Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and said to the Hittites,
Parallel translations
- WEB Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke to the children of Heth, saying,
- KJV And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
- NKJV Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,
- NASB Then Abraham arose from mourning before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,
- NLT Then, leaving her body, he said to the Hittite elders,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Abraham rises from beside Sarah's body to speak with the Hittites about a burial place. He turns from mourning to the responsible task of burying his dead.
Overview
Abraham approaches the local Hittites to secure a proper grave. His careful, courteous dealing models honoring the dead and acting with integrity among neighbors. The negotiation that follows will give him his first owned foothold in the promised land.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Gen 10:15And Canaan was the father of Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites,
- Gen 49:30The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
- 1 Sam 26:6And David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” “I will go with you,” answered Abishai.
- Gen 23:7Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.
- Gen 23:5The Hittites replied to Abraham,
- Gen 27:46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”
- 2 Sam 23:39and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.
- Gen 25:10This was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 23:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.