have ceased, his history drops down to the mere facts of domestic life, and hastens to its close. The beloved wife dies and is buried out of his sight, but faith in the word of God abides.

1. A hundred and seven and twenty — The only woman whose age is given in the Bible is this mother of the chosen seed. Sixty-two years had passed since she left Haran to wander with her husband she knew not whither, and thirty-seven years since Isaac’s birth.

19. After this, Abraham buried Sarah — He has now one secure possession wherein to bury his dead. Here he himself was afterwards buried, (Genesis 25:9,) and here also Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah. Genesis 49:31; 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?

V. 20. A burying place-‘Tis worth noting, 1. That a burying-place was the first spot of ground Abraham was possessed of in Canaan.

2. That it was the only piece of land he was ever possessed of, tho’ it was all his own in reversion. Those that have least of this earth find a grave in it.

Verse 20. And the field, &c. were made sure] µqyw vaiyakom, were established, caused to stand; the whole transaction having been regulated according to all the forms of law then in use.

1. IN this transaction between Abraham and the sons of Heth concerning the cave and field of Machpelah, we have the earliest account on record of the purchase of land. The simplicity, openness, and candour on both sides cannot be too much admired.

2. Sarah being dead, Abraham being only a sojourner in that land, shifting from place to place for the mere purpose of pasturing his flocks, and having no right to any part of the land, wished to purchase a place in which he might have the continual right of sepulture. For this purpose, 1. He goes to the gate of the city, the place where, in all ancient times, justice was administered, and bargains and sales concluded, and where for these purposes the elders of the people sat. 2. He there proposes to buy the cave known by the name of the Cave of Machpelah, the cave of the turning or the double cave, for a burying place for his family. 3. To prevent him from going to any unnecessary expense, the people with one voice offer him the privilege of burying his wife in any of their sepulchres; this appearing to them to be no more than the common rights of hospitality and humanity required. 4. Abraham, intent on making a purchase, Ephron, the owner of the field and cave, values them at four hundred shekels, but at the same time wishes Abraham to receive the whole as a gift. 5. Abraham refuses the gift and weighs down the silver specified. 6. The people who enter in at the gate, i.e., the inhabitants coming from or going to their ordinary occupations in the country, witness the transaction, and thus the conveyance to Abraham is made sure without the intervention of those puzzlers of civil affairs by whose tricks and chicanery property often becomes insecure, and right and succession precarious and uncertain. But this censure does not fall on lawyers properly so called, who are men of honour, and whose office, in every well-regulated state, is as useful as it is respectable. But the accumulation and complex nature of almost all modern systems of law puzzle even justice herself, and often induce decisions by which truth falls in the streets and equity goes backwards. In the first ages of mankind, suspicion, deceit, and guile seem to have had a very limited influence. Happy days of primitive simplicity! When shall they return?

3. We often hear of the rudeness and barbarity of the primitive ages, but on what evidence? Every rule of politeness that could be acted upon in such a case as that mentioned here, is brought into full practice. Is it possible to read the simple narration in this place without admiring the amiable, decent, and polite conduct displayed on both sides? Had even Lord Chesterfield read this account, his good sense would have led him to propose it as a model in all transactions between man and his fellows. There is neither awkward, stiff formality on the one hand, nor frippery or affectation on the other. Decent respect, good sense, good nature, and good breeding, are all prominently displayed. And how highly laudable and useful is all this! A pedant or a boor on either side might have destroyed the simplicity of the whole transaction; the one by engendering caution and suspicion, and the other by exciting disgust. In all such transactions the beau and the boor are equally to be avoided.

From the first no sincerity can be expected, and the manners of the latter render him intolerable. The religion of the Bible recommends and inculcates orderly behaviour, as well as purity of heart and life. They who, under the sanction of religion, trample under foot the decent forms of civil respect, supposing that because they are religious they have a right to be rude, totally mistake the spirit of Christianity, for love or charity (the soul and essence of that religion) behaveth not itself unseemly. Every attentive reader of the thirteenth chapter of St. Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, will clearly discern that the description of true religion given in that place applies as forcibly to good breeding as to inward and outward holiness. What lessons of honesty, decent respect, and good manners could a sensible man derive from Abraham treating with the sons of Heth for the cave of Machpelah, and William Penn treating with the American Indians for the tract of land now called Pennsylvania! I leave others to draw the parallel, and to show how exactly the conduct and spirit of patriarch the first were exemplified in the conduct and spirit of patriarch the second. Let the righteous be had in everlasting remembrance!

GENESIS

Verse 20. A burying-place — It is worth noting, 1st, That a burying-place was the first spot of ground Abraham was possessed of in Canaan. 2d, That it was the only piece of land he was ever possessed of, though it was all his own in reversion. Those that have least of this earth find a grave in it.

DEATH AND BURIAL OF SARAH, 1-20.

At length a dark shadow falls over the aged patriarch’s path. The revelations and promises have ceased, his history drops down to the mere facts of domestic life, and hastens to its close. The beloved wife dies and is buried out of his sight, but faith in the word of God abides.

1. A hundred and seven and twenty — The only woman whose age is given in the Bible is this mother of the chosen seed. Sixty-two years had passed since she left Haran to wander with her husband she knew not whither, and thirty-seven years since Isaac’s birth.