Abraham Marries Keturah and Fathers Six More Sons

Book of Jasher Jasher 25 View source
Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team ·

After Sarah's death, Abraham took another wife named Keturah, said to be from the land of Canaan. And she bore him six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuach. That's a whole new generation added to the family tree!

Now, what became of these sons? The text tells us that the children of Zimran were Abihen, Molich and Narim. Jokshan's sons were Sheba and Dedan, while Medan had Amida, Joab, Gochi, Elisha, and Nothach. And then there were the sons of Midian – Ephah, Epher, Chanoch, Abida and Eldaah. Ishbak's sons were Makiro, Beyodua and Tator, and Shuach had Bildad, Mamdad, Munan and Meban. All of these were the families of the children of Keturah, the Canaanitish woman who bore them to Abraham.

So, what did Abraham do with this burgeoning brood? As we read in Jasher, he gave them gifts and sent them away from his son Isaac, so they could find their own places to dwell. All these sons of Keturah went to the mountain at the east, and built themselves six cities where they dwelled. But the children of Sheba and Dedan, sons of Jokshan, didn't settle in cities; they journeyed and encamped in countries and wildernesses. Interesting. Each branch of the family taking a different path.

The children of Midian, son of Abraham, went east of the land of Cush, and there found a large valley in the eastern country where they built a city and remained. Jasher even gives us the names of Midian's sons according to their cities: Ephah, Epher, Chanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. And we get a further breakdown - the sons of Ephah were Methach, Meshar, Avi and Tzanua, and so on. And then, we are told, the families of Midian spread throughout the land.

But that’s not all for Abraham’s descendants! Jasher turns its attention to the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son with Hagar.

Ishmael took a wife from Egypt named Ribah (also called Meribah), who bore him Nebayoth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, and a daughter, Bosmath. But their marriage didn't last. Jasher tells us that Ishmael cast her away, and she returned to her father's house in Egypt, because she was very bad in the sight of Ishmael, and in the sight of his father Abraham. Harsh!

Later, Ishmael married a woman from Canaan named Malchuth, and she bore him Nishma, Dumah, Masa, Chadad, Tema, Yetur, Naphish, and Kedma. These sons became twelve princes, representing their nations. And like the sons of Keturah, Ishmael took his children, his possessions, and his household, and they went to dwell where they could find a place. They settled near the wilderness of Paran, dwelling from Havilah to Shur, near Egypt and Assyria. Ishmael and his sons had many children and prospered.

We even get a list of the grandsons of Ishmael: Mend, Send, Mayon (sons of Nebayoth); Alyon, Kezem, Chamad, and Eli (sons of Kedar); Chamad and Jabin (sons of Adbeel), and so on. The text meticulously lays out the lineage, emphasizing how the families of Ishmael spread and built cities in the lands where they dwelled.

Finally, the chapter notes that Rebecca, Isaac's wife, was barren at this time. Isaac lived with his father in Canaan. The chapter concludes with the death of Arpachshad, son of Shem, son of Noah, at the age of 438.

What are we to make of all these names and migrations? Perhaps the Book of Jasher is trying to tell us something about the interconnectedness of peoples and the spread of cultures. It shows us how one man, Abraham, became the ancestor of many nations, each with its own unique destiny. It reminds us that history is not just about kings and battles, but also about families and migrations, about the choices people make and the places they choose to call home. And maybe, just maybe, it's a reminder that even those who seem to be on the periphery of the main story – the sons of Keturah, the descendants of Ishmael – have their own stories to tell, their own contributions to make to the tapestry of human history.

Themes

Noah & Flood Patriarchs Matriarchs Joseph Elijah Holy Land Egypt Women of the Bible

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