The negotiations for Sarah's plot are an interesting although strange inclusion in the Bible. Why do we need to know the details of Abraham's purchase of land to bury Sarah? It would be kind of like including a transcript of the conversation that went on in the office of the mortuary when we bury someone today. Weird...
Genesis 23:13-20
13 He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, "If you will only please listen to me; I will give the price of the field, accept it from me that I may bury my dead there."
14 Then Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 "My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you? So bury your dead."
16 Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, commercial standard.
17 So Ephron's field, which was in Machpelah, which faced Mamre, the field and cave which was in it, and all the trees which were in the field, that were within all the confines of its border, were deeded over
18 to Abraham for a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
19 After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field at Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
20 So the field and the cave that is in it, were deeded over to Abraham for a burial site by the sons of Heth
You can visit the site in Israel today, whether it is the actual location, check out the article on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_the_Patriarchs
Nonetheless, we are told that Abraham entered negotiations to buy this piece of property. Why? Well, at this time the land of Canaan belonged to Abraham only by way of promise, it wasn't actually his.
Here is some interesting background and my personal view:
“In Hittite law to buy a man’s whole property was to incur his feudal obligations; hence Ephron might be maneuvering here towards selling him the whole, rather than the part he requested in verse 9.” Lehmann in BASOR CXXIX, 1953, p. 15 (BASOR stands for: Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research)
“It has been remarked that in different nations it was deemed ignominious to be buried in another’s ground; probably this prevailed in early times in the east, and it maybe in reference to a sentiment of this kind that Abraham refuses to accept the offer of the children of Heth to bury in any of their sepulchres, and earnestly requests them to sell him one, that he might bury his wife in a place that he could claim as his own.” Adam Clarke, v.I, p. 143
Steve’s view:
Abraham, in obedience to the promise, gets a foothold in the promised land. This is yet future for Abraham in God’s timing but Abraham believes in his future provision. Abraham has learned is the most important thing: God brought me here, it will eventually be mine, I will bury my dead here. This is yet one more example of Abraham's belief in the promise, in this instance his promise of the land, Genesis 13:14-15.
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