ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף בראשית 23:3

No less than his modern counterpart, the Biblical Jew was part of a small and vulnerable community. As such, necessity required that he have dealings with foreigners. To take the earliest example, Avraham needed to interact with Pharaoh, (Bereshit 12:14–20)¹⁴⁴Bereshit 12:14–20. Avimelech (Bereshit 20),¹⁴⁵Ibid., 20. Efron (Bereshit 23:3-19),¹⁴⁶Ibid., 23:3–19. and the various leaders involved in the Sodomite wars (Bereshit 14:10-24).¹⁴⁷Ibid., 14:10–24. Happily, most of these encounters ended up positively enough. Thus, at first glance, they give us early hope for the coexistence of nations. At the same time, a more careful examination of these encounters reveals that all of them are characterized by a palpable sense of quid pro quo. Pharaoh is willing to give Avraham back his wife and even to enrich him because he has already seen that Avraham has unusual powers that can be used against those who mistreat him. Likewise, Efron is gracious to him only in order to help him secure a very lucrative deal for the burial plot being solicited. For his part, Avraham likely realizes that even with all of the Divine aid he receives, he is ultimately alone. That being the case, he must somehow get along with the lords of whatever place he finds himself.