23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 1 23:6 “Listen, sir, 2 you are a mighty prince 3 among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 4 from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 5 the sons of Heth.
1 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”
2 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”
3 tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.
4 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).