Literary Devices – Bereshit 23/0
Literary Devices – Chapter 23
Structure of Chapter 23
Chapter 23 splits into an introduction (23:1-2) and conclusion (23:17-20) describing Sarah's death and burial, and two main scenes, Avraham's Negotiations with Benei Chet (23:3-9) and Avraham's Negotiations with Efron (23:10-16). For more on the structural units of the chapter and their relationship, see Structure.
Parallels & Contrasts
An examination of the parallels between the various sections of the chapter highlights several points:
Double Negotiations
- Repeat – The parallel structure of the two sets of negotiations highlights a troubling issue in the story. Why were negotiations with both parties necessary at all? If Avraham was looking to buy a plot from Efron, why not speak to him directly? What role did the preliminary discussion with the Hittites play?1
- Status – The use of the same root, "ישב", to describe both Avraham and Efron's status, serves to highlight what is actually a contrast between the two men. While Avraham is a foreigner, with no legal standing, Efron is a full citizen. The fact that Avraham is no more than a "תושב" with no land to call his own is what makes the whole story necessary.
Price and Payment
Double Ending
Opening and Closing
Key Words
קבר and מות
Since Sarah's death and burial are the main subjects of the chapter, it is not surprising that these two roots appear multiple times. קבר in its various forms repeats 13 times,5 while the root מות occurs 9 times.6
נתן
The story revolves around a transaction, but it is the root נתן rather than "מכר" or "קנה" which repeats in the chapter, appearing 7 times total.7 This points to one of the tensions in the story, the argument between the Hittites and Avraham regarding whether the burial plot was to be given as a gift or paid for in money. Perhaps out of politeness and a desire not to outright contradict the other side, both parties use the more ambiguous term, "נתן" which can uphold both meanings. The Hoil Moshe goes further to suggest that according to Hittite law, sale to non-citizens was prohibited and so a legal fiction was created as Efron offered the land gratis, and Avraham gave him a monetary gift in turn.
Listen to me!
The root שמע appears six times in the story, once in each response of the various characters.8 The first five represent a polite refusal of the request or offer proffered by the other side, while the final occurrence marks Avraham's acquiescence to Efron's price. The word thus serves to track the back and forth of the negotiations.
In the eyes and ears of...
Variations of the phrase "בְּאׇזְנֵי/ עֵינֵי בְנֵי חֵת" occur 5 times in the second half of the story.9 Though one might have expected that after Avraham confronted Efron, the other Hittites would disappear from the narrative, this refrain highlights that they remained an integral part of the process until the end. Why, though, could Efron not have conducted a private sale with Avraham?
Character Titles
Chapter 23 refers to each of Sarah, Efron, and the Hittites by various names. In some instances, these variations reflect a fundamental difference of meaning, while in others they serve a literary function. See here for a general discussion of Character Titles in Tanakh.
Sarah
Sarah is referred to in three ways in the chapter:
- שָׂרָה (Sarah) – This is the term used when introducing Sarah's death in the opening of the story (verses 1-2). It is the default and expected appellation.
- מֵתִי/ מֵתֶךָ (my or your deceased) – Throughout the negotiations (verses 3-15) Sarah is never referred to by name because her personal identity is irrelevant to the transaction. Only her role as "the deceased" is important.
- שָׂרָה אִשְׁתּוֹ (Sarah, his wife) – With burial, Sarah is referred to as Avraham's wife, perhaps to connect the two in their moment of separation.
Efron
Efron is also referred to in three ways in the chapter:
- עֶפְרוֹן בֶּן צֹחַר (Efron b. Zochar) – Efron is first mentioned, not by the narrator, but by Avraham (verse 8). It is possible that his full name is used because Avraham needed to identify and distinguish him from other Efrons of the community.
- עֶפְרוֹן הַחִתִּי (Efron the Hittite) – When the narrator fist introduces Efron in verse 10, he fills in his ethnicity to let the reader know that Efron is not an outsider, but also a member of the Hittite nation, with full legal standing.
- עֶפְרוֹן (Efron) – In the rest of the negotiations (verses 13, 14, 16, and 17) no special title is needed and none is given.
The Hittites
It is not clear if the various terms given to the Hittites refer to the same group of people or to various subsets.
- בְּנֵי חֵת (lit. the sons of Chet) – This appears to be the default term used in the majority of verses (3, 5, 7, 10, 16, 17 and 20).10
- עַם הָאָרֶץ (lit. the nation of the land) – See verses 7, 12 and 13. This term has been understood to refer either to the masses,11 or to the heads of the town12. Either way it might refer to a different group (either larger or smaller) that בני חת. If the men were the city's leaders then Avraham's singling them out (in verses 7 and 12) to bow to is understandable. Similarly he might makes his monetary offer (verse 13) specifically in their hearing to ensure that the transaction is witnessed by the elders.
- לְכֹל בָּאֵי שַׁעַר עִירוֹ (all those who come through the city's gates) – see verses 10 and 18. This term is also ambiguous. According to Radak it refers to all the inhabitants of the city (and might be more expansive than the phrase "בְנֵי חֵת"). It is not clear, though, how this can account for their mention in these verses specifically.
- בבְנֵי עַמִּי (the members of my nation) – This term appears only verse 11, when Efron begins his negotiations with Avraham. He refers to the inhabitants in first rather than third person, because he is one of them.