Neville Goddard on Genesis 23:12-16 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Genesis 23 in context

Scripture Focus

12And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.

13And he spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou wilt give it, I pray thee, hear me: I will give thee money for the field; take it of me, and I will bury my dead there.

14And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him,

15My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

16And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

Genesis 23:12-16

Biblical Context

Abraham bows before the people, offers money for the field, and, after Ephron's price is named, weighs out the four hundred shekels to secure burial for his dead.

Neville's Inner Vision

Abraham's act is not about land but a shift of consciousness. The field is a state of awareness where life can end and a richer self can arise. The four hundred shekels are the exact value you assign to that inner state - the price you are willing to pay with steady mental currency rather than flitting thoughts. The bowing before the people symbolizes the surrender of old identifications to the one Life within you - the I AM that knows you as the owner of your destiny. The audience of the land is the collective thoughts of your surroundings; to them you present your intention as a done deal. When Abraham weighs the silver, he fixes the state in form; current money with the merchant is your belief that the new state is immediately usable in daily life. He hearkens, aligning word and action with inner conviction; you too can align feeling, word, and deed with the reality that your old dead self has been buried in the soil of awareness. Practice: assume the new field now, and let the old one dissolve.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Close your eyes and imagine the field already purchased. Weigh the inner coin in your mind and affirm, 'This is mine now,' letting the old self fade into the soil of your awareness.