INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 25 This chapter contains an account of Abraham's marriage with another woman, and of the children he had by her and of their posterity Genesis 25:1; of Abraham's disposal of his substance; and his sons, Genesis 25:5; of the years of his life, his death and burial, Genesis... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN AGAIN ABRAHAM TOOK A WIFE,.... Three years after the death of Sarah, and when his son Isaac was married, and he alone, and now one hundred and forty years of age: AND HER NAME [WAS] KETURAH; who she was, or of what family, is not said. An Arabic writer z says she was a daughter of the king of... [ Continue Reading ]
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 wa... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JOKSHAN BEGAT SHEBA AND DEDAN,.... Bochart o is of opinion, that the posterity of this Sheba are the same with the Sabeans who inhabited at the entrance of Arabia Felix, not far from the Nabathaeans; and who, by Strabo p, are mentioned together as near to Syria, and used to make excursions on th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE SONS OF MIDIAN,.... The fourth son of Abraham by Keturah; he had five sons next mentioned, who were heads of so many tribes or families in Midian: hence we read of five kings of Midian; Numbers 31:8; their names follow, EPHAH, AND EPHER, AND HANOCH, AND ABIDAH, AND ELDAAH: the two first of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ABRAHAM GAVE ALL THAT HE HAD UNTO ISAAC. By his last will and testament; not all out of his own hand, while he lived, at least he reserved somewhat for himself, and for gifts to his other children; so his servant declared to the parents and friends of Rebekah, Genesis 24:35; wherefore some rende... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT UNTO THE SONS OF THE CONCUBINES WHICH ABRAHAM HAD,.... These were Hagar and Keturah, though they are both called his wives, Genesis 16:3; yet they were concubines; so Keturah, 1 Chronicles 1:32; they were, as some render the word, "concubine wives" e; they were half wives or secondary ones: the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THESE [ARE] THE DAYS OF THE YEARS OF ABRAHAM'S LIFE, WHICH HE LIVED,.... Being about to die, an account is given of his age, which was AN HUNDRED THREESCORE AND FIFTEEN YEARS; one hundred and seventy years; so that Isaac was now seventy five years of age, for he was born when Abraham was an hun... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ABRAHAM GAVE UP THE GHOST,.... Very readily and cheerfully, without any previous sickness or present pain, but through the decay of nature by reason of old age, in a very easy quiet manner: AND DIED IN A GOOD OLD AGE, AN OLD MAN; for quantity, in those times few arriving to a greater; for qual... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HIS SONS ISAAC AND ISHMAEL BURIED HIM IN THE CAVE OF MACHPELAH,.... Isaac, though the younger brother, is set first, because he was born of the lawful wife of Abraham, the free woman, whereas Ishmael was born of a concubine and a bondwoman; Isaac was heir not only to Abraham's temporal estate, b... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIELD WHICH ABRAHAM PURCHASED OF THE SONS OF HETH,.... Of one of them, Ephron, the rest being witnesses of it, Genesis 23:16; THERE WAS ABRAHAM BURIED, AND SARAH HIS WIFE; Sarah had been buried there thirty eight years before, which was the reason why his sons buried, him there; if he died in B... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS, AFTER THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM, THAT GOD BLESSED HIS SON ISAAC,.... Yet more and more, both with spiritual and temporal blessings; showing hereby, that, though Abraham was dead, he was not unmindful of his covenant, which should be established with Isaac, Genesis 17:19: AND ISAAC D... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THESE [ARE] THE GENERATIONS OF ISHMAEL, ABRAHAM'S SON,.... Or the genealogy of his posterity; and which is given to show that the Lord was not unmindful of his promise made to Abraham, concerning the multiplication of his seed, Genesis 16:10: WHOM HAGAR THE EGYPTIAN, SARAH'S HANDMAID, BARE UNTO... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THESE [ARE] THE NAMES OF THE SONS OF ISHMAEL,.... After mentioned: by their names, according to their generations; which were imposed upon them at their birth, and are recited according to the order in which they were born, as follows: THE FIRSTBORN OF ISHMAEL, NEBAJOTH: mentioned in Isaiah 60:... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MISHMA, AND DUMAH, AND MASSA. Of Mishma and Massa, and of their posterity, there is not anything said elsewhere, unless the Masani, Ptolemy p places near Arabia Felix, came from Massa. Dumah seems to be the same Isaiah speaks of in Genesis 21:11; and in Arabia Deserta, where some of Ishmael's po... [ Continue Reading ]
HADAR AND TEMA,.... From the first of these the city Adra in Arabia Petraea, and from the other the city Themma in Arabia Deserta, both mentioned by Ptolemy r, may be thought to have their names; or the city Adari and the Athritae in Arabia Felix s; and the inhabitants of the land of Tema are mentio... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE [ARE] THE SONS OF ISHMAEL,.... The twelve before mentioned, Genesis 25:13: THESE [ARE] THEIR NAMES, BY THEIR TOWNS AND BY THEIR CASTLES; their towns and their castles being called after their names, some of which we are able to trace at this distance, as the above notes show: TWELVE PRINCES... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THESE [ARE] THE YEARS OF THE LIFE OF ISHMAEL, AN HUNDRED AND THIRTY AND SEVEN YEARS,.... one hundred and thirty seven years old. So that he lived forty eight years after the death of Abraham, Genesis 25:8; and, though he did not live to be so old as he, yet it was a considerable age he attained... