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Genesis 23:6

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Genesis 23:6

Verse 6 of 20

Scripture focus

Hear us, my lord: thou [art] a mighty prince among us: in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead; none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, but that thou mayest bury thy dead.

Genesis 23:6 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Genesis 23:6

Theological / Devotional

Thou art a mighty prince. The Hittites replied obligingly to Abraham’s request, reflecting his courtesy. Declining to accept his own appraisal of his status among them, “a stranger,” they acknowledged him as a “mighty prince.” Literally, “prince of God,” which according to a familiar Hebrew idiom may legitimately be translated “mighty prince,” as in the KJV. In Hebrew, similarly, the “great mountains” of Psalm 36:6 are literally the “mountains of God,” and the “goodly cedars” of Psalm 80:10, the “cedars of God.” In designating Abraham as “a mighty prince,” the Hittites voiced their recognition of Abraham as a man whom God had favored.

None of us shall withhold. They heartily approved of Abraham’s request. To begin with they offered to make their own burial grounds available to him — a truly courteous gesture.

By SdaBc