Last Days (23:1-25:11)

C. Last Days (23:1-25:11)

After the Testing of Abraham, the cycle seems to end quickly. First, Sarah died. Abraham approached Ephron, a Hittite who owned property near Hebron, and bought from him a field that contained a cave, called the Cave of Machpelah, where he buried Sarah.

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Cave of Machpelah, Hebron Modern Hebron, in the south of Palestine, is home to a combination synagogue and mosque. This massive structure stands over the traditional location of the cave of Machpelah that Abraham bought as a burial place for Sarah. A Moslem worthy guards the sanctity of the entry to the cave. Tradition states that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebekah, and Leah were also buried here. 1996, Photos by Barry Bandstra

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    Next Abraham took steps to insure family continuity by securing a wife for Isaac. However, a wife from among the Canaanites would not do. Abraham sent his servant to Aram where his clan had settled after leaving Ur (see 11:31). The servant brought back Rebekah, who then became the mother of Esau and Jacob, and the generations continued.

 Figure 2.5 Abraham in Canaan. The Abraham traditions are mostly associated with locations in southern Palestine, especially Judah and the Negev. When Abraham arrived in Canaan he first stopped at Shechem, then Bethel, then Hebron. At each place he built an altar to his God.