Genesis 25:5-8

"And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But unto the sons of the concubines, that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts; and he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, a hundred threescore and fifteen years. And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, and full of years, and was gathered to his people."

"All that he had unto Isaac ..." In all things of importance, Isaac was the sole heir of Abraham, and Abraham did not wait and leave that inheritance in the form of a bequest, but he transferred the total wealth of his estate to Isaac while he was still living. The gifts to the sons of the concubines were a gesture of good will, as well as some small measure of justice to those in his family of inferior standing.

"The sons of the concubines ..." The word "concubines" (plural) here is of very great importance; and we should not permit "interpreters" to change it. Kline suggested that, "Perhaps the plural is abstract, `concubinage'."[5] Speiser tells us that the text here is literally, "the sons that Abraham had by concubines,"[6] but he then denied that plural should be allowed on the basis that, "only one concubine is mentioned in this context, unless Hagar is included."[7] Such views are in error. A plurality of concubines is the required meaning of the plural here, and we cannot believe that either Keturah or Hagar is included. Right here is the explanation of those 318 men "born in Abraham's house" (Genesis 14:14) who went to war with him in the rescue of the King of Sodom. Both comments cited here are nothing but ingenious denials that the sacred author used the correct word. Of course, he did. Thus it appears that Abraham had three classes of children:

1. The highest class was composed of Isaac, the head of the Messianic line after Abraham.
   
2. This second class was made up of the sons of secondary wives such as Hagar was and as we believe Keturah to have been. The singling out of Hagar for so much more attention was due to her having been the personal maid of Sarah through whom Abraham and Sarah had sought to produce the promised seed.
   
3. Then there were the sons of an undetermined number of concubines, unknown, unnamed, and disposed of finally by parting gifts when Abraham sent them away. Any full understanding of the life of Abraham requires recognition of these three classes and their differentiation.
   

"Abraham gave up the ghost ..." This quaint expression simply means that, "he died." The expression entered our versions "from the Genevan Bible."[8] This was the Bible published in 1560 and known popularly as the "Breeches Bible," due to the rendition of Genesis 3:7.[9] From that date until after 1660, the English word "ghost" meant exactly the same thing as the word "spirit" later came to mean, the two words, in fact exchanging their denotations, hence the confusion regarding Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit. Thus, this means exactly what was indicated by the words of Jesus who said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46).

"And was gathered to his people ..." The normal expression for this thought is, "gathered to his fathers"; but since Abraham's burial was not with his fathers, but with his posterity, the Holy Spirit used a different expression here. However, even more is meant than merely being buried where they were interred. As Keil expressed it:

"This phrase is constantly distinguished from departing this life and being buried. It denotes the reunion in Sheol with friends who have gone before, and therefore presupposes faith in the personal continuance of a man after death.[10] Unger pointed out this expression is used of only six persons: Abraham (Genesis 25:8); Ishmael (Genesis 25:18); Isaac (Genesis 35:29); Jacob (Genesis 49:29-33); Aaron (Numbers 20:24); and Moses (Deuteronomy 32:50)."[11]

Abraham's death at age 175 years means that he lived until Jacob and Esau were about fifteen. That so little appears in Genesis concerning the intervening years between the marriage of Isaac and the death of Abraham, derives from the changed focus of the narrative, which is primarily that of the history of the promised Messiah and the line through whom he was delivered. Thus, Abraham here fades out of the picture, and Isaac and Jacob take center stage. Except for the few references here, nothing is known of the last thirty-five years of Abraham's life. (See Genesis 25:22).