Verses 1-6
Abraham’s sons by Keturah 25:1-6
Keturah (lit. enveloped in fragrant smoke) may have been a concubine like Hagar (Genesis 25:6; 1 Chronicles 1:32). Jewish tradition identified Keturah as Hagar. [Note: Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Targum Neofiti I (margin), and Genesis Rabbah 61:4.] It is not possible to prove that Abraham married Keturah and that she bore him six sons after Sarah’s death, though this was probably the case. He may have married her earlier in his life while Sarah was alive.
The information revealed in these verses may appear at this point in the narrative simply to introduce the Midianites who come into prominence later in Genesis. They were a group of tribes that inhabited the deserts surrounding Israel. Probably Moses also included this data because this passage confirms God’s faithfulness in giving Abraham many descendants, though Isaac and his branch of the family would be the recipients of God’s special blessings.
In this section and the following two (Genesis 25:7-19) those characters who play minor parts in the drama take their curtain calls making way for the chief actors who follow.
God’s promise that "through Isaac your descendants shall be named" (Genesis 21:12) led Abraham to act as he did, as Moses recorded here.
"The land of the East" (Genesis 25:6) to which Abraham sent his sons other than Isaac was evidently Arabia. It lay to the east and south of Canaan.
"In this case the sending away of the sons is to make Isaac’s position more secure." [Note: Loren Fisher, "An Amarna Age Prodigal," Journal of Semitic Studies 3:2 (April 1958):119.]
Be the first to react on this!
