(2-minute read)
In the epic saga of faith and family, Abraham returns to the ancient land of Kirjath Arba, settling opposite Hebron and marking the beginning of a transformative era. When Sarah passes away at the age of 127, Abraham’s spirit is tested as he negotiates with the children of Heth for a burial site. With unwavering dignity, he insists on paying the full price for the cave of Machpelah, sealing the transaction with witnesses and securing a lasting legacy for his descendants. In a grand ceremony befitting royalty, Sarah is laid to rest, surrounded by family and dignitaries, as Abraham’s faith and devotion shine through.
As the shadows of grief linger, Abraham sends Isaac to learn the sacred ways from Shem and Eber, embarking on a new chapter in their family’s journey. The deaths of Lot and Nahor cast further sorrow, with Abraham mourning his brother Nahor deeply. Despite the loss, the family’s legacy endures, guiding them forward with the strength of kinship and faith. Returning to Beersheba, Abraham settles into a new life, while Ishmael’s family spreads forth in search of their own place in the world. The descendants of Seir the Horite rise as dukes of Edom, weaving their legacy into the land’s history, as the saga of enduring resilience and spirit continues to unfold.
Major Characters
Minor Characters
Insignificant Characters
GENESIS
39%
JASHER
46%
JUBILEES
15%
Exposition
J: 43 | Y: 2086 | Abraham moves to Kirjath Arba
Jubilees 19:1
Rising Action
Abraham seeks a burial place
Genesis 23:1-16, Jasher 24:1-8, Jubilees 19:2-5
Climax
Abraham buries Sarah
Genesis 23:17-20, Jasher 24:9-16, Jubilees 19:6-9
Falling Action
Isaac sent to learn from Shem and Eber
Jasher 24:17
Y: 2088 | Lot died
Jasher 24:22
Y: 2089 | Nahor died
Jasher 24:23-28
Resolution
Abraham returns to Beersheba
Jasher 24:18
Aram, Achlis, and Merik born
Jasher 22:35
Ishmael’s family moves away
Jasher 25:19b
Y: 2087-2107? | Seir’s children born
Genesis 36:20-21, 29-30, Jasher 36:26
Jubilee: 43
Year: 2086
Abraham moves to Kirjath Arba
Jubilees 19:1
1 And in the first year of the first week in the forty-second jubilee, Abraham returned and dwelt opposite Hebron, that is Kirjath Arba, two weeks of years.
Abraham seeks a burial place
Genesis 23:1-3
1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
3 And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spake unto the sons of Heth, saying,
Jasher 24:1
1 And the life of Sarah was one hundred and twenty-seven years, and Sarah died; and Abraham rose up from before his dead to seek a burial place to bury his wife Sarah; and he went and spoke to the children of Heth, the inhabitants of the land, saying,
Jubilees 19:2-4
2 And in the first year of the third week of this jubilee the days of the life of Sarah were accomplished, and she died in Hebron.
3 And Abraham went to mourn over her and bury her, and we tried him [to see] if his spirit were patient and he were not indignant in the words of his mouth; and he was found patient in this, and was not disturbed.
4 For in patience of spirit he conversed with the children of Heth, to the intent that they should give him a place in which to bury his dead.
Genesis 23:4-6
4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you: give me a possession of a buryingplace with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
5 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, saying unto him,
6 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.
Jasher 24:2-3
2 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you in your land; give me a possession of a burial place in your land, that I may bury my dead from before me.
3 And the children of Heth said unto Abraham, behold the land is before thee, in the choice of our sepulchers bury thy dead, for no man shall withhold thee from burying thy dead.
Genesis 23:7
7 And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth.
Genesis 23:8-11
8 And he communed with them, saying, If it be your mind that I should bury my dead out of my sight; hear me, and intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar,
9 That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.
10 And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
11 Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.
Jasher 24:4-5a
4 And Abraham said unto them, If you are agreeable to this go and entreat for me to Ephron, the son of Zochar, requesting that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which is in the end of his field, and I will purchase it of him for whatever he desire for it.
5a And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth, and they went and called for him, and he came before Abraham, and Ephron said unto Abraham, Behold all thou requirest thy servant will do;
Jasher 24:5b-6a
5b and Abraham said, No, but I will buy the cave and the field which thou hast for value, In order that it may be for a possession of a burial place for ever.
6a And Ephron answered and said, Behold the field and the cave are before thee, give whatever thou desirest;
Genesis 23:12
12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
Genesis 23:13
13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
Jasher 24:6b
6b and Abraham said, Only at full value will I buy it from thy hand, and from the hands of those that go in at the gate of thy city, and from the hand of thy seed for ever.
Genesis 23:14-15
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
Genesis 23:16
16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
Jasher 24:7
7 And Ephron and all his brethren heard this, and Abraham weighed to Ephron four hundred shekels of silver in the hands of Ephron and in the hands of all his brethren; and Abraham wrote this transaction, and he wrote it and testified it with four witnesses.
