Genesis 23:6

“Listen, sir, ¹  you are a mighty prince ²  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ³  from burying your dead.”

Ge 13:2; Ge 14:14; Ge 18:12; Ge 21:22; Ge 24:18,35; Ge 24:35; Ge 31:35; Ge 32:4,5,18; Ge 42:10; Ge 44:5,8; Ex 32:22; Ru 2:13; Isa 45:14; 1Jo 3:1,2

¹ tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”

² 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.

³ tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.