Genesis 23:8-10 New English Translation
8 Then he said to them, “If you agree[a] that I may bury my dead,[b] then hear me out.[c] Ask[d] Ephron the son of Zohar 9 if he will sell[e] me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly[f] for the full price,[g] so that I may own it as a burial site.”
10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hittite[h] replied to Abraham in the hearing[i] of the sons of Heth—before all who entered the gate[j] of his city—
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- Genesis 23:8 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).
- Genesis 23:8 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 23:8 tn Or “hear me.”
- Genesis 23:8 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
- Genesis 23:9 tn Heb “give.” This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for “sell”; see the note on the word “grant” in v. 4.
- Genesis 23:9 tn Heb “in your presence.”
- Genesis 23:9 tn Heb “full silver.”
- Genesis 23:10 tn The Hebrew term is “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
- Genesis 23:10 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
- Genesis 23:10 sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.
New English Translation (NET)
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