23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 1 replied to Abraham in the hearing 2 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 3 of his city –
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 7 and weighed 8 out for him 9 the price 10 that Ephron had quoted 11 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 12
1 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
2 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
3 sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.
4 tn Heb “give.”
5 tn Heb “silver.”
6 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
7 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
8 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
9 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
10 tn Heb “silver.”
11 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
12 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.