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY DWELT FROM HAVILAH UNTO SHUR,.... That is, the posterity of Ishmael, whose country reached from one place to the other; not from India to Chaluza, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem; but the extent is that vast desert of Arabia, which eastward was called the wilderness of Havilah, and... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THESE [ARE] THE GENERATIONS OF ISAAC, ABRAHAM'S SON,.... Moses, having given the genealogy of Ishmael and his posterity, returns to Isaac, the other son of Abraham, with whom and his children the following part of his history is chiefly, if not altogether concerned: ABRAHAM BEGAT ISAAC; for the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ISAAC WAS FORTY YEARS OLD WHEN HE TOOK REBEKAH TO WIFE,.... Which was three years after the death of his mother; Isaac was born when she was ninety, and therefore must be thirty seven when she died. The Jews say Rebekah was but fourteen, though it is highly probable she was older; who is describ... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ISAAC ENTREATED THE LORD FOR HIS WIFE,.... Was very earnest and constant in his supplications for her, as the word signifies, as is observed by Jarchi; or, "before his wife" a, she being present, and joining with him in his prayers: the reason was, BECAUSE SHE [WAS] BARREN; which appeared by th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE CHILDREN STRUGGLED TOGETHER WITHIN HER,.... When she was quick with child: this was some time before her delivery, and was not a common and ordinary motion felt by women in such circumstances, but an extraordinary one; the two children in her strove with each other, as if it was for mastery,... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO HER,.... Either by one or other of the above persons she acquainted with this affair, and entreated to seek the Lord for her; or by an impulse upon her own mind: TWO NATIONS [ARE] IN THY WOMB; or two persons, from whom two nations will spring, the Edomites and Israelites, the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HER DAYS TO BE DELIVERED WERE FULFILLED,.... The nine months were up from the time of her conception; or, as the Targum of Jonathan, when the two hundred and seventy days she went with child were completed: BEHOLD, [THERE WERE] TWINS IN HER WOMB; as was perceived by the midwife; a double m... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE FIRST CAME OUT RED,.... Either his body, or rather the hair it was covered with, red; which was a sign, as Jarchi observes, that he would be a shedder of blood, fierce and cruel as were he and his posterity: ALL OVER LIKE AN HAIRY GARMENT; his body was all over full of hair, which stood as... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AFTER THAT CAME HIS BROTHER OUT,.... Out of his mother's womb, either by his own strength, or by the help of the midwife: AND HIS HAND TOOK HOLD ON ESAU'S HEEL; to pluck him back and get out first; and this was not casual, but was so ordered in Providence, and had a meaning and mystery in it:... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE BOYS GREW,.... In stature, became strong and fit for business, and betook themselves to different employments: AND ESAU WAS A CUNNING HUNTER, A MAN OF THE FIELD: whose business lay in tilling and sowing it, which his father Isaac followed sometimes; or rather he chose to range about the fie... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ISAAC LOVED ESAU, BECAUSE HE DID EAT OF [HIS] VENISON,.... Better than Jacob, not only because he was his firstborn, but because he brought him of the flesh of creatures, which he took in hunting, and being dressed, were savoury food to him: it is in the original, "because venison (or what he hu... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JACOB SOD POTTAGE,.... Or boiled broth; this he did at a certain time, for this was not his usual employment; the Targum of Jonathan says, it was on the day in which Abraham died; and whereas this pottage was made of lentiles, as appears from Genesis 25:34; this the Jewish writers i say was the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ESAU SAID TO JACOB, FEED ME, I PRAY THEE, WITH THAT SAME RED [POTTAGE],.... Or, "with that same red l, red"; not knowing what it was, or what it was made of, and therefore only calls it by its colour; and the word being doubled, may denote that it was very red; or he, being in haste and greedy o... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JACOB SAID, SELL ME THIS DAY THY BIRTHRIGHT. Which had many privileges annexed to it, as honour and authority in the family next to parents; a double portion of inheritance; some say the exercise of priesthood, but that is questioned; the parental blessing, and especially in this the promises of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ESAU SAID, BEHOLD, I [AM] AT THE POINT TO DIE,.... Or, "going to die" y, going the way of all flesh; which he might say on account of the common frailty and mortality of man, and the brevity of life at most, or by reason of the danger of life he was always exposed to in hunting of wild beasts, a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JACOB SAID, SWEAR UNTO ME THIS DAY,.... For the more sure and certain confirmation of the bargain; and by this oath oblige himself to let him peaceably enjoy the birthright, nor seek to revoke it, or dispute it with him, or disturb him in the possession of it: AND HE SWARE UNTO HIM; that he wou... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN JACOB GAVE ESAU BREAD AND POTTAGE OF LENTILES,.... This shows what the pottage was made of, of which see Genesis 25:30; and that Jacob gave to Esau more than he asked and bargained for, bread as well as pottage; but neither of them until the bargain was made and swore to, and be had got the bir... [ Continue Reading ]