Genesis 25:2
She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Genesis 25:2
She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
It's easy to overlook that the text lists six sons born to Abraham and Keturah, suggesting a potential tribal origin for various Arabian peoples. While Midian and his descendants become prominent figures, the inclusion of five other names points to a broader ancestral legacy for the region, many of whose descendants are traceable through ancient geography.
After Sarah's death, Abraham remarried Keturah, who bore him six sons. These sons and their descendants would eventually settle in lands to the east, distinct from Isaac's inheritance in Canaan, as Abraham sent them away during his lifetime to avoid conflict over Isaac's inheritance.
Abraham's story is often focused on Isaac, the son of promise. But what about the other children born to him later in life?
Genesis 25:2 introduces six sons born to Abraham and Keturah: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. These weren't just individuals; they became the progenitors of various peoples who settled in Arabia and surrounding regions. While Isaac carried the covenant lineage, these sons represent the expansion of Abraham's family and influence, showing God's faithfulness in blessing Abraham with numerous descendants, fulfilling His promise of making him a father of many nations in a broader sense.
Abraham was already very old when Keturah bore him these sons. How was this possible, and what does it tell us about God's power?
The birth of these six sons to Abraham, who was well over 100 years old, presents a remarkable aspect of God's intervention. Commentaries suggest two main ways to understand this:
Understand the original words
yalad · Hebrew Verb
To bring forth children; the act of giving birth, which in Scripture is often viewed as a divine blessing and the mechanism by which the covenantal promises and generational lines are fulfilled.
This verse introduces the sons of Keturah, Abraham's later wife. Their descendants would become distinct peoples, largely settling in Arabia, separate from the covenant lineage of Isaac but still part of Abraham's broader family.
c. 2000 BC
Abraham settles in Canaan
Abraham, called by God, leaves his homeland and settles in the land of Canaan, marking the beginning of the Israelite lineage.
c. 1900 BC
Birth of Ishmael
Abraham's first son, Ishmael, is born to Hagar, Sarah's maidservant. Ishmael becomes the father of many Arab tribes.
c. 1890 BC
Birth of Isaac
Abraham's promised son, Isaac, is born to Sarah, fulfilling God's covenant promise. Isaac is the direct ancestor of the Israelites.
c. 1850 BC— this verse
Abraham takes Keturah as wife
After Sarah's death, Abraham takes Keturah as his wife. This event occurs late in Abraham's life.
c. 1830 BC
This passage directly echoes Genesis 25:2, listing the same sons of Keturah and highlighting their role as descendants, reinforcing their lineage and historical significance.
Genesis 37:28This verse mentions the Midianites, who descended from Midian, one of Keturah's sons listed here. It shows the practical, historical impact of these descendants as traders, connecting the lineage to later biblical events.
Job 2:11This verse refers to Bildad the Shuhite, who is understood to be a descendant of Shuah, one of Abraham's sons by Keturah. This links the descendants of Abraham's later marriage to the wisdom literature and the story of Job.
Romans 9:12While not directly about Keturah's sons, this verse discusses the principle of God's sovereign choice in lineage (Jacob over Esau). This broader theme of God determining descendants and their destinies resonates with the lineage established through Abraham's various wives and concubines.
gillGenesis 25:2: "And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah."
And she bare him Zimran,.... That Keturah should bear children who probably, was a young woman, is not strange; but that Abraham, whose body forty years before this was dead should now have any bore to him, may seem difficult to account for, and only can be attributed to the fresh vigour his body was endued with at the generation of Isaac; and which still continued for the fulfilment of the promi…
clarkeGenesis 25:2: "And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah."
Zimran - Stephanus Byzantinus mentions a city in Arabia Felix called Zadram, which some suppose to have been named from this son of Keturah; but it is more likely, as Calmet observes, that all these sons of Abraham resided in Arabia Deserta; and Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. vi., c. 28, mentions a people in that country called Zamarenians, who were probably the descendants of this person. Jokshan - Sev…
It's easy to overlook that the text lists six sons born to Abraham and Keturah, suggesting a potential tribal origin for various Arabian peoples. While Midian and his descendants become prominent figures, the inclusion of five other names points to a broader ancestral legacy for the region, many of whose descendants are traceable through ancient geography.
After Sarah's death, Abraham remarried Keturah, who bore him six sons. These sons and their descendants would eventually settle in lands to the east, distinct from Isaac's inheritance in Canaan, as Abraham sent them away during his lifetime to avoid conflict over Isaac's inheritance.
After Sarah's death, Abraham remarried Keturah, who bore him six sons. These sons and their descendants would eventually settle in lands to the east, distinct from Isaac's inheritance in Canaan, as Abraham sent them away during his lifetime to avoid conflict over Isaac's inheritance.
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Regardless of the precise timing or mechanism, these births underscore that with God, nothing is impossible, and His promises are His ultimate agenda, often surpassing human understanding or natural capacity.
Abraham's death
Abraham dies at the age of 175, leaving his inheritance to Isaac and sending his other sons, including those by Keturah, eastward.
c. 1700-1400 BC
Descendants of Keturah settle in Arabia
The sons of Keturah and their descendants establish numerous tribes and settlements throughout Arabia, becoming distinct peoples.
"She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah." — It's easy to overlook that the text lists six sons born to Abraham and Keturah, suggesting a potential tribal origin for various Arabian peoples. While Midian and his descendants become prominent fig…