That he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he hath, which is in the end of his field; for as much money as it is worth he shall give it me for a possession of a buryingplace amongst you.
Machpelah - signifies double. [The Hebrew text has Makpeelaah (H4375); the Septuagint, to speelaion to dipoun, the double cave.] It was probably a cave hewn out of the solid rock, and divided into two parts, as was usual in the graves of the rich.
Which is in the end of his field. In patriarchal times the pastures on the mountains, and throughout the country at large, were an open common, occupied by a number of independent tribes; while the lands in the neighbourhood of towns, being cultivated, were divided into small portions, or separate fields, which became the exclusive possession of certain proprietors. Though fences, such as are raised in this country, are entirely unknown in the East, the extent of the separate fields was well defined; and, in the absence of any natural boundaries, some large stone, or heap of stones, served as a landmark to determine the limits of each owner's property (see Deuteronomy 19:14; Deuteronomy 27:17; Job 24:2; Proverbs 22:28).