We conclude the cycle of Abraham and Sarah stories, Sarah dies at the age of 127, and Abraham purchases a burial site, the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, from the local Hittite inhabitants in this portion. This cave becomes the burial place for the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives, Sarah, Rebekah and Leah. As Abraham faces the prospect of his own death, he arranges a marriage for Isaac by sending his chief servant back to the family homeland to negotiate for the hand of a family member. When the servant returns with Rebekah, Isaac installs her in Sarah’s tent and marries her, and in their love he finds comfort after his mother’s death. Thus, God’s plan of history unfolds through a series of commonplace and natural events.
