Genesis 23:7

Gen 23:7 And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, [even] to the children of Heth.

Ver. 7. Abraham stood up and bowed himself, &c.] It is very comely in Christians to salute willingly; and in words and gestures to show civil respect even to wicked men. Abraham’s behaviour to these Hittites may shame the most Christians; yea, the very Hittites themselves may teach them good manners. Even the savage cannibals, saith a grave divine, {a} may receive an answer of outward courtesy. If a very dog fawn upon us, we stroke him on the head, and clap him on the side. Much less is the common band of humanity untied by grace. If Elisha bade his man, or our Saviour his disciples, salute no man by the way, that was for haste’s sake; they should not hinder themselves in their journey by overmuch courtesy. Our Saviour was sweet and sociable in his whole conduct, and the proud Pharisees upbraided him for it. He never refused to go to any man’s table when invited, yea, to Zaccheus’ he invited himself, not for the pleasure of the dishes, but for the benefit of so winning a conversation. Courtesy allureth men’s minds, as fair flowers do their eyes. Pomponius Atticus so carried himself at Athens, ut communis infimis, par principibus videretur. {b} Alexander the Great, got the hearts of his foot soldiers, by calling them pezetairouv , his fellow footmen, {c} Aristotle, the better to insinuate into his hearers, read not to them (as other philosophers used to do) from a lofty seat or desk, but walking and talking with them familiarly, as with his friends, in Apollo’s porch, he made them great philosophers. {d} Vespasian was as highly esteemed by the people for his courtesy, as Coriolanus contemned and condemned of all for his rusticity. With one churlish breath Rehoboam lost ten tribes, whom he would, and might not, recover with his blood. But whatsoever David did pleased the people. What a deal of courtesy passed between Boaz and his reapers! "The Lord be with you," said he; "The Lord bless thee," said they. {Rth 2:4} The Turks’ salutation at this day is, Salaum aleek, Peace be to thee: the reply is, Aleek salaum, Peace be to thee also. {e} The Romans had their χαιρς and their υγιαινε, answerable to our Good day, and Good evening. {f} That finger next to the thumb they called Salutaris, because they put that finger to their mouth (as at this day the Roman dames do) when they saluted any. {g} Charles V is renowned for his courtesy: when he passed by John Frederick the elector of Saxony, he always took off his hat and bowed to him, though he were his prisoner, and had been taken by him in battle. And when he had in his power Melancthon, Pomeran, and other divines of the reformed religion, he courteously dismissed them. {h} As he is the best Christian that is most humble; so is he the truest gentleman that is most courteous. Your haughty upstarts, the French call gentle-villains.

{a} Dr Hall.

{b} Corn. Nepos in Vita Attici.

{c} Harpocrat. in voce πεζεταιρος.

{d} των διδασκαλικων επιβεβηκοτες θρονων. - Diog.

{e} Blount’s Voyage into the Levant.

{f} Dio in Vita Adriani.

{g} Becman., De Origin. in verbo Digitus .

{h} Parei Hist. Profan. Medul., p. 906. - Peacham’s Complete Gentaleman.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gen 23:7. Abraham bowed himself — Thus returning them thanks for their kind offer, with all proper decency and respect. Religion not only allows, but requires civility and good manners, and those gestures which express it, and every professor of it should carefully avoid rudeness and clownishness. “Love doth not behave itself unseemly.”

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

23:7-16 Abraham wanted to buy Ephron’s cave at Machpelah, but Ephron wanted him to buy the entire field.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

