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Genesis 23:7

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 23:7 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
Genesis 23:7 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 23

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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.
8And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in the midst of you for a possession of a burying-place.
10Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the children of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
← Genesis 23:6Genesis 23:8 →
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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
“And Abraham stood up, etc.] For, having made his speech to the children of Heth, he sat down waiting for an answer; or rather perhaps they obliged him to sit down, out of reverence to so great a personage; and when they had done speaking, he rose up: and bowed himself to the people of the land; the principal of them, in token of the grateful sense he had of the honour they had done him, and of the great civility with which they had used him: [even] to the children of Heth; this seems to be added to distinguish them from the common people, and as an explanation of the preceding clause; (see Gill on “<012303>Genesis 23:3”).”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“23:7-16 Abraham wanted to buy Ephron’s cave at Machpelah, but Ephron wanted him to buy the entire field.”
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Related study paths

Read Genesis 23 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification