Hebrew Word Study – Honorable – Ephron – Ayin Pei Resh Nun

Genesis 23:11,16:   “Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that [is] therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.  (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.”

Abraham was not a landowner at the time of the death of Sarah his wife.  So, he negotiated with Ephron a landowner to purchase a cave to bury his wife.  At first, Ephron offered to give the land and the cave for free but Abraham insists he pays for the cave and Ephron names a price that Abraham pays. 

Now it is a Middle Eastern custom and considered insulting when dealing with the bereaved to ask for payment for services rendered.  This is a classic case. Abraham seeks to purchase this cave and Ephron generously offers to give him not only the cave but the land around it at no cost, flattering him by telling him he is like a prince.  Some Bible teachers take this literally and elevate Ephron to a level of a very generous and caring man.

In Semitic storytelling often a person’s real name is not used but a word is used for his name to express his character or personality. In other words, the name is not the person’s birth name but an allegorical name used to help give the reader a deeper understanding of a story.  

Actually, this cultural custom of offering free gifts, proves what comes around goes around.  After an appropriate time of grieving the bearing of this gift will come around and say: “Remember, that land and cave I gave to you, well I have this little favor…”   Abraham knew that if he accepted the “generous” gift  he would be expected to stay around until he paid the piper and Abraham knew he had to always be ready to make a move if God called him, so he could not accept this “generous offer.”

There are some clues that indicate Ephron fully expected to make money off of Abraham.  First is his name Ephron which means in Hebrew to be fawn-like or to resemble a fawn.  That is to say, one who is honest and honorable.  But in the Canaanite language, it is Aparu which means dusty or dry earth. In the Akkadian, it is a word used to express the idea of causing one to bow down and lick the dust off of your feet. In ancient one would humiliate another by forcing them to kneel before them and lick the dust off of their feet.  This is a clever way of telling this story as the name of the person in Hebrew shows him as innocent and trusting but his true nature as a Canaanite was one who would humiliate you when given the opportunity. 

I remember I had a roommate who told me a valuable lesson he learned at a carnival.  There was this one booth that had a firing range.  My roommate had all of five dollars on him and it was like a quarter a round.  He was looking at all the cute little trinkets and stuffed animals he could win for his girlfriend when the Carny or the Ephron – Aparu called over to him: “Hey kid, come over here, I’m going to do you a favor.”  Now my roommate grew up on a farm, was quite innocent, and did a lot of hunting which made him an excellent shot.  So, he fell for it. The Carny did my roommate a favor alright, he relieved him of his entire five dollars and he did not win one trinket.  I am not saying the game was rigged, but…  That is the sinister side of an Ephron.  Innocent like a little fawn but will leave you eating his dust. 

There is one other thing, however, that Scripture introduces us to about Ephron and that is not apparent in our English translation.  For you see in verse 16 we find that Abraham listened to Ephron and then weighed out the money for Ephron.  The first time the name Ephron is spelled Ayin Pei Vav Nun, but the second time it is spelled Ayin Pei Nun, with the Vav missing.  Now scholars have debated this spelling variant where we find that Ephron in this cycle is mentioned 11 times, four without the Vav and seven with the Vav.  Commentators tend to ignore this variant, none of my Bible College or seminary professors addressed it, and liberal scholars who follow textual criticism point to the idea that this story went through changes throughout the years and these passages that show Ephron without the Vav was written by earlier writers and those with the Vav was later writers adding to the text.  Some just say it is proof that the Bible is not really inspired. 

Well, I happen to believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and not only that I believe God put subtle little messages in His Word to give those who really spend time in His Word a little bonus.   Rashi, one of the more famous Medieval Jewish commentators and Hebrew master, tells us that the elimination of the Vav shows that Ephron was jealous of the wealth of Abraham.  You see the Vav is a connector, it is often used for the words – and/or – to connect two thoughts.  It is a picture of a connection between heaven and earth.  Hence:  “Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver,”  The first Ephron has a Vav where it appears there is a connection between Abraham and Ephron. The second time there is no Vav when he weighs out the silver. God reveals Ephron’s true nature, he was only interested in making the money and his offer of a gift was pure showboating.

Numbers 32:23:  “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.”   Don’t be fooled, God has His ways, maybe subtle ways as the elimination of a letter in a name, to reveal that your sins will find you out. Centuries later the sin of Ephron is still being revealed. 

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