7. And Abraham stood up. He declines the favor offered by the Hittites, as, some suppose, with this design, that he might not lay himself under obligation to them in so small a matter. But he rather wished to show, in this way, that he would receive no gratuitous possession from those inhabitants who were to be ejected by the hand of Gods in order that he might succeed in their place: for he always kept all his thoughts fixed on God, so that he far preferred His bare promise, to present dominion over the land. Moses also commends the modesty of the holy man, when he says that he ‘rose up to do reverence to the people of the land.’ As to the use of the word signifying ‘to adore,’ it is simply taken for the reverence, which any one declares, either by bowing the knee, or any other gesture of the body. This may be paid to men, as well as to God, but for a different end; men mutually either bend the knee, or bow the head, before each other, for the sake of civil honor; but if the same thing be done to them, for the sake of religion, it is profanation. For religion allows of no other worship them that of the true God. And they childishly trifle who make a pretext for their idolatry, in the words dulia and latria, since the Scripture, in general terms, forbids adoration to be transferred to men. But lest any one should be surprised that Abraham acted so suppliantly, and so submissively, we must be aware that it was done from common custom and use. For it is well known that the Orientals were immoderate in their use of ceremonies. If we compare the Greeks or Italians with ourselves, we are more sparing in the use of them than they. But Aristotle, in speaking of the Asiatics and other barbarians notes this fault, that they abound too much in adorations. Wherefore we must not measure the honor which Abraham paid to the princes of the land by our customs.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

7. bowed himself] Abraham’s humble demeanour towards the people of the land doubtless conforms to the elaborate usages of Oriental bargaining. But it is also probably here emphatically recorded as indicating Abraham’s loneliness among the people of the land, and, therefore, in ironical contrast with the time when his descendants would conquer the Canaanites and possess their country.

the people of the land] Cf. Gen_42:6 (P). This is the phrase, ’am ha-âreṣ, so common in post-exilic literature for “the heathen”: compare “peoples of the land,” Ezr_10:2; Ezr_10:11; Neh_10:28; Neh_10:30.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Abraham stood up,.... For, having made his speech to the children of Heth, he sat down waiting for an answer; or rather perhaps they obliged him to sit down, out of reverence to so great a personage; and when they had done speaking, he rose up:

and bowed himself to the people of the land; the principal of them, in token of the grateful sense he had of the honour they had done him, and of the great civility with which they had used him:

even to the children of Heth; this seems to be added to distinguish them from the common people, and as an explanation of the preceding clause; See Gill on Gen 23:3.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Bowed down to the people. Adoravit, literally, adored. But this word here, as well as in many other places in the Latin Scriptures, is used to signify only an inferior honour and reverence paid to men, expressed by a bowing down of the body.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

i.e. Showed a civil respect to them in testimony of his thankfulness. Religion allows and requires civility, and those gestures which express it.

To the people of the land; to the governors of the people, who managed all public affairs in the people’s name and stead, and for their good.

The children of Heth, so called from Heth the son of Canaan, Gen 10:15.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And Abraham stood up (the customary posture among Orientals in buying and selling being that of sitting), and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Hath an act of respect quite accordant with modern Oriental manners (vide Thomson, "Land and Book," p. 579).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Abraham returns them thanks for their kind offer, with all possible decency and respect. Religion teaches good manners, and those abuse it that place it in rudeness and clownishness.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

bowed down

This means to bend over or kneel down very low to humbly express respect and honor toward someone. (See: Symbolic Language)

to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth

"to the sons of Heth who lived in the area"

the sons of Heth

Here "sons" stands for those who descended from Heth. See how you translated this in Genesis 23:3. AT: "the descendants of Heth" (See: How to Translate Names)

my dead

The nominal adjective "dead" can be stated as a verb or simply as "wife." AT: "my wife who has died" or "my wife" (See: Nominal Adjectives)

Ephron ... Zohar

These are names of men. (See: How to Translate Names)

the cave of Machpelah, which he owns, which is at the end of his field

"his cave that is at the end of his field in Machpelah"

the cave of Machpelah

"the cave in Machpela." Machpela was the name of an area or region. Ephron owned a field in Machpela and the cave that was in the field. (See: How to Translate Names)

which he owns

This tells something about the cave. Ephron owned the cave. (See: Distinguishing versus Informing or Reminding)

which is at the end of his field

This also tells something about the cave. The cave was at the end of Ephron's field. (See: Distinguishing versus Informing or Reminding)

sell it to me publicly

"sell it to me in front of you all" or "sell it to me in your presence"

as a property

"as a piece of land that I may own and use"

translationWords

Abraham

bow

grave

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ויקם אברהם וישתחו, he rose on his legs and folded them in a manner signifying gratitude for the positive response he had received from the בני חת, informing them next of precisely what it was that he was requesting.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.