Genesis 25.1-6-Abraham's Marriage to Keturah and Distribution of His Estate

Tuesday May 2, 2006

Genesis: Genesis 25:1-6-Abraham’s Marriage To Keturah and Distribution of His Estate

Lesson # 137

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 25:1.

This evening we will study Genesis 25:1-4, which records Abraham’s marriage to Keturah, which produced six sons.

Also, we will study Genesis 25:5-6, which records the distribution of Abraham’s estate.

This passage records Abraham sending away his sons who were born to him through Keturah with gifts but giving all of his estate to Isaac, thus by doing so he made Isaac his sole heir, which was in accordance with the will of God.

Genesis 15:4, “Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, ‘This man (Eliezer) will not be your heir; but one (Isaac) who will come forth from your own body, he (Isaac) shall be your heir."

So before concluding Abraham’s story, the narrator, Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit presents the final details concerning Abraham’s children and the settling of his affairs before his death.

Genesis 25:1-4 presents the genealogy of Abraham’s children by Keturah in order to establish the family relationship between Abraham and the descendants of these children.

This segmented genealogy presents sixteen descendants: sons, grandsons and great-grandsons.

Keturah bore Abraham six sons (Genesis 25:2) and through Jokshan, Abraham had two grandsons and three great-grandsons (Genesis 25:3), for a total of five children of Jokshan and through Midian, Abraham’s fourth son through Keturah, he had five grandsons (Genesis 25:4).

Here is the genealogy of Abraham and Keturah:

Genesis 25:1, “Now Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.”

“Keturah” is the proper noun qoturah (hr*Wfq() (ket-oo-raw), which means, “incense” or “enveloped in fragrant smoke” signifying the trade of her sons.

Nahum Sarna has a comment regarding Keturah’s name and the trade of her sons, “There was a universal and sustained demand in the ancient world for frankincense, myrrh and other aromatic resins and gums. These were needed for the requirements of the cult, for the manufacture of medicines and in the preparation and preservation of food. The prime source and producer was southern Arabia, especially the Hadramaut region, which is modern Yemen, the most fertile part of the Arabian Peninsula. Because of her name, it is reasonable to assume that the key factor behind the organization of the Keturah tribes was the spice trade-the production, shipment and distribution of this precious commodity. It so happens that both biblical and Assyrian sources mention many of the names here listed as those peoples or localities involved in this particular branch of international commerce. They controlled the trade routes that led from the Arabian Peninsula to the lands of the Fertile Crescent. This accounts for the picture of such widespread geographical diffusion of the Ketureans from southern Arabia to the Middle Euphrates region and northern Syria” (The JPS Torah Commentary, page 171, The Jewish Publication Society).

Genesis 25:1 records that Abraham made Keturah his wife but 1 Chronicles 1:32 records that Keturah was his concubine.

1 Chronicles 1:32, “The sons born to Keturah, Abraham's concubine: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.”

This apparent contradiction is reconciled when we understand that a concubine was considered in Abraham’s day to be a “second-class wife,” acquired without payment of bride-money and possessing fewer legal rights.

In the Old Testament period, a concubine was a legal wife but one of secondary rank and she could be sent away with a small gift.

Therefore, the children of a concubine did not have the same legal rights as the wife and so the inheritance would go to the child of the wife rather than the concubine.

Some Bible commentators believe that Abraham married Keturah and had these six boys by her while Sarah was still alive and before he had Isaac and they cite the advanced age of Abraham to substantiate their argument.

But if you recall, God rejuvenated Abraham so that he could procreate with Sarah and it appears that Abraham became prolific as a result of this demonstration of divine power on his behalf.

Those who believe Abraham couldn’t have fathered these children with Keturah after the death of Sarah cite Romans 4:19 as evidence of this.

Romans 4:19, “Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb.”

But Romans 4:19 was written before the Lord gave him and Sarah the ability to procreate and therefore records Abraham’s attitude prior to having Isaac.

Therefore, these commentators believe that the Lord gave Abraham the ability to procreate at a hundred years of age for the sole purpose of fulfilling His promise to Abraham that he and Sarah would have a child in their advanced age.

But this ignores the Lord’s promises in Genesis 17:5-6 that Abraham would be a “father of a multitude of nations,” which resulted in the change of his name by God to “Abraham.”

Genesis 17:4, “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations.”

