Genesis 23 — Sarah dies

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Genesis 23 — Sarah dies

There’s really not very much to this chapter, as far as I can tell. Sarah dies (the Bible doesn’t say how. I wonder if any of those leaders she slept with has an alibi? Or Hagar, for that matter?) Abraham insists on paying the Hittites for some land to bury her on, they sell it to him and he buries her.

The Bible doesn’t say why Abraham wanted to bury her there, nor why burial would be necessary at all. It’s something genetic in humans I suppose to want to bury dead ones. It also serves as a way of getting "closure" and (in the case of some belief systems) sending them off into the next realm.

But in any case, there’s nothing really shocking in this chapter, for a change. This might be viewed as a good chapter since Abraham did mourn his wife’s loss, which is respectful of her and her memory.

Not only that, but God doesn’t meddle in this chapter! A godless chapter. No wonder there’s nothing totally messed up for once.

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