Jubilees 19:5
5 And the Lord gave him grace before all who saw him, and he besought in gentleness the sons of Heth, and they gave him the land of the double cave over against Mamre, that is Hebron, for four hundred pieces of silver.
Jasher 24:8
8 And these are the names of the witnesses, Amigal son of Abishna the Hittite, Adichorom son of Ashunach the Hivite, Abdon son of Achiram the Gomerite, Bakdil the son of Abudish the Zidonite.
Abraham buries Sarahi
Jubilees 19:6-9
6 And they besought him saying, We shall give it to thee for nothing; but he would not take it from their hands for nothing, for he gave the price of the place, the money in full, and he bowed down before them twice, and after this he buried his dead in the double cave.
7 And all the days of the life of Sarah were one hundred and twenty-seven years, that is, two jubilees and four weeks and one year: these are the days of the years of the life of Sarah.
8 This is the tenth trial wherewith Abraham was tried, and he was found faithful, patient in spirit.
9 And he said not a single word regarding the rumour in the land how that God had said that He would give it to him and to his seed after him, and he begged a place there to bury his dead; for he was found faithful, and was recorded on the heavenly tablets as the friend of God.
Genesis 23:17-20
17 And the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure
18 Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.
19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.
20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a buryingplace by the sons of Heth.
Jasher 24:9-12
9 And Abraham took the book of the purchase, and placed it in his treasures, and these are the words that Abraham wrote in the book, namely:
10 That the cave and the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite, and from his seed, and from those that go out of his city, and from their seed for ever, are to be a purchase to Abraham and to his seed and to those that go forth from his loins, for a possession of a burial place for ever; and he put a signet to it and testified it with witnesses.
11 And the field and the cave that was in it and all that place were made sure unto Abraham and unto his seed after him, from the children of Heth; behold it is before Mamre in Hebron, which is in the land of Canaan.
12 And after this Abraham buried his wife Sarah there, and that place and all its boundary became to Abraham and unto his seed for a possession of a burial place.
Jasher 24:13-16
13 And Abraham buried Sarah with pomp as observed at the interment of kings, and she was buried in very fine and beautiful garments.
14 And at her bier was Shem, his sons Eber and Abimelech, together with Anar, Ashcol and Mamre, and all the grandees of the land followed her bier.
15 And the days of Sarah were one hundred and twenty-seven years and she died, and Abraham made a great and heavy mourning, and he performed the rites of mourning for seven days.
16 And all the inhabitants of the land comforted Abraham and Isaac his son on account of Sarah.
Isaac sent to learn from Shem and Eber
Jasher 24:17
17 And when the days of their mourning passed by Abraham sent away his son Isaac, and he went to the house of Shem and Eber, to learn the ways of the Lord and his instructions, and Abraham remained there three years.
Year: 2088
Lot diedii
Jasher 24:22
22 And Lot the son of Haran also died in those days, in the thirty-ninth year of the life of Isaac, and all the days that Lot lived were one hundred and forty years and he died.
Year: 2089
Nahor died
Jasher 24:27-28
27 And Nahor the son of Terah, brother to Abraham, died in those days in the fortieth year of the life of Isaac, and all the days of Nahor were one hundred and seventy-two years and he died and was buried in Haran.
28 And when Abraham heard that his brother was dead he grieved sadly, and he mourned over his brother many days.
Abraham returns to Beersheba
Jasher 24:18
18 At that time Abraham rose up with all his servants, and they went and returned homeward to Beersheba, and Abraham and all his servants remained in Beersheba.
Aram, Achlis, and Merik born
Jasher 22:35
35 And Zoba the son of Terah lived thirty years and he begat Aram, Achlis and Merik.
Ishmael’s family moves away
Jasher 25:19b
19b and the families of Ishmael afterward spread forth, and Ishmael took his children and all the property that he had gained, together with the souls of his household and all belonging to him, and they went to dwell where they should find a place.
Year: 2087-2107
Seir’s children born
Genesis 36:20-21
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,
21 And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.
Genesis 36:29-30
29 These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah,
30 Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.
Jasher 36:26
26 And these are the names of the sons of Seir the Horite, inhabitants of the land of Seir, Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishan, Ezer and Dishon, being seven sons.
i. James 2:23 refers to Jubilees 19:9 when James says that Abraham was called the Friend of God.
ii. According to Jasher 9:2, Haran was 39 when he married his wife which was in the year 1956. Jubilees 12:10a says this was in the 3rd year of the 3rd week. Jubilees 12:10b says that Lot was born 4 years later which would be 1960. If Lot lived for 140 years, then his death would be 2100, not 2088. However, the 39th year of Isaac’s life is in the year 2088 and if we subtract 140 years, we would place Lot’s birth in the year 1948, not 1960. Therefore, Lot was 128 when he died, not 140.
(11-minute read)
Exposition
J: 43 | Y: 2086 | Abraham moves to Kirjath Arba
Jubilees 19:1
In the 1st year of the 1st week of the 42nd jubilee, Abraham returned and settled opposite Hebron, which is Kirjath Arba, and lived there for 14 years.
