Genesis 23:2-4

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

²And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba, ^[a]that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

³And Abraham stood up from before his dead and said to the sons of Heth,

⁴I am a stranger and a sojourner with you; give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.

Genesis 23:2 Surely this indicates that this detail was written at a very early date—before Israel had entered the land. No one in later times would need to be told where Hebron was. Not only was it conspicuous in Joshua’s and Caleb’s day, but it became a “city of refuge.” Besides all this, David was king in Hebron for seven years. Obviously the Israelites had not yet entered Canaan and had to be told not only the name of the place where Abraham and Isaac had lived and were buried, but also its location (P. J. Wiseman, New Discoveries in Babylonia About Genesis).