1 Chronicles 1 Keturah, Mother of Arabia

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
1 Chronicles 1:28 The sons of Abraham:

Isaac and Ishmael.

29 These were their descendants:

Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

32 The sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine:

Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah.

The sons of Jokshan:

Sheba and Dedan.

33 The sons of Midian:

Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah.

All these were descendants of Keturah.

34 Abraham was the father of Isaac.

The sons of Isaac:

Esau and Israel.

I got this from the easy English site.

Verses 28-34 Abraham had sons from three women. He had the first son Ishmael by Hagar. Hagar was not his wife. She was the servant of Sarah. Then he had Isaac by his wife Sarah. She was his principal wife. Abraham married a slave girl Keturah as a secondary wife. It was the custom to have a principal wife. People did not consider that a secondary wife had an equal rank with other wives. Keturah gave him 6 sons.[/URL]

The writer tells us about the children of Hagar and Keturah first. Then he gives the family of Isaac because he was the ancestor of Israel. Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Later the LORD gave to Jacob the new name of Israel (Genesis 32:28). The Chronicles always call him Israel (except in 1 Chronicles chapter 16).

The Jews came from Isaac. The Arab nations came from Ishmael and Keturah.

Most of the commentaries jump over Keturah right to her sons. So I went to a site called "got questions".

There has been some debate as to whether Keturah was Abraham’s wife or his concubine, since she is described as each in different places in Scripture. Genesis 25:1 says that Keturah was his wife; 1 Chronicles 1:32 calls her his concubine. Genesis 25:6 also implies that Keturah was a concubine. A concubine was a woman who willingly entered into a monogamous relationship with a man for the purposes of meeting his sexual needs or providing children for him (Hagar was considered a concubine of Abraham’s). The woman was often a slave or a single female without male protectors. A concubine did not have equal status as a wife, but, unlike a prostitute, she was provided for and considered the sole property of the man. Because Keturah was in a monogamous relationship with Abraham, she could properly be considered his “wife,” although she had a lesser rank than Sarah had enjoyed.

It could also be that Keturah had begun her relationship with Abraham as a concubine and was then promoted to official “wife status” after the death of Sarah. This would explain the differing biblical descriptions of her role. However, Keturah, the concubine-become-wife, is never referred to in Scripture with the same respect and honor that is given to Sarah as Abraham’s wife (1 Peter 3:6).

Keturah’s sons were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah (Genesis 25:1). The descendants of Midian (the Midianites) later become a big part of Israel’s history; in fact, Moses married a Midianite (Exodus 2:15–21). All Keturah’s sons received “gifts” from Abraham (Genesis 25:6), but none shared in the inheritance of Isaac. Keturah’s sons became the fathers of Arabian tribes living east of Israel.

Just like those men who wrote the Bible and just like those men who put the books of the Bible together.... to leave so little information about Keturah. Women were not equals in those days. Women were workers. Women had children. Women had no vote or say. If Abraham married her [and the Bible does say she was his wife after Sarah] it makes sense that God has something in store for their heirs.

Looks like to me... she's the mother of all the Arab Nations. Now granted, the Bible is about the Nation of Israel [use to be Jacob] and not about the Arab Nations. The Arab Nations just play a "supporting role" in this project. It's an important role though. These people aren't part of the "chosen" ones.

The Bible makes a big deal out of Hagar's bout with Sarah. The Bible makes a big deal out of how God promised to provide for Hagar and Ishmael. Nothing much is said about Keturah's boys.

The commentaries really have a problem with Keturah. They can't agree on why, when, or if she married Abraham. He was already
really old when Sarah learned she was pregnant. Imagine how ancient he would be by the time he married Keturah.

Well, Keturah, nice to meet you. Your sons may not play right with your step children, but they do add some spice to the story. Thank you. Some families just thrive on drama.

:coffee:
 
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