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Genesis 25

KJV · Chapter 25/50

1Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

2And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

3And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

4And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

5And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.

6But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

7And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

8Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

9And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;

10The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

11And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai–roi.

12Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

13And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

14And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

15Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:

16These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

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; and was gathered unto his people.

18And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

19And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac:

20And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan–aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.

21And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

22And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord.

23And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

24And 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 garment; and they called his name Esau.

26And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

27And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

28And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

31And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

32And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

33And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Abraham dies at 175 years old, and is buried by Isaac and Ishmael; the genealogy of Ishmael is given, and the twins Esau and Jacob are born, with Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a plate of food.

Explanation

This chapter closes the cycle of Abraham's life with dignity — he dies 'in a good old age, an old man, and full of years,' reconciled enough with his two sons that both Isaac and Ishmael join together to bury him. The narrative then turns to the next generation: the twins Esau and Jacob are born already in conflict, a tension prophesied by God even before their birth ('the elder shall serve the younger,' v. 23). The selling of the birthright for a simple plate of lentils shows Esau's contempt for a spiritual and material right of great value in exchange for immediate satisfaction, while Jacob, though manipulative in this negotiation, values what Esau discarded. Today's practical lesson is about the importance of not trading lasting blessings for fleeting gratification.

Fun facts

  • The name 'Edom' (meaning 'red'), given to Esau, is directly tied both to the color of his hair at birth and to the red lentil stew for which he sold his birthright — a name that would carry this story with him forever.
  • The rivalry between Esau (ancestor of the Edomites) and Jacob (ancestor of Israel) would echo throughout later biblical history, including conflicts between the two peoples recorded in books such as Numbers, Obadiah, and Malachi.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Genesis 25:1After Sarah’s death, Abraham marries again, a woman named Keturah — showing that his life goes on even at an advanced age.
  2. Genesis 25:2Lists the six sons Abraham has with Keturah, further expanding his offspring beyond Isaac and Ishmael.
  3. Genesis 25:3Continues the genealogy through Jokshan, one of Keturah’s sons, linking this line to more peoples of the Arabian region.
  4. Genesis 25:4Closes the list of Keturah’s sons, naming the descendants of Midian — a people who will appear much later in the story of Moses.
  5. Genesis 25:5Despite having several sons with Keturah, Abraham leaves the main inheritance entirely to Isaac — reinforcing who is the central heir of the promise.
  6. Genesis 25:6Abraham gives gifts to “the sons of the concubines” and sends them away “eastward, unto the east country,” leaving everything else to Isaac. Sons of secondary wives had some right to goods, but not to the main inheritance; sending them far away avoided future disputes over the land promised to Isaac.
  7. Genesis 25:7Records Abraham’s total age at death: 175 years, closing the life of the patriarch who began the family’s story back in chapter 12.
  8. Genesis 25:8Saying someone died “full of years” and was “gathered to his people” are two old expressions for a peaceful death at an advanced age: the first says the person lived long enough, without dying before their time; the second speaks of reuniting with ancestors who had already died.
  9. Genesis 25:9Isaac and Ishmael, Abraham’s two eldest sons, join together to bury him — despite the rivalry between the families, the two carry out this last task for their father together.
  10. Genesis 25:10Confirms that Abraham was buried in the same cave bought to bury Sarah, in chapter 23 — the couple rests together in the same land he acquired.
  11. Genesis 25:11After Abraham’s death, the blessing passes to Isaac, who continues living near the same well where Hagar had met God.
  12. Genesis 25:12Begins Ishmael’s genealogy, listing his descendants before the narrative turns fully to Isaac.
  13. Genesis 25:13Lists Ishmael’s sons by name, starting with the firstborn Nebajoth — names that will later give rise to well-known Arab tribes.
  14. Genesis 25:14Continues the list of Ishmael’s sons, three more names that complete part of this lineage.
  15. Genesis 25:15Closes the list of Ishmael’s twelve sons, fulfilling the promise made to Hagar that he would have a great offspring.
  16. Genesis 25:16Summarizes that these twelve sons of Ishmael became leaders of twelve tribes — the same number of tribes that will later also characterize Jacob’s descendants.
  17. Genesis 25:17Records Ishmael’s death at 137 years, closing his story with the same formula used to end the lives of other patriarchs.
  18. Genesis 25:18Describes the territory occupied by Ishmael’s descendants, between Egypt and Assyria — a life marked by conflict with their relatives, as had already been announced in chapter 16.
  19. Genesis 25:19Begins the section of the story devoted to Isaac, reaffirming that he is Abraham’s son before telling the events of his own life.
  20. Genesis 25:20Marks Isaac’s age at marriage to Rebekah, 40 years, and notes that she was from Abraham’s own family, in Mesopotamia — the same relatives sought out by the servant in the previous chapter.
  21. Genesis 25:21Isaac prays specifically about Rebekah’s barrenness, and God answers that prayer — the same infertility problem that had already marked the previous generation, with Sarah.
  22. Genesis 25:22Rebekah feels an unusual struggle inside her own body and seeks an answer directly from God, still not understanding the reason — the answer comes in the next verse.
  23. Genesis 25:23God tells Rebekah that, between the twin sons, “the elder shall serve the younger” — a reversal of the natural order, since at the time the older son held the privileges. This phrase anticipates both the personal rivalry between Esau and Jacob and the future of the two nations that would come from them, Edom and Israel.
  24. Genesis 25:24When the time for delivery comes, it is confirmed that Rebekah was carrying twins, exactly as God’s answer had announced in the previous verse.
  25. Genesis 25:25Esau is born “red, all over like an hairy garment,” and it is this detail that gives rise to his name, which sounds similar to “hairy” in Hebrew. It is a birth wordplay the narrative uses to introduce the character right away by his striking appearance.
  26. Genesis 25:26Jacob is born with his hand taking “hold on Esau’s heel,” and so he receives a name that sounds like “heel” in Hebrew. The wordplay anticipates the rest of the story: later, Jacob will literally take by the heel his older brother’s blessing and birthright.
  27. Genesis 25:27The two boys grow up with very different personalities: Esau becomes a hunter who loves the outdoors, and Jacob a more home-loving man, tied to the tents.
  28. Genesis 25:28Each parent has a favorite son: Isaac prefers Esau, for enjoying the game he brought home, and Rebekah prefers Jacob — a division within the family itself that will lead to conflict later on.
  29. Genesis 25:29Jacob is cooking a stew when Esau comes in from the field, famished — the scene that opens the episode of the sale of the birthright, told in the rest of the chapter.
  30. Genesis 25:30Esau asks for Jacob’s “red pottage” and, because of this, earns the nickname “Edom,” which means “red.” This same name will later name the Edomite people, his descendants — the narrative uses the wordplay to explain where the name of this neighboring nation of Israel comes from.
  31. Genesis 25:31Jacob takes advantage of his brother’s hunger to propose a bold trade: the stew in exchange for the right of the firstborn.
  32. Genesis 25:32Esau, overcome by hunger in the moment, dismisses the value of his own birthright, thinking it is worthless if he dies of hunger right there.
  33. Genesis 25:33Jacob demands a formal oath before handing over the food, making sure the trade cannot be undone later — and Esau agrees, officially selling his birthright.
  34. Genesis 25:34Esau trades the “birthright” — the right to inherit a double share of the goods and lead the family after their father — for a plate of food, just because he was hungry after hunting. The text marks this as a serious mistake on his part, not just an ordinary trade between brothers.

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