Genèse 23

¹ Now Sarah lived 127 years; these were all the years of her life.

² Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

³ Then Abraham got up from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hethites:

⁴ “I am an alien residing among you. Give me burial property among you so that I can bury my dead.”

⁵ The Hethites replied to Abraham,

⁶ “Listen to us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in our finest burial place. None of us will withhold from you his burial place for burying your dead.”

Note · Genèse 23.1–6

Le deuil appartient à la vie de foi

Abraham pleure Sara avant d’engager les démarches pour sa sépulture. La confiance dans une promesse ne supprime pas la séparation. Le respect que lui témoignent ses interlocuteurs montre aussi que sa relation au pays passe par des personnes avec lesquelles il doit parler et négocier.

⁷ Then Abraham rose and bowed down to the Hethites, the people of the land.

⁸ He said to them, “If you are willing for me to bury my dead, listen to me and ask Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf

⁹ to give me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me in your presence, for the full price, as burial property.”

¹⁰ Ephron was sitting among the Hethites. So in the hearing of all the Hethites who came to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hethite answered Abraham:

¹¹ “No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the sight of my people. Bury your dead.”

¹² Abraham bowed down to the people of the land

¹³ and said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “Listen to me, if you please. Let me pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, and let me bury my dead there.”

¹⁴ Ephron answered Abraham and said to him,

¹⁵ “My lord, listen to me. Land worth four hundred shekels of silver — what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

¹⁶ Abraham agreed with Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had agreed to in the hearing of the Hethites: four hundred standard shekels of silver.

Note · Genèse 23.7–16

Un achat rendu public

Le dialogue autour du champ et de la caverne suit un échange de propositions et de réponses. Abraham insiste pour payer. Le texte ne permet pas de décider avec certitude de la sincérité de chaque formule de courtoisie ; il souligne surtout la reconnaissance publique de la transaction.

¹⁷ So Ephron’s field at Machpelah near Mamre — the field with its cave and all the trees anywhere within the boundaries of the field — became

¹⁸ Abraham’s possession in the sight of all the Hethites who came to the gate of his city.

¹⁹ After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

²⁰ The field with its cave passed from the Hethites to Abraham as burial property.

Note · Genèse 23.17–20

Une possession limitée mais réelle

Le relevé du champ, de la caverne et des arbres donne à l’acquisition une consistance précise. Abraham reçoit un lieu d’ensevelissement, non l’ensemble du pays. Le chapitre montre comment l’espérance peut s’inscrire dans un acte réel sans que cet acte en épuise encore la portée.