Genesis 25:1-6

Genesis 25:1-6

[1] Then again  Abraham  took  a wife,  and her name  was Keturah.  [2] And she bare  him Zimran,  and Jokshan,  and Medan,  and Midian,  and Ishbak,  and Shuah.  [3] And Jokshan  begat  Sheba,  and Dedan.  And the sons  of Dedan  were Asshurim,  and Letushim,  and Leummim.  [4] And the sons  of Midian;  Ephah,  and Epher,  and Hanoch,  and Abida,  and Eldaah.  All these were the children  of Keturah.  [5] And Abraham  gave  all that he had unto Isaac.  [6] But unto the sons  of the concubines,  which Abraham  gave  gifts,  and sent them away  from Isaac  his son,  while he yet lived,  eastward,  country. 

What does Genesis 25:1-6 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Keturah (lit. enveloped in fragrant smoke) may have been a concubine like Hagar ( Genesis 25:6; 1 Chronicles 1:32). Jewish tradition identified Keturah as Hagar. [1] It is not possible to prove that Abraham married Keturah and that she bore him six sons after Sarah"s death, though this was probably the case. He may have married her earlier in his life while Sarah was alive.
The information revealed in these verses may appear at this point in the narrative simply to introduce the Midianites who come into prominence later in Genesis. They were a group of tribes that inhabited the deserts surrounding Israel. Probably Moses also included this data because this passage confirms God"s faithfulness in giving Abraham many descendants, though Isaac and his branch of the family would be the recipients of God"s special blessings.
In this section and the following two ( Genesis 25:7-19) those characters who play minor parts in the drama take their curtain calls making way for the chief actors who follow.
God"s promise that "through Isaac your descendants shall be named" ( Genesis 21:12) led Abraham to act as he did, as Moses recorded here.
"The land of the East" ( Genesis 25:6) to which Abraham sent his sons other than Isaac was evidently Arabia. It lay to the east and south of Canaan.
"In this case the sending away of the sons is to make Isaac"s position more secure." [2]