Genesis 17:5, “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.”

Therefore, we see that the Lord gave Abraham the ability to procreate after a hundred years of age not only so that he could have Isaac but also so that he could truly become the father of a multitude of nations.

Not only was Abraham the father of the nations that originated with his six sons through Keturah but also he was the father of the nations that originated with Ishmael whom he had with Hagar (Gen. 17:20; 21:13; 25:12-18).

Genesis 25:7 records that Abraham was one hundred and seventy-five years old when he died and Genesis 23:1 records that Sarah was one hundred and twenty seven years old when she died, thus making Abraham one hundred thirty seven years old when Sarah died since Genesis 17:17 records that Sarah was ten years younger than Abraham.

Therefore, if we do the math we can see that since Abraham was one hundred seventy when he died and one hundred thirty seven years of age when Sarah died that this would have given him thirty seven years to produce these six boys with Keturah.

Furthermore, the waw-consecutive beginning Genesis 25:1 indicates that the events recorded in Genesis 25 “follow” the events recorded in Genesis 23-24, namely, the death of Sarah in Genesis 23 and the marriage of Rebekah and Isaac in Genesis 24.

Also, the verb laqach (jq^l), “took” and the verb yasaph ([s^y), “to add” and is translated “another” indicates that Abraham “took an additional” wife after the death of Sarah.

Also, another reason why Abraham would not have had another concubine in addition to Hagar while Sarah was alive was that it is clear from Sarah’s attitude toward Hagar and Ishmael that she would not have tolerated another concubine and furthermore, it appears that Abraham was monogamous.

Genesis 25:2, “She bore to him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah.”

Genesis 25:2 records that Abraham and Keturah had six sons who became ancestors of tribes that lived in the area east of the Dead Sea and in Arabia.

The oldest son of Abraham and Keturah is “Zimran” (/r*m+w!) (zim-rawn) whose name means, “wild sheep” or “wild goat.”

We are not sure of the location where Zimran and his descendants settled but Pliny mentions an Arabian tribe called “Zamareni” (Natural History 6.32.158), while Ptolemaeus (6, 7, 5) mentions a town near Mecca called “Zambran.”

The second of the six sons of Keturah was “Jokshan” (/vq+y) (yok-shawn) whose name means, “snarer” and who is identified primarily by his two sons Sheba and Dedan.

The third son of Abraham and Keturah was “Medan” (/d*m+) (med-awn) whose name means, “contention” and whose descendants shipped spices from Gilead to Egypt (Gen. 37:36) and are grouped along with the Ishmaelites (Gen. 37:25) and the Midianites (Gen. 37:28) in this trade.

The fourth son is “Midian” (/y*d+m!) (Hebrew: midhyan pronounced mid-yawn) whose name means, “strife” and whose descendants were a well-known Arabian tribe east of the Gulf of Aqabah and the Red Sea.

They traded in gold and incense according to Isaiah 60:6, Genesis 37:25, 28, and did this from Moab to Sinai and Ephah according to Numbers 22:4, 7, Judges 6-8.

The first wife of Moses, Zipporah was a Midianite and her brother Hobab guided Israel through the steppe of Sinai (Num. 10:29-32) and later, Midianites in association with the Moabites fought Israel (Num. 25; 31:1-12) and Gideon drove them out of Israel (Judges 7-8).

The fifth son is “Ishbak” (qB*v+y!) (Hebrew: yishbaq pronounced yish-bawk) whose name means, “he releases” and whose descendants are identified as “Iasbuq” in a monolith inscription of Shalmaneser III (858-824 B.C.) indicating that his descendants settled in northern Syria.

The sixth and final son of Abraham and Keturah is “Shuah” (jWv) (Hebrew: shuach pronounced shoo-akh) whose name means, “wealth” and whose descendants settled on the middle Euphrates between Babylon and Mari.

Genesis 25:3, “Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim.”

The first son of Jokshan and first grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Sheba” (ab*v+) (Hebrew: sheva pronounced she-vaw) whose name means, “seven” or “oath” and whose descendants settled in the southwestern portion of the Arabian Peninsula.

The land of Sheba was known for its gold according to Psalm 72:15 as well as incense and calamus according to Isaiah 60:6 and Jeremiah 6:20.

