My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.
The land is worth four hundred shekels, ... - as if Ephron had said, Since you wish to know the value of the property, it is so and so; but that is a trifle which you may pay or not, as it suits you. He spoke in the common forms of Arab civility, and this indifference was mere affectation.
What is that betwixt me and thee? Since the attitudes of respect which the usages of social life in the East require were carefully observed on this occasion, we should expect to find similar politeness in the tone of the language; and yet Ephron, while addressing Abraham, who was his equal, if not his superior, puts himself first. However contrary to our notions of good breeding, this is the customary practice in the East (cf. 1 Samuel 24:12).