Genesis 23:5
New International Version
The Hittites replied to Abraham,

New Living Translation
The Hittites replied to Abraham,

English Standard Version
The Hittites answered Abraham,

Berean Standard Bible
The Hittites replied to Abraham,

King James Bible
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

New King James Version
And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

New American Standard Bible
The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

NASB 1995
The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

NASB 1977
And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

Legacy Standard Bible
And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

Amplified Bible
The Hittites replied to Abraham,

Christian Standard Bible
The Hethites replied to Abraham,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Hittites replied to Abraham,”

American Standard Version
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

English Revised Version
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Hittites answered Abraham,

Good News Translation
They answered,

International Standard Version
The Hittites responded to Abraham,

Majority Standard Bible
The Hittites replied to Abraham,

NET Bible
The sons of Heth answered Abraham,

New Heart English Bible
The sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

Webster's Bible Translation
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

World English Bible
The children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the sons of Heth answer Abraham, saying to him,

Young's Literal Translation
And the sons of Heth answer Abraham, saying to him,

Smith's Literal Translation
And the sons of Heth will answer Abraham, saying to him,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The children of Heth answered, saying:

Catholic Public Domain Version
The sons of Heth responded by saying:

New American Bible
The Hittites answered Abraham: “Please,

New Revised Standard Version
The Hittites answered Abraham,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the sons of Heth answered and said to Abraham,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the sons of Khyth answered and they said to Abraham.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the sons of Chet answered to Abraam, saying, Not so, Sir,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Death and Burial of Sarah
4“I am a foreigner and an outsider among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead.” 5The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6“Listen to us, sir. You are God’s chosen one among us. Bury your dead in the finest of our tombs. None of us will withhold his tomb for burying your dead.”…

Cross References
Genesis 15:13-16
Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. / But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions. / You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. ...

Genesis 17:8
And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”

Genesis 12:7
Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Genesis 13:15
for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever.

Genesis 24:35
“The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys.

Genesis 50:13
They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

Exodus 6:8
And I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD!’”

Exodus 3:8
I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Numbers 33:53
You are to take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess.

Deuteronomy 1:8
See, I have placed the land before you. Enter and possess the land that the LORD swore He would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants after them.”

Joshua 24:32
And the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up out of Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the plot of land that Jacob had purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver. So it became an inheritance for Joseph’s descendants.

Acts 7:5
He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants, even though he did not yet have a child.

Hebrews 11:9-10
By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. / For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:13-16
All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. / Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. / If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ...

Acts 7:16
Their bones were carried back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a price he paid in silver.


Treasury of Scripture

And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,

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Abraham Children Heth Hittites
Genesis 23
1. The age and death of Sarah.
3. The purchase of the field and cave of Machpelah;
19. where Sarah is buried.














The Hittites
The Hittites were an ancient people who lived in the region that is now modern-day Turkey and parts of Syria. In the context of Genesis, they are inhabitants of Canaan, the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. The Hittites are often mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the many groups living in Canaan. Historically, the Hittites were known for their advanced civilization and their interactions with other major powers of the ancient Near East. In this passage, their mention signifies the diverse and complex social landscape Abraham navigated. Theologically, the presence of the Hittites in the narrative underscores the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that he would be a father of many nations and that his descendants would inherit a land occupied by various peoples.

replied
The act of replying indicates a dialogue, a two-way communication. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such interactions were often formal and carried significant weight. The Hittites' reply to Abraham is not just a casual conversation but a part of a negotiation process that reflects the customs and legal practices of the time. This word highlights the importance of community and relationship in biblical narratives. It also emphasizes the respect and recognition Abraham had among the people of the land, as they were willing to engage with him in a meaningful way.

to Abraham
Abraham, originally named Abram, is a central figure in the Bible, known as the father of faith. His journey from Ur to Canaan, his covenant with God, and his role as the patriarch of the Israelites are foundational to understanding the biblical narrative. In this verse, Abraham's interaction with the Hittites demonstrates his status and influence in the region. Despite being a foreigner, he is respected and acknowledged by the local inhabitants. This respect is a testament to God's favor upon him and the fulfillment of the promise that he would be a blessing to all nations. Abraham's life is a model of faith and obedience, and his dealings with the Hittites reflect his integrity and the divine guidance he received.

Verses 5, 6. - And the children of Heth answered. Abraham, saying unto him, Hear us, my lord. My lord (Adoni) = sir, monsieur, or mein herr. One acts as the spokesman of all; the number changing from plural to singular. The LXX., reading לֹא instead of לו, after the Samaritan Codex, render μὴ κύριε, Not so, my lord; but hear us. Thou art a mighty prince among us. Literally, a prince of Elohim; not of Jehovah, since the speakers were heathen whose ideas of Deity did not transcend those expressed in the term Elohim. According to a familiar Hebrew idiom, the phrase might be legitimately translated as in the A.V. - cf. "mountains of God," i.e. great mountains, Psalm 36:6; "cedars of God," i.e. goodly cedars, Psalm 80:10 (Calvin, Kimchi, Rosenmüller, 'Speaker's Commentary'); but, as employed by the Hittite chieftains, it probably expressed that they regarded him as a prince or phylarch, not to whom God had given an elevated aspect (Lange), but either whom God had appointed (Gesenius), or whom God manifestly favored (Kalisch, Murphy). This estimate of Abraham strikingly contrasts with that which the patriarch had formed (Ver. 4) of himself. In the choice of our sepulchers bury thy dead; none of us will withhold from thee his sepulcher, but that thou mayest bury thy dead. This remarkable offer on the part of the Hittites Thomson ('Land and Book,' p. 578) regards as having been merely compliment, which Abraham was too experienced an Oriental not to understand. But, even if dictated by true kindness and generosity, the proposal was one to which for many reasons - faith in God, love for the dead, and respect for himself being among the strongest - the patriarch could not accede. With perfect courtesy, therefore, though likewise with respectful firmness, he declines their offer.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The Hittites
בְנֵי־ (ḇə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

replied
וַיַּעֲנ֧וּ (way·ya·‘ă·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

to Abraham,
אַבְרָהָ֖ם (’aḇ·rā·hām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 85: Abraham -- 'exalted father', the father of the Jewish nation


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OT Law: Genesis 23:5 The children of Heth answered Abraham saying (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 23:4
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