1The sons of Abraham by Keturah. 5The division of his goods. 7His age, death, and burial. 11God blesseth Isaac. 12The generations of Ishmael, his age, and death. 19Isaac's descent and alliance by marriage. 21Rebekah being barren, he prayeth for her; she conceiveth; the children strive in her womb, which is a token of the future fortunes of their posterity. 24The birth of Esau and Jacob. 27The difference of their life and manners. 29Esau selleth his birthright to Jacob.
1THEN 1again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
1 The meaning is that after the death of his wife Sarah, and the marriage of his son, he did not continue to be a widower, but went on to marry again.
2Anda2she bare him 3Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and 4Midian, and Ishbak, and 5Shuah.
a 1 Chron. 1:32.
2 Though Abraham was now about an hundred and forty years old, and his body was much degenerated already at an hundred years, Gen. 17:17, Rom. 4:19, nevertheless he got children by this Keturah, not as being miraculously strengthened thereunto, as he was for the begetting of Isaac, but having retained much of that miraculous vigor to this age.
3 This man and the following were most of them inhabitants of Arabia, and some other parts located east from Canaan.
4 The father and origin of the Midianites, see of him Gen. 36:35; Judges 6:2; Isa. 10:26. They were neighbors to the Moabites, Num. 22:4, and fell soon away from Abraham’s faith into idolatry; Num. 25:16, 17, 18. Their country is likewise called Midian, Exod. 2:16; 1 Kings 11:18.
5 Hebr. Schuah, of whom it seems that Bildad, Job’s friend issued, Job 2:11.
3And 6Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
6 Hebr. Jokschan.
4And the sons of Midian; 7Ephah, and 8Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the 9children of Keturah.
7 Of Ephah see Isa. 60:6.
8 Of whom some perceive that Africa bears the name.
9 The sons, and sons’ sons, or grandchildren, being all comprehended under one name.
5¶And Abrahamb10gave all that he had unto Isaac.
b Gen. 24:36.
10 See Gen. 15:4; 24:36.
6But unto the sons of the 11concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto 12the east country.
11 Of the word concubine see Gen. 22:24. Understand hereby Abraham’s concubines both Hagar and Keturah, though they are likewise expressly called wives.
12 Understand the countries located east from Canaan, such as are Arabia and Asia the greater, etc.
7And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an 13hundred threescore and fifteen years.
13 Hebr. an hundred year, and seventy year, and five years. Thus Abraham lived a stranger, since he came from Ur, an hundred and five years, and left him behind grand-children of fifteen years of age, namely, Jacob and Esau, as may be gathered from verse 26. During all this time Abraham never fainted in his faith in God’s promises, nor in the obedience to His commands, nor in patience under many adversities, nor in the hope of the glory to come, notwithstanding that he left likewise some examples of human frailty behind him. He died, as some do calculate, in the year 2124 after the creation of the world, and 38 years after the death of his wife Sarah.
8Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died inc a good old 14age, an old man, and 15full of years; and 16was gathered to his people.
c Gen. 15:15.
14 Hebr. grayness, or grayish according to God’s promise to him, Gen. 15:15.
15 That is, being wearied of the toils and troubles of this life, and longing for the rest that is to come.
16 Compare the annotation at Gen. 15 on verse 15. See this phrase likewise below verse 17 and Gen. 49:29; Num. 20:24; 27:13; Judges 2:10.
9And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, 17in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
17 See Gen. 23:9, 17, 19, 20.
10The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: 18there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
18 Isaac and Jacob are afterwards buried there also, with their wives, Gen. 49:29, 31.
11¶And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God 19blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well 20Lahai-roi.
19 According to the promises, which He formerly made to Abraham, Gen. 17:7, 19.
20 See Gen. 16:14; 24:62.
12¶Now these are the 21generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
21 That is, the descendants which issued from him. This is related here as a confirmation of the truth of God’s promises, made Gen. 16:10; 17:20.
13And these are the namesd of the sons of Ishmael, by 22their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, 23Nebajoth; and 24Kedar, and Adbeel, and 25Mibsam,
d 1 Chron. 1:29.
