Bible Strands
Genesis 23:18
to Abraham’s possession in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the finalization of Abraham’s purchase from the Hittites, specifying that the deed was delivered publicly at the city gate. This statement follows Abraham’s payment of the full price and precedes the burial of Sarah.
The words — The term לְמִקְנָה (le./mik.Nah) denotes the legal transfer of ownership, while בָאֵי שַׁעַר (ba.'Ei sha.'ar) literally means "those entering the gate," identifying the civic witnesses.
The thread — The city gate functions as the public venue for legal matters in Ruth 4:1 and Jeremiah 32:12, where documents are formally witnessed. Genesis 34:20 similarly places civic negotiation at this threshold.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that Abraham’s acquisition was a formal, witnessed legal act rather than a private arrangement. This establishes the documented status of the burial site before the subsequent narrative.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
Cross-references
- Genesis 34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city:
- Ruth 4:1 Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
- Jeremiah 32:12 and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of my cousin Hanamel and the witnesses who were signing the purchase agreement and all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.