At age 127, Sarah dies in Hebron. Abraham negotiates with the Hittites for land to bury her body. He starts by acknowledging that he was a sojourner, a temporary resident. 

The Hittites answers that Abraham is a Prince of God, so they offer him some land. Abraham mentions that Ephron had a cave east of Mamre he is interested in and would be willing to pay. They responded that they would be happy to give him the cave and the field next to it. Abraham reiterates that he’s willing to pay. 

They say he doesn’t need to pay anything even though it’s worth 400 shekels of silver. Abraham weighs out the money in front of everyone and acquires the land to bury Sarah. They take the money and the land is deeded. 

In this situation, Abraham doesn’t want to be a renter, or guest, but own the land Sarah will be buried on. By going through this tedious exchange everyone is a witness to the purchase and process. It marks their transition from sojourners to citizens. 

Tim and I were in our forties when we finally bought our first home. It’s a big deal for us to get our names on a title to land and will take decades of mortgage payments to complete the transaction. We are no longer renters, but officially residents. The house has become our home and we have motive to maintain it and invest in our community as well.