Why Ephron Was Made King and How Abraham Found the Cave

Midrash Aggadah, Genesis 23:10

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And Ephron was sitting" (Genesis 23:10). [The word] "sitting" (yoshev) is written defective, lacking a vav. At that hour they advanced him to be king. When they heard Abraham, who says, "and entreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar" (Genesis 23:8), [they did this] so that one as great as Abraham should not be purchasing from a lowly man. And from where did Abraham know of the cave? From the ox that ran and entered there.

Themes

Divine ProvidenceAbrahamKingsCreationAnimals

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Pirkei DeRabbi EliezerAbraham's Bloodline That Led Straight to King DavidHere, Rabbi Joshua offers a powerful insight into a well-known scene from (Genesis 15:10). You remember the one: "And he took him all these, and he divided themTargum JonathanOg Survived the Flood by Riding on Top of the ArkGenesis 14 is a war chapter, four kings against five, a battle in the Valley of Siddim, Lot taken captive, Abraham riding to the rescue. The Hebrew text is sparTargum JonathanAbraham Saw Gehinnam Burning Between the SacrificesAbraham had just defeated four kings and rescued his nephew. In (Genesis 15:1), God simply says "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very grMidrash AggadahWhy Abram and Lot's Herdsmen Quarreled Over Grazing the LandWhen the flocks of Abram and Lot grazed the hills of Canaan together, a quarrel rose up between their herdsmen. Abram's men muzzled their beasts so that the aniMidrash AggadahWhy Abraham Refused the Spoils of Sodom and Sanctified God's NameWhen the dust of the battle settled and the four kings were broken, the king of Sodom came out to meet the victor. Keep the goods, he said, and give me only theBereshit RabbahThe Real Cause of the Quarrel Between Abram and LotMaybe… maybe there’s more to it than meets the eye. The verse in Genesis tells us there was a big ol' argument brewing between the shepherds of Abram (later Abr