The second son of Jokshan and second grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Dedan” (/d*D+) (Hebrew: dedhan pronounced ded-awn) whose name means, “low country” and whose descendants settled in northwest Arabia and were famous for their role in the caravan trade (Isa. 21:13; Ezek. 27:20).

The “Sheba” and “Dedan” mentioned in Genesis 10:7 are not the same “Sheba” and “Dedan” of Genesis 25:3 since the father of the former was “Raamah.”

The sons of Raamah of Genesis 10:7 were evidently famous since Jokshan names his two boys after them.

The names “Asshurim, Letushim” and “Leummim” are all in the plural indicating that they are not personal names but rather that they are the descendants of the men they are named after.

The first son of Dedan and grandson of Jokshan and great grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Asshuri” (Hebrew: `ashshuri pronounced ash-shoo-ree) whose descendants are called here “Asshurim” (syr!WVa^) (Hebrew: `ashshurim pronounced ash-shoo-reem) and whose name means, “steps.”

The “Asshurim” settled near Egypt and were known from South Arabian inscriptions.

The second son of Dedan and grandson of Jokshan and great grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Letushi” (let-oo-shee) whose name means “craftsman” and whose descendants are identified in Genesis 25:3 as the “Letushim” (syv!Wfl+) (Hebrew: letushim pronounced let-oo-sheem) and who settled in Arabia.

The third son of Dedan and grandson of Jokshan and great grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Lehummi” (leh-oom-mee) whose descendants are identified here as the “Leummim” (syM!a|l+) (Hebrew: leummim pronounced leh-oom-meem), the name means, “people” and they settled somewhere in Arabia.

Genesis 25:4, “The sons of Midian were Ephah and Epher and Hanoch and Abida and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.”

The first son of Midian and grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Ephah” (hp*yu@) (Hebrew: `ephah pronounced ay-faw) whose name means, “gloomy” and whose descendants are identified in Assyrian inscriptions as the “Haiappa.”

The “Annals of Sargon” (721-705 B.C.E.) list the “Haiappa” together with other Arab tribes whose lived in the region of the Red Sea coast.

The second son of Midian and grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Epher” (rp#u@) (Hebrew: `epher pronounced ay-fer) whose name means, “young gazelle.”

The location of where “Epher” and his descendants settled has not been identified as of yet.

The third son of Midian and grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Hanoch” (En^j*) (Hebrew: chanokh pronounced khan-oke) whose name means, “dedicated.”

The location of where “Hanoch” and his descendants settled has not been unidentified as of yet.

The fourth son of Midian and grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Abida” (ud*yb!a() (Hebrew: `avidha pronounced a-vee-daw) whose name means, “my father knows.”

We know nothing about “Abida” and his descendants and where they settled at this particular time.

The fifth and final son of Midian and who was a grandson of Abraham and Keturah was “Eldaah” (huDl+a#) (Hebrew: `eld`ah pronounced el-daw-aw) whose name means, “God has known.”

Like “Epher” “Hanoch” “Abida,” “Eldaah” is unattested.

The repetition of Keturah’s name frames the genealogy.

Genesis 25:5-6, “Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, but to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east.”

Genesis 25:5-6 records Abraham making Isaac his sole heir.

Ordinarily Isaac would only be entitled to a double portion of the inheritance, with the rest divided up among the other sons of Abraham.

But since the Lord commanded Abraham that Isaac would be the one to carry on the line of the human nature of Jesus Christ, Isaac inherited everything owned by Abraham after he died.

Therefore, just as Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away so Abraham sent away these sons through Keturah and away from Isaac to the land east of the Canaan, that is, Arabia.

Even though he sent them away, Abraham still took care of them and gave them gifts, which would serve as their inheritance.

Sons of a full wife like Isaac could expect a definite share of the inheritance but sons of a concubine were dependent upon their father’s graciousness.

Abraham was not legally required to give these boys a gift but he did so out of the goodness of his heart.

The gifts to the sons of Keturah were not only a gesture of generosity but also designed to secure the goodwill of Keturah’s sons toward Isaac or in compensation for their surrender of future claims.

“Concubine” is the Hebrew word pileghesh (vg#l#P!) (Hebrew: pileghesh pronounced: pee-leh-ghesh) and is in the plural indicating that Abraham not only gave gifts to the six sons that he had with Keturah but he also took care of Ishmael whom he had with Hagar.