Ephron is the kind of name that will pull up recent celebrities in a Google search instead of someone in the Bible. You may have heard of him, but don’t associate him by his name. He played a role in the burial of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
He appears in a few places in Genesis, predominantly in Genesis 23. Many say he was being generous by being willing to give Abraham the land for free. Abraham still pays him a fair price. Let’s explore why this is so important for us today—when it comes to money matters.
Who Is Ephron in the Bible?
Ephron in the Bible is a Hittite. We’ll discuss the cultural meaning of that later. More importantly, he was a landowner.
When Abraham’s wife, Sarah, died, he wanted to find a proper burial place for her. They lived in Hebron at the time (Canaan), and Abraham was a foreigner. He didn’t have a family place to bury her.
Most families tended to be buried in the same plots of land they owned.
He goes to Ephron and asks if he can buy a plot of land to bury his wife.
Even though Abraham was a foreigner, they tell him in the passage that they view him as royalty (Genesis 23). Ephron is willing to give him any free cave or burial spot for Sarah.
This feels somewhat reminiscent of the influencer culture we see nowadays—where famous people will receive products for free.
Abraham insists on paying him a fair rate.
Ephron, son of Zohar, relents and allows Abraham to pay 400 silver shekels for the Cave of Machpelah to bury Sarah. People have estimated what 400 shekels could be. Perhaps as much as $3,000 today.
Considering the funeral industry averages $11,000 for a funeral nowadays, this may not be robbing Abraham blind, as we may initially think.
To this day, you can visit what is likely the burial spot of the patriarchs and Sarah.
Abraham and the rest of the patriarchs were buried in the same spot (Genesis 49), the same plot of land that Ephron gave Abraham.
What Nationality Is Ephron?
Ephron is a Hittite. To us, that might not mean much. We may have vaguely heard of them in history class.
From what we know of them in the Bible, they were a warlike nation that had gained significant power by the time King Solomon stepped onto the scene. They were especially known for their war chariots.
They never really seem to fight against Israel much, if at all. In fact, many times throughout their history, they play a role in allying with Israel. Our greatest example is Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s mighty men. If you don’t remember him, his wife’s name, Bathsheba, may ring some bells. Instead of fighting against Israel for most of their history, they seem to be contending with land for Egypt.
Ahimilech the Hittite aided David too (1 Samuel 26).
However, the Hitties had to have committed some no-nos, since they received assured destruction in Deuteronomy 20:17. Perhaps God decreed judgment because they worshipped pagan gods and goddesses. They revered a sun goddess. They also believed in a fertility god who had control over the weather.
Even if they aren’t described as fighting Israel much, they are often described among the less-than-friendly nations surrounding the promised land.
Why Is it So Important that Abraham Paid Ephron?
Circling back to Ephron, he certainly doesn’t feel like an enemy of God’s people. At the time, the Hittites respect Abraham—despite his foreign status. Ephron is willing to even give the land to Abraham for free.
But Abraham refuses. Why?
When Ephron initially offers the land for free, Abraham insists on paying. Ephron basically says, “Well, the land is worth 400 shekels, but I still am okay if you bury Sarah for free.” Abraham, hearing the fair asking price for the land, relents.
Some biblical scholars have said that Ephron was being shrewd. Perhaps he did expect Abraham to pay after all. A sort of taarof (a polite back and forth), where he refuses at first out of politeness but hopes that Abraham will still pay when he owes him.
Perhaps this could be the case.
Or perhaps it is the case that he was willing to give Abraham the land for free, and Abraham—full of integrity—still pays him a fair price for the labor and land.
No matter what is the true case, Abraham believes it’s important to pay for the land.
In a culture where we value things being given away for free, this can seem foreign. Being in the publishing industry, I have encountered many readers who will not pay for a book. Or if they do, it must be severely discounted.
And since believers shared possessions in Acts, is this practice from Abraham something we should implement? When is it okay to take something for free?
I’d argue that in most cases—unless the Lord has clearly blessed us with a free gift—it is important to remember that a worker is worth his wages (1 Timothy 5:18). A landowner is owed his rent for his land.
It is important to be prudent with our finances, but Abraham did not allow his status to dictate whether he could be given free items. He saw the value in Ephron and didn’t want to short-change him.
The plot of land becomes important for Abraham’s family—an investment for future generations.
What Can We Learn from Ephron in the Bible?
We learn some interesting about both Ephron and Abraham in this passage.
We can learn from Ephron that there are times when we can bless people with free things. Perhaps this is our time in a church ministry. Perhaps this is a free meal we cook for someone, or maybe we offer a discount as a landlord to a fellow believer.
From Ephron, we see that he recognizes that Abraham is an important person. Perhaps he doesn’t know that Abraham will father the nation of God’s people, but he does know to respect him. As fellow believers, we can also see the value in God’s people. And can hope in the fact that God used Gentiles in the Old Testament to show that he planned to integrate all people into the family of God.
From Abraham, we can learn that a worker is worth his wages. Although people may be willing to offer something for free, it doesn’t mean we should always take them up on the said offer.
From Abraham, we also learn not to take a free offer immediately. The passage shows that he has to refuse the “free” offer twice. After the second try, Ephron relents and accepts Abraham’s 400 shekels. Use discernment when given something for “free” (see examples above). It may be helpful to offer to pay someone for their gift of service, and they may be taarofing out of politeness.
From the two of them, we learn that business deals can be more complicated than meets the eye. Abraham operated with fiscal discernment and assessed his situation. May we also trust in God with our finances to make wise decisions.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Ortaly
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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