The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 356

c,·cn to the children of Reth-a.n act of so close that the aporture may be covered by respect quite accordant with modem Oriental a single brick (Rawlinson's 'Ancient Mon• manners ('llide Thomson, 'La.nd and Book,' archies,' vol. i. p. 86}. In the absence of p. 5ig)_ such artificial receptacles for tho dead, the Yers. 8, 9. -And he communed with them, nearest substitute the patriarch could obtain se.ying, If it be your mind-litei-ally, if it was one of those natural grottoes which the be with your souls, the word nephesh being limestone hills of Canaan so readily afforded, used in this sense in Ps. xxni. 12; :Kli. 3; Ver. 10.-And Ephron dwelt among the er. 22-that I should bury my dead out of ohildren of Reth. Not habitabat (Vulgate), my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to in the sense of resided amongst, but scdebat, Ephron the son of Zohar. The ruler of the l.:a911ro (LXX ) ; was then present sitting rity (Keil) ; but this is doubtful (Lange). amongst the townspeople (Rosenmilller), but ·' There is scarcely anything in the habits whether in the capacity of a magistrnte or of Oricnt.als more annoying to us Occident.als councillor is not stated. And Ephron the than this universal custom of employing Hittite answered Abraham in the audience mediators to pass between you and those of the children of Reth, even of all that \lith whom you 'llish to do business. Nothing went in at the gate of his city,-this does clln be done without them. A merchant not imply that he was the chief magistrate c.'tnnot sell a piece of print, nor a farmer a (Keil), but only that he was a prominent yoke of oxen, nor a~y on~ rent a house, ~uy citizen (Murphy). On the gate of the city a horse, or get a W1fe, mthout a succession as a place for transo.cting business vide eh. of go-betweens. Of course Abraham knew xi.x. 1-saying- that this matter of the field could not be Ver. 11.-Nay, my lord, hear me: the brought about without the intervention of field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, the neighbours of Ephron, and therefore he I give it thee - an Oriental mode of ex- applies to them first" (' Land and Book,' pressing willingness to sell, Ephron woultl p. 5i9). That he may give me the cave of make a present of cave and field to the Machpele.h, - ll!achpelah is regarded as a patriarch,-"andjust so have I hadahw1dred proper noun (Gesenius, Keil, Kalisch, Rosen- houses, and fields, and horses given to me" miiller), as in eh. xlix. 30, th~ugh ~y ?t1:ers (' Land and Book,' p. 578),-the design being it is considered as an appellative, s1gn1fymg either to obtain o. valuable compensation in ,hat the ca,e was double (LX.X., Vulgate), return, or to preclude an_y abatement in the either as consisting of a cave within o. cave price (Keil), though poss1b!y the offer to sell (Ilarnerus), or of one cave exterior ~nd the entire field when he might have secured another interior (Aben Ezra), or as havmg a good price for the cave alone was an in• room for two bodies (Calvin), or as possess• dication of Ephron's good intention (Lange). incr0 two entrances (Jewish interpreters), At least it seems questionable to conclude lt is probable the cave received its name that Ephron's generoiM phrases, which have from its peculiar form,-which he hath now become formal and hollow courtesies (Ephron's ownership of the cave is expressly indeed meant no more in that simpler age recognised, and its situation is next described), when 'the ceremonies of intercourso were which is in the end of his field-" so that newer and more truly reflected its spirit 1.he cession of it will not injure his property" (Dyk;s, • Abraham, the Friend of God,' (Wordsworth). At the same time Abrah~ p. 287). In t_he prese1;1ce of the sons o~ my makes it clear that an honest purchase lS people give I 1t thee (h~rally, have I_ given, what he contemplates. For as much_ money the transaction being viewed as finlBhed) : as it is worth-literally, for full silver (1 bury thy dead. Chron. =-i. 22). Cf. auler (Scotch) for money. Vera. 12, 13.-Alld Abraham bowed down This is the first mention of the use of the himself before the people of the land. To precious metals as a medium of exchange, express his sense of their 1?ndnes~, and though they must have been so e~ployed at appreciation of Ephron's offer in particular ; a very early period (vide eh. Xlll, 2)-he after which he courteously but firmly urged shall gin it me for a possession of a bury- forward the contemplated purcho.se. And ing-place amongst yon. The earl:i,: Chaldma.1;1s he apake unto Ephron in the audience of were accustomed to bury their dead 1n the people of the land, saying, But. if thou strongly-constructed brick vaults. Those wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me. Literally, found at Mughheir are seven feet l~ng, t~ree if elwu, I would that tlwu wouldst hear me, feet seven inches broad, Rnd five ,eet high, are composed of sun-dried bricks embedded the two particles Cl(t and ~~ being conjoinod in mud and exhibit a remarkable form and to express the intensity of the speaker's constru~tion of arch, resembling that occ!-11'• desire. I will give thee money for_the field. ring b Egyptian buildings and Scythian Literally m<mey of the field, 1. o. tho tombs, in which the successive layers of ,a!ue of 'the fioltl in money. 'fhi8 _seem_s to crick are made to onrl•p until they come indicate that Abrahnm at l~nsl .i,rng111c,I CIT. XXIIJ. 1-20.] TRE BOOK OF GENEStS. 293