Genesis chapter 25

Abraham marries Keturah. The death of Abraham. Ishmael’s descendents. The births of Esau and Jacob. Esau sells his birthright.

 


 

ABRAHAM MARRIES KETURAH

 

VERSE 1. Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah.

Abraham took another wife. This is Abraham’s third wife.

Sarah had already passed away and Abraham had already mourned her.

her name was Keturah. She was a very young woman of child-bearing age. She was a Median.

The Old Testament foresees Gentiles coming to faith in the One God of Israel and bringing gifts to Jerusalem. Here are the key Bible verses about this »

Abraham and Keturah will have children. One will be named Midian, who is the progenitor of the Mideanites.

 

VERSE 2. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

 

VERSE 3. Jokshan became the father of Sheba, and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

 

VERSE 4. The sons of Midian were Efah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

 

VERSE 5. Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac,

 

VERSE 6. but Abraham gave gifts to the sons of Abraham’s concubines. While he still lived, he sent them away from Isaac his son, eastward, to the east country.

Abraham loved all these boys; he gave them gifts. But they and their descendants may possibly have posed a threat to Isaac.

So Abraham sent them away as he had done with Ishmael. He sent them East, thus preserving Isaac’s primacy and his right as Abraham’s heir.

 

THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM

 

VERSE 7. These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred seventy-five years.

Abraham lived 175 years.

 

VERSE 8. Abraham gave up his spirit, and died at a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

 

VERSE 9. Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is near Mamre,

buried him in the cave of Machpelah. This is the cave where Sarah was buried.

The Bible devoted 17 verses to the burial of Sarah. It devotes a scant three verses to the burial of Abraham.

 

VERSE 10. the field which Abraham purchased from the children of Heth. Abraham was buried there with Sarah, his wife.

 

VERSE 11. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac, his son. Isaac lived by Beer Lahai Roi.

Beer Lahai Roi. This was a place where the LORD God was known to respond:

  • The LORD God had heard Hagar there and had delivered her (16:14).
  • And Isaac meditated there when waiting for his future wife (24:62).

Thus Isaac lived at a special place, a place where God had answered prayer.

 

ISHMAEL’S DESCENDANTS

 

VERSE 12. Now this is the history of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.

 

VERSE 13. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to the order of their birth: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

the sons of Ishmael. Ishmael had twelve sons.

 

VERSE 14. Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

 

VERSE 15. Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

 

VERSE 16. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments: twelve princes, according to their nations.

 

VERSE 17. These are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred thirty-seven years. He gave up his spirit and died, and was gathered to his people.

 

VERSE 18. They lived from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He lived opposite all his relatives.

 

THE BIRTHS OF ESAU AND JACOB

 

VERSE 19. This is the history of the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham became the father of Isaac.

 

VERSE 20. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian, to be his wife.

Rebekah. She was Isaac’s cousin. And his wife.

 

VERSE 21. Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. The LORD was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

Isaac prayed, and the LORD God responded!

 

VERSE 22. The children struggled together within her. She said, “If it is like this, why do I live?” She went to inquire of the LORD.

 

VERSE 23. The LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb. Two peoples will be separated from your body. The one people will be stronger than the other people. The elder will serve the younger.”

 

VERSE 24. When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

 

VERSE 25. The first came out red all over, like a hairy garment. They named him Esau.

red all over. The mention of “red” anticipated the future rugged nature of Esau.

 

VERSE 26. After that, his brother came out, and his hand had hold on Esau’s heel. He was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

his hand had hold on Esau’s heel. The name Jacob (yaaqov, meaning “may He [God] protect”) sounds like the noun “heel” (aqeiv).

 

EASAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT

 

VERSE 27. The boys grew. Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field. Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents.

 

VERSE 28. Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ate his venison. Rebekah loved Jacob.

Isaac loved Esau, because he ate his venison. Perhaps Isaac was ruled by his belly.

 

VERSE 29. Jacob boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.

 

VERSE 30. Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with some of that red stew, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom.

Edom. This word means “red.”

 

VERSE 31. Jacob said, “First, sell me your birthright.”

 

VERSE 32. Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me?”

Behold, I am about to die. What good is the birthright to me? One meal is such a trivial thing for Esau to sell his birthright for.

Maybe Esau could not see the consequences of his actions.

Hebrews 12:16. lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal.

 

VERSE 33. Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” He swore to him. He sold his birthright to Jacob.

 

VERSE 34. Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate and drank, rose up, and went his way. So Esau despised his birthright.

 


next chapter »

« previous chapter


GENESIS

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 4950

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.