Author: jovial_cynic

Ransom

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“My lord, listen to me: a plot of land worth four hundred shekels of silver — what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
Genesis 23:15 (NASB)

Ephron charged Abraham 400 shekels of silver (~12.5lbs) after offering the land and the cave to bury his wife Sarah for free.

The rabbinical understanding is that 400 shekels isn’t an arbitrary price. It’s stated as an objective value of the land, suggesting this is what Ephron paid for it. The price is set.

There is sharp contrast shown here between Abraham, who offered “a morsel of bread and water” (Gen 18:4-5) to his guests and then prepared a massive feast for them, and Ephron who offered the land for free, and then charged the full exact price for it.

Perhaps this is a picture.

Abraham is shown to us like the promise of Life, where blessings overflow. It offers more than you ever dreamed, and brings joy and laughter.

But Death is a liar. It tells you that there is no cost, and then it demands an exact price: the high cost of Life itself. It whispers, “you will not surely die,” when it knows full well that you will.

But hope is found here: a price was paid by Abraham, and the Cave of Hebron becomes a sacred place for the Patriarchs, even to this day.

When Abraham insists on paying the case, we are shown the symbol of Life pahing the price for Death, like a ransom, to preserve the one he loved.

***

I have a hunch is that this is what C.S. Lewis was talking about when Aslan says “Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch. I was there when it was written,” to the Queen.

Death is the curse established in Genesis 2 and 3. There is a price that must be paid. The cost is not zero.

Negotiating with Death

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In Genesis 23, we meet Ephron, the Hittite.

According to Strong’s Concordance, it means “fawn-like,” but if you keep digging into the word root, you end up with an entirely different meaning that ends up being a much clearer theological message.

When Sarah dies, Abraham buys a plot of land to bury her. There’s this whole dialog in the chapter about this, and we learn that the owner of the land Abraham wishes to buy is Ephron.

Because Genesis is a series of lessons and themes, “fawn-like” seems a bit out of context.

You’d think Ephron’s name would be linked to death, or burial. Or maybe a transaction. We already know that “Heth” means terror, so there should be a link.

As it turns out, Ephron’s name (עֶפְרוֹן) is rooted in the Hebrew word aphar (עָפָר). This is the answer.

The Hebrew reader of Genesis 23 should see this clearly. This is dust.

It’s the same dust God used to make man in Genesis 2:7. The same dust to which man is doomed to return in Genesis 3:19.

But also the same dust of the promise in Genesis 13:16.

I will make your descendants as plentiful as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can count the dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be counted.
Genesis 13:16 (NASB)

So this conversation between Abraham and Ephron isn’t just a transaction over a plot of land or a cave to bury his wife.

Perhaps it’s meant to be seen as a negotiation with death, and a price that’s paid to claim a sacred spot within the dust.

Abraham Came to Mourn

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Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
Genesis 23:2 (NASB)

In the Hebrew, it’s וַיָּבֹא֙ (vayavo) which means movement from one place to another. It appears that the text tells us Sarah’s location because Abraham was not there when she died.

So where was he?

Perhaps the Binding of Isaac in the previous chapter isn’t merely a story about a man who is asked to sacrifice his son, but also a story about a man who loses his wife while being obedient to God.

A son loses his mother in the same way.

What is the cost of obedience?

Male and Female

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This is the book of the generations of Adam. On the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them “mankind” on the day when they were created.
Genesis 5:1-2 (NASB)

The genealogy in Genesis 5 lists men being born, having children, and dying.

“Where are the mothers?” one of my students asked me.

It’s a fascinating question. Why does the text highlight the men, and not the women? Perhaps it’s because nobody asks a woman if she is the legitimate parent. Everybody knows she is, whereas the men are suspect. A statement must be made and then trusted.

But for those who might wonder if the text simply favors men and disregards women, the first two verse ensure that we have men and women in view from the beginning. Male and female, in the likeness of God. All of us. None are ignored or forgotten.

The Terror of Death

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Then Abraham arose from mourning before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, “I am a stranger and a foreign resident among you; give me a burial site among you so that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”
Genesis 23:3-4 (NASB)

There are layers to scripture. Genesis 23 contains a long text about Abraham seeking a burial site for Sarah. It’s not just a story about negotiating over a plot of land.

Heth is the son of Canaan, son of Ham.

Heth means “terror.”

This is a story about dealing with the terror and agony of death.

Years of Sarah

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Back in Genesis 5, I pointed out that the way the years of each pre-flood patriarch is written is fascinating based on the 10s and 100s. For example, Genesis 5:17 says the years of Mahalalel were “5 and 90 years, and 800 years.” 1s-and-10s, followed by 100s.

But Adam’s are reversed: 100s, and then 10s.

The rabbis suggest that when the years are in “standard” form (“Methuselah lived 6-and-90 years, and 900 years”), this is NOT noteworthy. But when it’s reversed, it means the latter years were more productive. Perhaps closer to God.

“Adam lived 900 years, and 30 years.”

Before we learn that Sarah dies in Genesis 23, the reader should be in awe at the way her years are written in Hebrew:

“Sarah, 100 years, and 20 years, and 7 years.”

This outlay of years can be seen as a whole story of an increasing intensity and closeness to God.

Abraham. Abraham!

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Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Genesis 22:1 (NASB)

When God first called out to Abraham in Genesis 22, the text seems to show that Abraham responds immediately. He doesn’t know what God is about to say, but from Genesis 12 to now, God’s call has led to something positive. Blessing after blessing.

But the next time God calls Abraham, God says Abraham’s name twice.

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Genesis 22:11 (NASB)

The text doesn’t explain it, but maybe God’s command to sacrifice Isaac is heavy to Abraham.

I can see Abraham not wanting to listen to God again after this. Would you? So maybe God has to say it twice.

God will Reveal

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Fun fact: “Jehovah Jireh” in Genesis 22 does not mean “God my Provider,” despite what that ear-worm of a song says.

In Hebrew, it’s יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, which is rendered YHWH Yireh. Yireh means “to see” or “to make seen,” from the root word ra’ah (see).

It is better understood as “God will reveal and make known,” not “God will provide.”