Young Isaac has a wife. Now we transition from the story of Abraham to the story of Isaac.
Genesis 25:1-4, Abraham's other wife
Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
We now are told that Abraham had another wife (the word translated "took" in verse 1 could also be translated "had taken".) We are quickly caught up on this other lineage. From the point of view of the Genesis author, these other lines are not important; the story concentrates on Isaac and Jacob.
We now are told that Abraham had another wife (the word translated "took" in verse 1 could also be translated "had taken".) We are quickly caught up on this other lineage. From the point of view of the Genesis author, these other lines are not important; the story concentrates on Isaac and Jacob.
Genesis 25:5-11, Death of Abraham
Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.
After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.
After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
In addition to Keturah, there may have been other women, described as concubines. The Keturah/concubine line(s) were not nearly as important as that of Isaac. The author gives a quick summary of those lines, including assurances that Abraham passed on appropriate gifts to these children. Abraham, after living to age 175 (?!!), dies and is "gathered to his people" and is buried in the same place as Sarah.
Genesis 25:12-18, Ishmael
This is the account of Abraham's son Ishmael, whom Sarah's maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.
Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and
According to the NIV footnotes, the translation "lived in hostility toward" could be "lived to the east of".
This is the account of Abraham's son Ishmael, whom Sarah's maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.
Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and
he was gathered to his people. His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
Another lineage from Abraham is that of Ishmael. The passage, and the next, alert us to important genealogies with the Hebrew word toledoth (תּוֹלְדָה). Sometimes translated "generations" and by the NIV translated "account", the word alerts us to a significant genealogical line. In this paragraph, as a brief tangent, the Israelite readers are told of the tribes that descend from Ishmael. In the next paragraph the readers are led back along the important line of Isaac.
Another lineage from Abraham is that of Ishmael. The passage, and the next, alert us to important genealogies with the Hebrew word toledoth (תּוֹלְדָה). Sometimes translated "generations" and by the NIV translated "account", the word alerts us to a significant genealogical line. In this paragraph, as a brief tangent, the Israelite readers are told of the tribes that descend from Ishmael. In the next paragraph the readers are led back along the important line of Isaac.
According to the NIV footnotes, the translation "lived in hostility toward" could be "lived to the east of".
Genesis 25:19-26, Birth of the twins, Jacob and Esau
Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, "Why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD.
The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."
When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.
Paddan Aram is upper Mesopotamia, about 550 miles north-northeast of Jerusalem.
The Hebrew word sear (שֵׂעָר) means "hairy"; this is close to the name Esav (עֵשָׂו), which adds a prefix. Esau will also be called Edom (אֱדֹם), a variant of adom (אֱדֹם), which means "red". The descendants of Esau are thus called Edomites We will meet them throughout our Old Testament study.
The writer of Genesis moves us quickly from Abraham to his important grandson Jacob. Jacob means "he grasps the heel" which has the connotation of tripping people up, of deceiving them. From birth Jacob will be marked by his willingness to be sneaky and deceptive, and by the fact that he is not the first born. The first such episode follows immediately....
Genesis 25:27-34, Esau sells his birthright
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!" (That is why he was also called Edom.)
Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."
"Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"
But Jacob said, "Swear to me first."
So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.
Jacob takes advantage of Esau's hunger and impetuousness. (No, Esau is not about to die!) Esau does not understand what he has done. Both Jacob's scheming and his concerns about his birthright are front and center in this story.
Alter uses this passage as an example of the vividness of the Hebrew text. He translates Esau's statement as
"Let me gulp down some of this red red stuff".
The Hebrew word Alter translates as "gulp" is an unusual one for eating, a word that in the Talmud is usually reserved for stuffing food in the mouth of an animal (Alter, p. xxxi.) The phrase translated "red red" carries the same hurried image. The sudden colloquialism conveys (says Alter) that Esau is crude and impatient.
Some Hebrew vocabulary
Our Hebrew word for the day is ishshah,
אִשָּׁה
a feminine noun meaning woman or wife.
Some Random Thoughts
We are told that Abraham is "gathered to his people". This fits the ANE image of the dead being gathered into Sheol, the shadowy land of the dead. In Genesis 37:35, upon being (falsely) told that his son Joseph, is dead, Jacob states that he will grieve his son until he joins his son in Sheol. In 2 Samuel 12:22-23, upon hearing of the death of his infant son, King David says that he will some day join his son. None of this is a robust statement about an afterlife but, most likely, reflects the ANE belief in the commonality of the grave.
First published Jan 30, 2023; updated Jan 29, 2026
No comments:
Post a Comment