Abraham and Keturah
Though Abraham had sons by another wife, he...
Though Abraham had sons by another wife, he safeguarded Isaac’s inheritance and blessing.
1Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah,
The birth of these nations from Abraham partially...
The birth of these nations from Abraham partially fulfilled God’s promise to him (12:2; 17:4).
2and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
3Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites, and the Leummites.
4The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
Abraham loved all his sons, so before he...
Abraham loved all his sons, so before he died, he gave them gifts and sent them away as he had sent Ishmael (21:8–14). In this way, he preserved Isaac’s position as his heir.
5Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
The Death of Abraham
Abraham’s death is recorded before the births of...
Abraham’s death is recorded before the births of Jacob and Esau, but he lived until they were fifteen years old (25:19–26; cp. 21:5; 25:26). This literary arrangement closes Abraham’s story before focusing on Isaac’s family.
7Abraham lived a total of 175 years. 8And at a ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and contented, and was gathered to his people.
9His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite. 10This was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.
11After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.
The Descendants of Ishmael
This record lists Ishmael’s descendants before tracing Isaac’s...
This record lists Ishmael’s descendants before tracing Isaac’s (25:19–35:29), which is in keeping with the literary arrangement of Genesis (see Genesis Book Introduction, “Summary”).
12This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. 13These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were their names by their villages and encampments—twelve princes of their tribes. 17Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.
18Ishmael’s descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which is near the border of Egypt as you go toward Asshur.† And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
Jacob and Esau
(Malachi 1:1–5; Romans 9:6–29)
Isaac... married Rebekah: Isaac’s marriage tied him and...
Isaac . . . married Rebekah: Isaac’s marriage tied him and his family even more closely to Abraham’s ancestors. Had he married a Canaanite, the covenant faith would have been imperiled by this corrupt, syncretistic people.
Jacob’s struggle for supremacy began before the twins...
Jacob’s struggle for supremacy began before the twins were born (see Hos 12:3).
This account of the family of Isaac, the...
This account of the family of Isaac, the chosen son of Abraham, mostly recounts Jacob’s struggle for the blessing (25:27–34; chs 27–33).
19This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram† and the sister of Laban the Aramean.
21Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
22But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So Rebekah went to inquire of the LORD, 23and He declared 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 twins were born, the unusual circumstances...
When the twins were born, the unusual circumstances inspired each boy’s name and hinted at what would happen to them in the future.
24When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. 25The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau.† 26After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.† And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born.
Jacob and Esau each developed in accord with...
Jacob and Esau each developed in accord with his initial characteristics (25:24–26). Esau, the reddish, hairy man, cared about physical things rather than spiritual things (see Heb 12:16); he was finally overcome by physical appetites and sold his birthright. Jacob, the heel grabber, knew the birthright’s value and drove a ruthless bargain to gain it presumptuously from his brother.
27When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home. 28Because Isaac had a taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Esau Sells His Birthright
29One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished. 30He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also called Edom.)†
Jacob was the better hunter on this occasion,...
Jacob was the better hunter on this occasion, but great danger lay in exercising such strong ambition. God’s people should desire the things of God, but they must not seek them in the flesh (see Zech 4:6; Gal 5:16–17; Eph 6:10–12). The Lord dealt severely with Jacob to purge him of carnal methods. He later received the promise not as crafty Jacob the usurper, but as Israel (meaning, “God fights”), with God fighting on his behalf (Gen 32:28).
31“First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.
32“Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?”
Esau eagerly took Jacob’s bait and fell into...
Esau eagerly took Jacob’s bait and fell into the trap. He ate and left too quickly to have been near death (25:32). The final comment on the passage explains that Esau showed contempt for his birthright, considering it worthless (Heb 12:16). It is foolish to sacrifice spiritual blessings to satisfy physical appetites (cp. Gen 3:6).
33“Swear to me first,” Jacob said.
So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright. 34Then Jacob gave some bread and lentil stew to Esau, who ate and drank and then got up and went away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.