Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 23:4

"I am a stranger and a sojourner with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight." — Genesis 23:4 (ASV)

A possession of a burial place. —While strangers might pasture their cattle on the open land, yet the consent of the local inhabitants seems to have been necessary before Abraham could occupy any spot permanently (Genesis 15:13; Genesis 20:15). He now wanted even more, and for the actual appropriation of any portion of the soil, a public agreement and purchase was required. This agreement had to be ratified not merely by the seller but by the consent of all the tribe, convened in full assembly at the gate of the city. Thus, in spite of his power and wealth, Abraham, regarding his legal position towards the inhabitants, was only a stranger and sojourner (Hebrews 11:9), and could secure a resting place for his dead only by their consent.