Rising Action
Abraham seeks a burial place
Genesis 23:1-16, Jasher 24:1-8, Jubilees 19:2-5
Sarah lived 127 years. These were the years of her life. She died in Kirjatharba (that is, Hebron in the land of Canaan), and Abraham came to mourn and weep for her.
God tested Abraham to see if he would remain patient in spirit and not complain, and he passed the test—he was calm and did not speak out in frustration. With a patient heart, he spoke to the children of Heth to ask for a burial place for Sarah.
Abraham stood up from beside his wife’s body and spoke to the Hittites: “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Please sell me a piece of land for a burial site so I can bury my dead out of my sight.”
The children of Heth replied, “Listen to us, my lord. You are a mighty prince among us. Choose from the best of our burial sites to bury your dead. No one among us will refuse you his tomb.”
Then Abraham stood and bowed to the people of the land, the children of Heth, and said, “If you are willing for me to bury my dead here, then please intercede for me with Ephron, the son of Zohar, so that he will sell me the cave of Machpelah at the end of his field. I’ll pay full price for it, as a permanent burial site among you.”
Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites, and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all who had gathered at the city gate: “No, my lord, listen. I give you the field and the cave in it. I give it to you publicly, in front of my people. Go and bury your dead.”
But Abraham said, “No, I insist on buying the field and the cave from you at full value, so it may be mine forever as a burial site.”
Ephron answered, “Look, the land is worth 400 shekels of silver, but what is that between us? Go ahead and bury your dead.”
God gave Abraham favor in the eyes of all who witnessed this. Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price and weighed out 400 shekels of silver, according to the current standard among merchants. Abraham documented the purchase, writing it down and confirming it with 4 witnesses. Their names were: Amigal, son of Abishna the Hittite; Adichorom, son of Ashunach the Hivite; Abdon, son of Achiram the Gomerite; and Bakdil, son of Abudish the Zidonite.
Climax
Abraham buries Sarah
Genesis 23:17-20, Jasher 24:9-16, Jubilees 19:6-9
Even though they offered it to him for free, Abraham refused to accept the land without paying for it. He paid the full price, bowed before them twice, and then buried his wife in the double cave.
Sarah lived 127 years—that is, 2 jubilees, 4 weeks, and 1 year. This was the 10th trial Abraham faced, and he was found faithful and patient. He said nothing about the promise God had made to give that land to him and his descendants. Instead, he humbly asked for a burial site. His faithfulness was recorded in the heavenly tablets, and he was called a friend of God.
Abraham placed the deed of purchase in his treasury. This is what he wrote in it: that the cave and the field were purchased from Ephron the Hittite in Machpelah, near Mamre (that is, Hebron in the land of Canaan). It included all the trees in the field, and the right of purchase extended to his descendants and all those from his city and their descendants forever. It was established as a permanent burial site for Abraham and his descendants. He sealed it and had it witnessed. The field, the cave, and everything around it were officially made over to Abraham and his descendants by the children of Heth. This land lies before Mamre in Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
Afterward, Abraham buried his wife Sarah there, and the whole area became the property of Abraham and his descendants as a burial site.
He buried Sarah with great honor, as is done for kings. She was dressed in fine, beautiful garments. At her bier were Shem, his sons Eber and Abimelech, and also Anar, Ashcol, and Mamre. All the nobles of the land followed her procession.
Sarah lived 127 years before she died. Abraham mourned deeply for her and observed 7 days of mourning. All the people of the land came to comfort Abraham and his son Isaac over the loss of Sarah.
Falling Action
Isaac sent to learn from Shem and Eber
Jasher 24:17
After the days of mourning ended, Abraham sent his son Isaac to the house of Shem and Eber to learn the ways and teachings of the Lord. Abraham stayed behind and remained there for 3 years.
Y: 2088 | Lot died
Jasher 24:22
Lot, the son of Haran, died during this time, in the 39th year of Isaac’s life. Lot lived 140 years and then died.
Y: 2089 | Nahor died
Jasher 24:23-28
Nahor, the son of Terah and brother of Abraham, also died in those days—in the 40th year of Isaac’s life. Nahor lived 172 years and was buried in Haran. When Abraham heard that his brother had died, he mourned deeply and grieved for many days.
Resolution
Abraham returns to Beersheba
Jasher 24:18
At that time, Abraham got up with all his servants and returned home to Beersheba, where he and his household settled.
Aram, Achlis, and Merik born
Jasher 22:35
Zoba, the son of Terah, was 30 years old when he became the father of Aram, Achlis, and Merik.
Ishmael’s family moves away
Jasher 25:19b
Later, Ishmael and his family spread out. He took his children, all his possessions, his household, and everyone with him, and they moved away to settle wherever they could find a place.
Y: 2087-2107? | Seir’s children born
Genesis 36:20-21, 29-30, Jasher 36:26
These are the 7 sons of Seir the Horite, who lived in the land and became dukes: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants of Seir in the land of Edom.
This chart shows who was alive in the years 2086-2089.