22 That is, whereby they are named according to the order of their births. It is thought that these twelve sons of Ishmael inhabited the land of Nabathea, between the Euphrates and the Red Sea.
23 See Isa. 60:7.
24 See Psalm 120:5; Cant. 1:5; Isa. 21:16; Jer. 49:28; Ezek. 27:21.
25 See of another Mibsam, the son of Simeon, 1 Chron. 4:25.
14And Mishma, and 26Dumah, and 27Massa,
26 See Isa. 21:11. It is also the name of a city in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:52.
27 Thus the place is also called by Mount Horeb, where the people of Israel contended with Moses.
15Hadar, and 28Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
28 See Job 6:19; Jer. 25:23.
16These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; 29twelve princes according to their nations.
29 This is the fulfillment of the promise made Gen. 17:20.
17And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; 30and was gathered unto his people.
30 See Gen. 15:15 and above on verse 8.
18And they dwelt from 31Havilah unto 32Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and 33he died 34in the presence of all his brethren.
31 See Gen. 2:11 and there the annotation.
32 See Gen. 16:7; 20:1.
33 Namely, with his abode and habitation. See Num. 34:2; Judges 7:12. Hebr. he fell, namely, by his lot and inheritance, Joshua 23:4; Psalm 78:55.
34 See Gen. 16:12.
19¶And these are the 35generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac:
35 That is, descent and posterity.
20And Isaac was 36forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian 37of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
36 Hebr. a son of forty year.
37 Or, the region of Mesopotamia, called Syria of the two rivers, Gen. 24:10, or, a city or the neighborhood there located.
21And Isaac 38intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated 39of him, ande Rebekah his wife conceived.
38 Other, Isaac continued praying. In this exercise of prayer it seemed Isaac held on for a long time, since he got his two sons in the sixtieth year of his age, verse 26, having been married twenty years with Rebecca, verse 20. It seems to have been a solemn or appointed entreaty which both of them unanimously and constantly offered up together for the obtaining of children from God the LORD. Others take and understand it as if Isaac had prayed alone thus by himself, for, or on behalf of Rebecca, as having her before him in his mind.
39 Hebr. for, or, on him, that is, the LORD was entreated for his good and advantage.
e Rom. 9:10.
22And 40the children 41struggled together 42within her; and she said, If it be so, 43why am I thus? And she 44went to enquire of the LORD.
40 Hebr. sons.
41 Namely, in an extraordinary, peculiar and painful manner, signifying the division and enmity of these two children and both their posterities.
42 Hebr. in the inmost of her.
43 Hebr. why I thus?, or, what for I this? These are abrupt expressions proceeding from impatience and dismay upon this uncommon work. The meaning seems to be: Is this the course? What should make me wish for children? Or, why does God give me any? Or, to why have I become with child? Or, for what purpose am I yet alive?
44 Namely, to call fervently in this distress upon the LORD in a solitary place; or, to learn and to understand His meaning by some prophet, either Abraham himself, or some other pious patriarch yet living.
23And 45the LORD said unto her, 46Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be 47separated from thy bowels; andf48the one people shall be stronger than the other people; andg49the elder shall serve the younger.
45 Namely, either by some present speech or allocution, or by a vision, or in a dream, or by an inward instinct or inspiration, in either her own person, or some prophet who acquainted her with it as from God.
46 That is, the fathers of two nations, to wit, the Edomites, and the Israelites.
47 Which is fulfilled, not only corporally or literally in regard of Jacob and Esau, together with the Israelites and Edomites, but also spiritually in regard of the true church and the people of God and the enemies of the same.
f 2 Sam. 8:14.
48 The sense is that the one brother, and so likewise the one nation and people would be more mighty and powerful than the other.
g Rom. 9:12.
