Genesis 23:13

And 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.

Cross-reference

Genesis 14:23 spells out Abraham's logic: he won't let anyone claim 'I made Abraham rich.' That same desire to owe nothing drives his insistence on paying here.

In 2 Samuel 24:24, David insists on paying Araunah for his threshing floor — a striking parallel: both patriarchs refuse to take property without full payment.

In 1 Chronicles 21:24, David says he will not offer to God what costs him nothing. Both patriarchs insist on paying full price — nothing of true value comes free.