The Death and Burial of Abraham (xxiii. 1-8)

The Death and Burial of Abraham (xxiii. 1-8; cf. Gen. xxv. 7-10).

XXIII. And he placed two fingers of Jacob on his eyes, ³ and he blessed the God of gods, and he covered his face and stretched out his feet ⁴ and slept the sleep of eternity, ⁵ and was gathered to his fathers. 2. And notwithstanding all this Jacob was lying in his bosom, and knew not that Abraham, his father's father, was dead. 3. And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and behold Abraham was cold as ice, and he said: "Father, father!"; but there was none that spake, and he knew that he was dead. 4. And he arose from his bosom and ran and told Rebecca, his mother; and Rebecca went to Isaac in the night and told him; and they went together, and Jacob with them, and a lamp was in his hand, and when they had gone in they found Abraham lying dead. 5. And Isaac fell on the face of his father, and wept and kissed him. ⁶ 6. And the voices were heard in the house of Abraham, and Ishmael his son arose, and went to Abraham his father, and wept over

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[paragraph continues] Abraham his father, he and all the house of Abraham, and they wept with a great weeping. 7. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the double cave, ¹ near Sarah his wife, and they wept for him forty days, all the men of his house, and Isaac and Ishmael, and all their sons, and all the sons of Keturah in their places, and the days of weeping for Abraham were ended. 8. And he lived three jubilees and four weeks of years, one hundred and seventy-five years, and completed the days of his life, being old and full of days.

Footnotes

127:3 Cf. Gen. xlvi. 4. The closing of the eyes (by the eldest son) should strictly only be done after death, according to Jewish tradition.

127:4 Cf. Gen. xlix. 33 (of the death of Jacob).

127:5 Cf. Jer. li. 39, 57.

127:6 Cf. Gen. l. 1.

128:1 i. e. Machpelah; cf. Gen. xxv. 9.