Abraham Marries Keturah
Genesis 25 records the deaths of both Abraham and Ishmael, as well as the births of Jacob and Esau, and the purchase of the most expensive bowl of stew in history.
First, though, we learn about Abraham’s “other wife” Keturah. Scholars are divided about whether Abraham married Keturah before or after Sarah’s death.
She is listed elsewhere in the Bible as a concubine. Abraham’s sons through Keturah (a concubine, 1 Chr. 1:32). Verse 6 seems to confirm this.
Thus she was a lesser wife of lower status than Sarah, one who did not enjoy the full privileges of a wife in the home, became the progenitors of various Arab tribes to the east of Canaan. Once again God records marital irregularities that He never approved.
Genesis 25:1-4 KJV
[1] Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
[2] And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
[3] And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
[4] And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
Genesis 25:1 KJV
Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
Bible interpreters disagree about when Abraham married Keturah, his “other wife.” Does the text mention this marriage here because it came after Sarah’s death, as has been traditionally understood?
This is possible, but ancient literature was not written in the same chronological sense as modern history. The other, more likely possibility is that Abraham married Keturah before Sarah died.
All the days, even of the best and greatest saints, are not remarkable days; some slide on silently; such were these last days of Abraham.
Now he has quite a family. He had his biggest family after the death of Sarah. Somebody will raise the question, “I thought that at the time of the birth of Isaac Abraham was dead as far as his capability of bringing a child into the world.” Granted, he was.
But when God does something, He really does it. This is the reason I believe that anything God does bears His signature. Right here we see that this man Abraham was not only able to bring Isaac into the world, but he now brings in this great family of children.
Given that Abraham had six children with Keturah, it seems more likely that theirs was an ongoing relationship, not one which did not even start until Abraham was nearly 140 years old (Genesis 23:1–2; 17:17).
The text is not clear as to which of these two options is the truth. In 1 Chronicles 1:32, Keturah is described as Abraham’s concubine. In any case, the following verses will reveal that Abraham had six sons with Keturah.
None of them were included in the covenant promises given by God to Abraham and then Isaac.
Genesis 25:2 KJV
And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
God had promised to make Abraham the father of many nations (Genesis 17:4). He will clearly become the father of Israel through Isaac and his descendants.
Abraham also fathered several nations and tribes through Ishmael, his son by Sarah’s servant Hagar (Genesis 25:13–16).
This verse reveals six more sons, all by Abraham’s wife Keturah: Zimram, whose people may have settled in Arabia, Jokshan, Medan, Midian—whose descendants become traders in the deserts around Israel; Moses’s wife will be a Midianite—as well as Ishbak, namesake of a town in northern Syria, and Shuah, the name of a town near Babylon.
Clearly God kept his promise to make many nations from His much-blessed servant Abraham, as the following verses will continue to reveal. Here is an account of Abraham’s children by Keturah, and the disposition which he made of his estate.
The interesting thing that we have before us here is the mention of Medan and Midian. The other boys will have nations come from them also, but I can’t identify them. I’m not interested in them because they do not cross our pathway in Scripture, but Midian does.
We will find later that Moses will go down into the land of Midian and take a wife from there. Remember that the Midianites are in the line of Abraham and so are the Medanites.
So we find here the fact that there are other sons of Abraham, but the Lord has said it is through Isaac that Abraham’s seed is called—not through any of these other sons. It is not through Ishmael, nor through Midian, nor Medan.
All of these were nomads of the desert.
Genesis 25:3 KJV
And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
This verse continues to describe Abraham’s descendants with his wife Keturah. Interpreters are split over whether this marriage occurred before or after the death of Abraham’s first wife, Sarah (Genesis 23:1).
Given Abraham’s advanced age at the time of Sarah’s death, it seems more likely that he’d fathered children with Keturah before Sarah had passed away. Jokshan, the son of Abraham and Keturah, fathered Sheba and Dedan.
Dedan fathered Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. The fact that their names are included in this list may indicate that their peoples became known in the region, though little is known about them now.
Though these descendants came from Abraham, it’s important to remember that all of Abraham’s great wealth and, more importantly, God’s blessing and the covenant promises, were handed down to Isaac, his son with Sarah (Genesis 25:5).
Genesis 25:4 KJV
And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
This verse lists the sons of Midian, one of Abraham’s six sons with Keturah. According to this chapter, Abraham had married Keturah, but Scripture does not specify whether they were married before or after the death of Sarah (Genesis 23:1–2).
The Midianites became a well-known people group and played a role in the history of Israel. Apparently occupying the deserts around Israel, Midianite traders would later sell Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt (Genesis 37:36).
Moses would marry Zipporah, the daughter of a Midianite man named Reuel (Exodus 2:20–21), also known as Jethro (Exodus 18:1–4). Unfortunately, the Midianites would eventually become another of Israel’s enemies in the region.
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