Genesis 25

Chapter context

What is happening in Genesis 25?

creationfallcovenantpromise

Genesis 25 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as the call and testing of Abraham. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. ² And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. ³ And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim. ⁴ And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. ⁵ And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. ⁶ But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. ⁷ And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. ⁸ Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. ⁹ And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; ¹⁰ The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife. ¹¹ And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi. ¹² Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham: ¹³ And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, ¹⁴ And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, ¹⁵ Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: ¹⁶ These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations. ¹⁷ And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. ¹⁸ And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren. ¹⁹ And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac: ²⁰ And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. ²¹ And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. ²² And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. ²³ And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. ²⁴ And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁵ And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. ²⁶ And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. ²⁷ And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. ²⁸ And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. ²⁹ And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. ³¹ And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. ³² And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? ³³ And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

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Glossary

Abraham Person v. 1, 5-6, 8, 10-12, 19: Father of a multitude, son of Terah, named ( Gen. 11:27 ) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises.
Keturah Person v. 1, 4: Incense, the wife of Abraham, whom he married probably after Sarah’s death ( Gen. 25:1-6 ), by whom he had six sons, whom he sent away into the east country. Her nationality is unknown.
Jokshan Person v. 2-3: Snarer, the second son of Abraham and Keturah ( Gen. 25:2 , 3; 1 Chr. 1:32 ).
Medan Person v. 2: Contention, the third son of Abraham by Keturah ( Gen. 25:2 ).
Isaac Person v. 5-6, 9, 11, 19-21, 26, 28: Laughter. (1) Israel, or the kingdom of the ten tribes ( Amos 7:9 , 16). (2. ) The only son of Abraham by Sarah. He was the longest lived of the three patriarchs ( Gen. 21:1-3 ).
East Place v. 6: (1. ) The orient (mizrah); the rising of the sun. Thus “the east country” is the country lying to the east of Syria, the Elymais ( Zech. 8:7 ). (2). Modern identification: Amman.
Machpelah Place v. 9: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Cave of the Patriarchs.
Mamre Place v. 9: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Ramat el Khalil.
Zohar Person v. 9: Brightness. (1. ) The father of Ephron the Hittite ( Gen. 23:8 ). (2. ) One of the sons of Simeon ( Gen. 46:10 ; Ex. 6:15 ).
Sarah Person v. 10: Princess, the wife and at the same time the half-sister of Abraham ( Gen. 11:29 ; 20:12 ). This name was given to her at the time that it was announced to Abraham that she should be the mother of the promised child.
Beer-lahai-roi Place v. 11: Biblical well. Modern identification: Ain Muweileh.
Negeb Place v. 11: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Beer Sheva.
Mibsam Person v. 13: Fragrance. (1. ) One of Ishmael’s twelve sons, and head of an Arab tribe ( Gen. 25:13 ). (2. ) A son of Simeon ( 1 Chr. 4:25 ).
Mishma People v. 14: Hearing. (1. ) One of the sons of Ishmael ( Gen. 25:14 ), and founder of an Arab tribe. (2. ) A Simeonite ( 1 Chr. 4:25 , 26).
Hadar Person v. 15: Adod, brave(? ). (1. ) A son of Ishmael ( Gen. 25:15 ); in 1 Chr. 1:30 written Hadad. (2. ) One of the Edomitish kings ( Gen. 36:39 ) about the time of Saul. Called also Hadad ( 1 Chr. 1:50 , 51).
Naphish Person v. 15: Refresher, one of the sons of Ishmael ( Gen. 25:15 ; 1 Chr. 1:31 ). He was the father of an Arab tribe.
Assyria Place v. 18: Biblical region. Modern identification: Nineveh.
Egypt Place v. 18: The land of the Nile and the pyramids, the oldest kingdom of which we have any record, holds a place of great significance in Scripture. Modern identification: Ain Shams.
Havilah Place v. 18: Biblical region. Modern identification: Arabian Peninsula.
Shur Place v. 18: An enclosure; a wall, a part, probably, of the Arabian desert, on the north-eastern border of Egypt, giving its name to a wilderness extending from Egypt toward Philistia ( Gen. 16:7 ; 20:1 ; 25:18 ; Ex. 15:22 ). Modern identification: Ar Ruwaysat.
Paddan-aram Place v. 20: A plain, occurring only in Gen. 48:7 , where it designates Padan-aram. Modern identification: Harran.
Rebekah Person v. 20-21, 28: A noose, the daughter of Bethuel, and the wife of Isaac ( Gen. 22:23 ; 24:67 ). The circumstances under which Abraham’s “steward” found her at the “city of Nahor,” in Padan-aram, are narrated in Gen. 24-27.