Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 23:12 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 12. 12And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Abraham bows again before the people of the land. The repeated gesture maintains respect as he rejects ambiguity and prepares to insist on payment.
Read It With
- Genesis 23:1–20
Read verses 11–13. Ephron offers field and cave; Abraham bows; then he asks Ephron to listen and states that he will pay for the field.
Why This Verse Appears Here
A second bow maintains courtesy before Abraham firmly restates the terms he will accept.
Read Genesis 23:12–16 together
Why these verses belong together: Abraham insists on payment, Ephron names four hundred shekels, and Abraham weighs the amount.
Verse 12. 12 And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.
Verse 13. 13 And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.
Verse 14. 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,
Verse 15. 15 My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
Verse 16. 16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
What Remains True
Respect and disagreement can coexist when a person seeks a clear, accountable outcome.
How It Can Shape Life
- Do not treat courtesy as surrender; communicate firm terms without unnecessary contempt or humiliation.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 23:1–20 — Abraham Buys a Burial Place for SarahSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, death and mourning, negotiation, payment, conveyance, burial, and later family-tomb connections.
Exact location: Genesis 23:1–20 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 25:9–10; 35:19–20, 27–29; 49:29–32; 50:13
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Mourning and weeping roots, ger vetoshav, burial possession, full silver, gate, weighing, merchant standard, boundary, acquisition, and confirmation language.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 23:1–20
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Resident-outsider terminology, prince-of-God idiom, sons-of-Heth caution, sale/conveyance language, gate setting, weighed silver, merchant standard, and property-confirmation wording.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 23 and translator notes 1–44
Open NET Genesis 23 ↗