Topical Bible: Abraham: Sarah, his Wife, Dies

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Biblical Context:
Sarah, originally named Sarai, was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac. Her life and death are significant events in the biblical narrative, particularly in the Book of Genesis. Sarah's death marks a poignant moment in the account of Abraham, as it signifies the end of a long and eventful partnership that played a crucial role in the unfolding of God's covenant with Abraham.

Scriptural Account:
The account of Sarah's death is recorded in Genesis 23. According to the Berean Standard Bible , "Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old. And she died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her" (Genesis 23:1-2). This passage highlights the deep sorrow Abraham felt at the loss of his wife, underscoring the profound bond they shared.

Location and Significance:
Sarah died in Kiriath-arba, which is identified as Hebron in the land of Canaan. This location is significant as it is part of the land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. The death of Sarah in this land underscores the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, as he and his family were now firmly established in Canaan.

Abraham's Mourning and Burial Arrangements:
Following Sarah's death, Abraham sought to secure a burial place for her. The BSB records, "Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and said to the Hittites, 'I am a foreigner and an outsider among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead'" (Genesis 23:3-4). Abraham's request to the Hittites demonstrates his status as a sojourner in the land, yet it also reflects his determination to honor Sarah with a proper burial.

The Hittites responded favorably to Abraham's request, offering him the choice of their tombs. However, Abraham insisted on purchasing a specific site, the cave of Machpelah, from Ephron the Hittite. The transaction is detailed in Genesis 23:16-18 : "Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants. So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—the field with its cave and all the trees anywhere within the boundaries of the field—was deeded over to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city."

Cultural and Theological Implications:
The purchase of the cave of Machpelah is significant for several reasons. Culturally, it reflects the customs and legal practices of the time regarding land transactions. Theologically, it represents the first piece of the Promised Land that Abraham legally owned, serving as a tangible sign of God's covenant promises. The burial of Sarah in this cave established it as a family burial site, where later Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob would also be interred.

Legacy:
Sarah's death and burial are pivotal in the narrative of the patriarchs. Her life and legacy are remembered as integral to the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham. Sarah is honored in the New Testament as a woman of faith, as noted in Hebrews 11:11 : "By faith Sarah herself, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child because she considered Him faithful who had promised." Her account continues to inspire and teach about faith, obedience, and the fulfillment of divine promises.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 23:1,2
And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Abraham's Offering up his Son Isaac
... went home, and related all that had passed to Sarah! ... When you read of Abraham's
stretching forth his hand to ... See how he bows his head, and at length humanity ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/abrahams offering up his son.htm

Abraham's Obedience
... the common course of nature"when he and his wife, Sarah, were of ... must have been the
struggle in Abraham's mind, but ... I not bear this sharp sorrow for His sake ...
/.../kingsley/twenty-five village sermons/sermon xiii abrahams obedience.htm

David's Deserts
... the father of the faithful, has his Sarah, his princess-wife ... the grief and harm of
both him and Abraham. ... The indulgence of his passions"seemingly harmless to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/david/sermon iv davids deserts.htm

Genesis
... the story related"Abraham's denial of his wife"is actually ... E to J. J tells the story
of Abraham's falsehood with ... which in J is due to Sarah's jealousy (xvi ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/genesis.htm

The Seventh Commandment
... Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.' 1 Pet 3: 6. ... The harlot's breast keeps from
Abraham's bosom ... He who loves his wife, whom Solomon calls his fountain, will ...
/.../watson/the ten commandments/2 7 the seventh commandment.htm

The Antiquities of the Jews
... Concerning Sarah Abraham's Wife; And How She Ended Her Days ... Concerning The Death
Of Abraham. ... CHAPTER 4. Pheroras's Wife Is Accused By His Freedmen, As Guilty Of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/the antiquities of the jews/

The Book of Jubilees
... in his new abode; Hagar died before Sarah, and it ... on every suitable occasion, how
that Abraham delivered to ... gives his daughter, or he who gives his sister, in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the book of jubilees.htm

The Flight into Egypt and St. John the Baptist in the Desert
... ELIZABETH DIES. ... Abraham, fearing that he might be murdered by the Egyptians because
of the beauty of Sarah, his wife, had given out that she was his ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xvi the flight into egypt.htm

V. ...
... to Abraham and said, Within a year shall Sarah have a ... where God says to Abraham,
"In thy seed shall all ... sufferings; namely, that He died,"not for His own sake ...
/.../the epistles of st peter and st jude preached and explained/chapter iii v .htm

Faustus States his Objections to the Morality of the Law and the ...
... eternal law of Providence; and if he dies in this ... it, let us see how our father Abraham
sinned, that ... not believing God, who promised that his wife Sara should ...
/.../faustus states his objections to.htm