The opening section of Parashat Chayei-Sara records a perplexing exchange between Avraham and the members of the Chittite tribe in Chevron revolving around Avraham’s quest for a burial site for his deceased wife, Sara. A close reading of the text will help clarify what precisely it was that Avraham and the Chittites were negotiating, and what their discussion was really about.
Avraham first approached the Chittites to request an “achuzat kever” (23:4). The term “achuza” means “holding,” and it thus appears that Avraham sought more than just a place where he could bury Sara. He wanted to acquire permanent ownership over Sara’s gravesite. Avraham’s request was not permission to bury to Sara, but rather ownership over a piece of property, marking the first time he sought such an acquisition since settling in Canaan.
If this reading is correct, then it sheds light on the Chittites’ response: “You are a prince of God among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our graves. No one among us will block you from burying your dead” (23:6). The Chittites addressed Avraham with the utmost reverence and respect, but they denied his request. Rather than give or sell him land, they told Avraham that he was welcome to dig a grave in any Chittite cemetery. They were not prepared to allow Avraham a permanent acquisition over land in their territory, so, out of respect to Avraham, they offered him rights to a grave in their cemeteries, which would remain under their ownership.
It seems that this denial led Avraham to make a specific proposal, offering to buy the Makhpela cave from its owner, Efron (23:9). Rather than asking for a small gravesite, Avraham decided instead to offer money for a particular parcel of land in the hope of achieving a permanent holding. He chose the Makhpela cave which was situated at the edge of Efron’s field (23:9), such that it could be set apart and designated as his property. We should also note that Efron’s property is later described as being situated “in front of Mamrei” (23:17), which might indicate that it lay at the edge of the city. This was advantageous for Avraham, as he would acquire a property at the edge of the city that could be clearly identifiable as his (and, later, as his descendants’).
Efron, however, chose to offer the entire field – and not just the cave – free of charge (23:11). He, along with the other tribesmen, did not want to see Avraham acquire ownership over any land. He therefore devised the plan of luring Avraham through an offer he couldn’t refuse – an entire field at no cost. Efron likely assumed that Avraham would jump at such a generous offer, take the bait, and agree to accept the gift. But the status of a gift, at least in the eyes of the people, would not be the same as that of a proper purchase. Avraham would be perceived as a beneficiary and dependant of the Chittites, and not an actual property owner, a perception that could easily undermine his descendants’ future rights to the property and their standing in general.
Avraham then turned the tables on the Efron, making him an offer he couldn’t refuse – 400 silver coins in exchange for the field (23:16). Although Efron and the Chittites did not wish for Avraham to acquire property, Efron fell prey to the lure of such a large sum of money, and agreed to the sale.
This reading of the verses helps explain the Torah’s seemingly redundant and overemphatic accentuation of the legal validity of Avraham’s purchase (see 23:17-20). The Torah wanted to emphasize that Avraham received precisely what he sought but what the Chittite’s wanted to deny him – a legal, permanent holding over a piece of property in their territory.