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Genesis 23:4

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 23:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
Genesis 23:4 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 23

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years. These were the years of the life of Sarah.
2And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spake unto the children of Heth, saying,
4I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6Hear us, my lord. Thou art a prince of God among us. In the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead. None of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.
7And Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
← Genesis 23:3Genesis 23:5 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“I [am] a stranger and a sojourner with you, etc.] Not a native of the place, only dwelt as a sojourner among them for a time; but had not so much as a foot of ground he could call his own, and consequently had no place to inter his dead: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you; not that he desired it as a free gift, but that he might be allowed to make a purchase of a piece of ground to bury his dead in; so the Targum of Jonathan, “sell me a possession,” etc. (<012309>Genesis 23:9); and this he was the rather desirous of, not only because it was according to the rules of humanity, and the general custom of all nations, to provide for the burial of their dead; but he was willing to…”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification