Grief through Hebrew Eyes: Abraham and Sarah

We are deeply moved in discovering how Abraham grieved for Sarah immediately after she died. What moves us is understanding it through Hebrew eyes.

In Genesis 23:2-3, the Text says, “Abraham came to mourn Sarah and to weep for her. Then Abraham stood up from before his dead . . .” New King James Version

The process of mourning does involve weeping.  But, when Abraham wept, it wasn’t quiet, dignified, weeping. In Hebrew, bakhah, Abraham bakhah’d; he cried aloud. Middle Eastern people don’t cry softly in their grief. They’re a people of spontaneous, strong, expressive, emotion. Abraham bakhah’d; he cried aloud. Think of his cries as wailing, maybe even screaming.

The Text then says he “stood up from before his dead.” Abraham stood up from Sarah’s presence, p’nay, in Hebrew. More than that, p’nay speaks to his being in front of, before her – face. Her face is where he saw her express life.

Abraham’s bakhah, his crying aloud; his p’nay, being in front of Sarah’s face; his standing up to move away from her presence, p’nay, are missed in translation. In understanding bakhah and p’nay, his grief is visible, we experience it. We are moved!