Genesis 25

The Death of Abraham

1 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 

2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 

3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 

4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 

6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 

8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 

9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 

10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.[a] There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.

11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

Ishmael’s Sons

12 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.

13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

 14 Mishma, Dumah,Massa, 

15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 

16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 

17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 

18 His descendantssettled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward[b] all the tribes related to them.

Jacob and Esau

19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 

20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram[c] and sister of Laban the Aramean.

21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 

22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

23 The Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger.”

24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.

25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.[d] 

26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.[e] Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 

28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew!I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.[f])

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 25:10 Or the descendants of Heth
2. Genesis 25:18 Or lived to the east of
3. Genesis 25:20 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
4. Genesis 25:25 Esau may mean hairy.
5. Genesis 25:26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives.
6. Genesis 25:30 Edom means red.

The Death of Abraham

Had Abraham taken another wife? (verse 1)

Did Abraham have any other descendants besides Isaac? (verse 1-4)

Did Abraham leave everything he owned to Isaac? (verse 5)

Did Abraham give gifts to the sons of his concubines? (verse 6)

Where were the sons of Abraham's concubines sent to? (verse 6)

How old was Abraham when he died? (verse 7-8)

Who buried Abraham? (verse 9)

Was Abraham buried with his wife Sarah? (verse 10)

Who blessed Isaac after Abraham's death? (verse 11)

Ishmael’s Sons

How old was Ishmael when he died? (verse 17)

Did the descendants of Ishmael live in hostility toward all the tribes related to them? (verse 18)

Jacob and Esau

How old was Isaac when he married Rebekah? (verse 20)

Did Isaac pray to the Lord on behalf of his wife? (verse 21)

Did the Lord answer Isaac's prayer and allowed Rebekah to become pregnant? (verse 21)

Who did Rebekah seek when she had the babies in her jostling each other? (verse 22)

What did the Lord say to Rebekah? (verse 23)

Did Rebekah give birth to twins? (verse 24)

Why did they name the first to come out Esau? (verse 25)

Why was the second to come out named Jacob? (verse 26)

How old was Isaac when Rebekah gave birth to them? (verse 26)

What did Esau become skillful in? (verse 27)

Was Jacob content to stay at home among the tents? (verse 27)

Who did Isaac love? (verse 28)

Did Rebekah love Jacob? (verse 28)

What did Jacob ask for from Esau when Esau said, "Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!”? (verse 30-31)

Did Esau sell his birthright to Jacob? (verse 33)

Did Esau despise his birthright? (verse 34)

Interpretation Questions

What is significant about the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite? (Genesis 25:9-10 & Genesis 23)

Thoughts

Hebrews 12 

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 

 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

God Disciplines His Children

 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 

 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a]

 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 

 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 

 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 

 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 

 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 

 “Make level paths for your feet,”[b] so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Warning and Encouragement

 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 

 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 

 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 

 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy

 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 

 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 

 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[c] 

 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[d]

 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 

 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 

 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled bloodthat speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 

 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”[e] 

 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 

 for our “God is a consuming fire.”[f]

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 12:6 Prov. 3:11,12 (see Septuagint)
2. Hebrews 12:13 Prov. 4:26
3. Hebrews 12:20 Exodus 19:12,13
4. Hebrews 12:21 See Deut. 9:19.
5. Hebrews 12:26 Haggai 2:6
6. Hebrews 12:29 Deut. 4:24