49 These words declare the foregoing. By the elder we are to understand Esau, who, in regard of primogeniture, of the strength of the body, and of outward means and abilities, was doubtless the greatest; as also his posterity have a long time possessed Mount Seir and reigned there, while the children of Israel were yet strangers and sojourners in Canaan, slaves and bondsmen in Egypt, and a despicable wandering people in the wilderness. Nevertheless this greater people would be made subject to and serve the lesser, which was fulfilled, first in Jacob, when, having obtained the legal right to the primogeniture, he became thereby ruler over his brother; and afterwards in his posterity, when they inherited the land of Canaan, made the Edomites tributaries to them. See 2 Sam. 8:14. This is likewise fulfilled in the true church, in which, notwithstanding her appearance for the most part in outward glory and power is most least compared with the false one, nevertheless Christ reigns in the midst of her by His Word and Spirit over His own and all her enemies.
24¶And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25And the first came out red, all over like an hairy 50garment; and they called his name 51Esau.
50 The Hebrew word signifies an upper garment, such as a cloak or coat.
51 That is, made up, perfected, being hairy like a full grown man.
26And after that came his brother out, and hish hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called 52Jacob: and Isaac 53was threescore years old 54when she bare them.
h Hosea 12:4.
52 Hebr. Jaäkob. This name means as if one would say, heel-holder. See Gen. 27 on verse 36.
53 Hebr. a son of sixty year. As Abraham, being an hundred years old, had waited twenty-five years for the fulfillment of God’s promise, Gen. 12:4, so Isaac, being now threescore, had to wait twenty years for the fulfillment of the promise. Thus God knows how to try and exercise His children.
54 Or, when she bore them, for the word of the text bears either signification.
27And the boys grew: and Esau was a 55cunning hunter, 56a man of the field; and Jacob was a 57plain man, 58dwelling in tents.
55 Hebr. understanding the hunting. That is, a crafty hunter.
56 That is, one who rather loved to be in the fields than at home. See Gen. 9 on verse 20.
57 See Gen. 6 on verse 9.
58 That is, he led a peaceable, quite life, being not wild and ranting abroad as his brother, but minding the household affairs and the herds and flocks; in both regards whereof tents and huts were requisite. See Gen. 4:20 and Heb. 11:9.
28And Isaac loved Esau, because he did 59eat of his 60venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
59 That is, it was a pleasant meat to him; he found a special relish in it. An indication of human frailty in this pious patriarch that for so vain a thing he loved him more, of whom previously he had sufficiently understood of God’s intention.
60 Other, game, or prey.
29¶And Jacob sodi61pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:
i boiled
61 The Hebrew word signifies any kind of dressed meat, broth, pottage, frumenty, etc., but below in verse 34 it is called a pottage of lentiles.
30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with 62that same red jpottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called 63Edom.
62 The word is doubled in the Hebrew to show the greediness of his appetite to this dish whose color and taste seemed so pleasing and enticing to him; or, because it was exceeding red. Also good, good, is put for very good, Judges 11:25; bad, bad, for, very bad, Prov. 20:14.
j soup, stew*
63 That is, red, partly because he was red of skin himself, as verse 25, and partly for being so infatuated with the longing for this red pottage.
31And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy 64birthright.
64 That is, the right and prerogative of being first born, consisting, I. in the honor and lordship over his brethren, Gen. 4:7; 49:3; 2 Chron. 21:3; Psalm 89:27; II. in the double portion of the goods to be inherited, Deut. 21:17; III. in the right of the Priesthood after the decease of the father, especially after the slaying of the firstborn in Egypt, until the priesthood was transferred upon the tribe of Levi, Num. 8:16, 17, 18, 19.
32And Esau said, Behold,k65I am at the point to die: and 66what profit shall this birthright do to me?
k Isa. 22:13; 1 Cor. 15:32.
65 That is, I am daily abroad a hunting and in continual danger to lose my life one time or another. Or else, I must die sometimes, what shall the birthright profit me? Some understand that he speaks about his weariness and hunger.
66 Thus Esau rejects with an ungracious heart this great and excellent right of primogeniture. See Heb. 12:16, and below verse 34.
33And Jacob said, Swear to me 67this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
67 Hebr. as today.
34Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.