1Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah,
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.
Two Nations in One Womb
Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah, Genesis 25:1 · Berean Standard Bible
After Sarah's death, Abraham married a woman named Keturah and started a new family with her. This isn't presented as shameful or wrong—it's simply stated as fact.
Abraham is now in his later years, and this marriage happens after Isaac is already grown and has his own story unfolding. The Israelites listening to this would have understood that Abraham's life didn't end when Sarah died; he continued on, and God's promises to him didn't depend on just one wife or one son.
The Genesis narrator, recording Abraham's life and legacy
You're seeing how God's covenant with Abraham expanded beyond what anyone expected—not just through Isaac, but through multiple descendants who would become nations. This sets up why the genealogies matter so much in Scripture.
Abraham marries a woman named Keturah after Sarah's death, establishing a new family line in his advanced age.
The narrative shifts following Sarah's death (23:2) to document Abraham's remaining years and the disposition of his estate. The Hebraic term וַיֹּסֶף (wayyōsef, literally 'he added') suggests not merely remarriage but a deliberate continuation of his generative capacity—a theme central to the Abraham cycle. Ancient Near Eastern marriage practices permitted such unions, and the genealogical interest here signals the narrator's concern with tracing legitimate and illegitimate lines of descent.
The Elohistic narrator, continuing the J and E sources' treatment of Abraham's biography
This episode completes Abraham's earthly narrative arc, demonstrating his enduring vitality while simultaneously preparing for the transfer of covenant privilege to Isaac alone—a pattern established since the Hagar episodes (16, 21) that will structurally determine the entire patriarchal succession.
1Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah,
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.
Read all of Genesis 25 — Abraham dies. Isaac and Rebekah have twins who struggle before they're even born. The younger will carry the promise — and buy it for a bowl of stew.
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