Ge 22:20-24

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Further expressions of faith

(Gen 22:20-23:20)

While Abraham was establishing his family in Canaan, the family of his brother Nahor in Mesopotamia was growing. The writer records this growth to introduce Rebekah, the future wife of Isaac (Gen 22:20-24).

Back in Canaan, Abraham moved from Beersheba to Hebron, and there Sarah died (Gen 23:1-2). Though God had promised the whole of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants, Abraham still owned no land there.

The death of Sarah gave him an opportunity to buy a piece of land which, besides being a burial place, symbolized his permanent ownership of Canaan (Gen 23:3-18).

By being buried in Canaan, Abraham and his family expressed their faith that this was their homeland, and one day their descendants would live there permanently (Gen 23:19-20; cf. Gen 25:8-10; 49:29-32; 50:13,25; Heb 11:13,22).