Though the Torah describes them separately, the rabbis often identify Keturah with Hagar, who they state came back to remarry Abraham after Sarahs death. Keturah's sons were said to have represented the Arab tribes who lived south and east of Israel (Genesis 25:1-6). Egyptians claim their lineage is Shemitic through Ishmael, Abrahams
General Editor. Nationality Act of 1940 - Ballotpedia Placing the Keturah account after the birth of Isaac but before Sarahs death would not have worked either. 1 Chronicles 4:11. Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel, is the only woman in the Hebrew Bible who is described as both intelligent and beautiful. Int. 31 December 1999. 3. Rabbi Zev Farber Features thousands of biographic and thematic essays on Jewish women around the world. Courtesy ofWikimedia Commons. The name Keturah lends itself to a number of Rabbinic interpretations. Of course this wasnt unheard of in that era, while human lifespans had not yet shrunk down to their present levels. Abraham and his beautiful wife Sarai wandered the
Steinberg took the Ner LeElef Rabbinical Outreach training course and moved to Huntington, NY in 2002 to work as an outreach rabbi for the Mesorah Center. menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. This is odd for two reasons. [15], However, this idea was rejected by another rabbi in Genesis Rabbah,[12] as well as by traditional commentators such as Ibn Ezra, Nahmanides, and Rashbam. 17:6, 7, 8-16; 18:5), is in the neighborhood of Horeb; if the locality Massah and Meribah (17:7) is to be found in the region of Kadesh-Barnea or is identical with it (Num. Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? /hebrew/4080.htm - 6k, 3435. This is done by introducing another wife This is not to be understood biographically. In other words, the biblical authors use the description of a marriage with Abraham to connect certain tribes with Abraham (Midianites, Dedanites, etc.). Keturah in The Bible - King James Bible Online Another midrash relates that when Jacob died, the offspring of Esau, Ishmael and Keturah came to Goren ha-Atad to fight against the sons of Jacob. whose name was Hagar. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Keturah bore Abraham six sons, who were characterized by one . The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurim, the Letushim, and the Leummim. Moses was an important person in Israel's mnemohistory and it is hardly surprising that multiple attempts may have been made in Israel's history to cement an alliance between Israel and a neighboring peopleMidianites, Kenites, perhaps even the Kushites (see Num 12:1)by claiming that the great Moses married into their clan during his wanderings in the wilderness. The Rabbis present this as a lesson in proper conduct: if a mans wife dies, and he has grown children, he should first see that they are married before himself taking a new wife (Gen. Rabbah 60:16). established Egypt, referred to in Psalms 105 and 106 refer to as the land of
Int. How The Nation Of The Troglodytes Were Derived From Abraham By Keturah. 25:4 The descendants of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Enoch, Abida, and Eldaah. Lastly, there are those who suggest that the wisdom of the Eastern religions actually spawns from the children of Keturah whom Abraham sent east (Gen. 25:6). One day while he sat by a well, Reuel's daughters came to water their father's flocks. The Torah introduces Keturah as an , wife (Gen 25:1), and yet the same passage also refers to Abrahams concubines and their children: Who are these concubines? ), suggests that the primary purpose of these verses is to associate the names that follow with Abraham. However, it seems apparent that the two of them were monogamous and that she did not bear him any children until after Sarah's death. There is a popular theory common among Muslims and some Christians that Arabian Muslims are direct descendants of Ishmael. 20:1-14, 24; Ezek. During this trek through Africa, Abraham feared its
Didnt Abraham already send Hagar away (Gen 21)? And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said
Buber], Hayyei Sarah 8). (Gen. 11:10-27) Abraham told
That year was a Sabbatical year, and Israel enjoyed the fruits of the abandoned fields (BT Sanhedrin 91a). and religion that calls Abraham its father: the Arabic religion of Islam. Her sons were the ancestors of many Arabian tribes. 4. As Hagar begins to despair, God speaks to her, promising that Ishmael will become a great nation and showing her a well that saves both their lives.Jan 25, 2008, So Sarah throws Hagar and Ishmael out, and the homeless pair has to fend for themselves in the hot and barren desert. He raised the wall so high that sunlight would never enter; and he gave them precious stones and large pearls, which Israel would use in the days to come (Soferim, Hosafah [addition] 1, 1:1). And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said
The Rabbis championing this position emphasize that these offspring do not follow the spiritual way of Abraham; moreover, since they already received their inheritance from him, they are not entitled to make any further demands. 47:19), then . International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before
"William Baur, 4080. The Birth of a Nation, landmark silent film starring Lillian Gish, released in 1915, that was the first blockbuster Hollywood hit. Abraham and his beautiful wife Sarai wandered the deserts of Africa, Asia, and Arabia in search of a city "whose builder and maker was God" Himself. [5] The Book of Jubilees also supports the conclusion that Keturah and Hagar were two different people, by stating that Abraham waited until after Hagar's death before marrying Keturah. Ishmael was born and brought up in Abrahams household. Book XVI. The Egyptians were not Canaanites, but were their
see HEBREW zamar. An epic about the American Civil War (1861-65) and the . Noun (qitor) refers to thick smoke. Who was Keturah in the Bible? /hebrew/28.htm - 6k, 2175. Keturah, the Old Testament name of Abraham's second wife, is a possibility for anyone seeking a truly unusual and interesting biblical name; certainly a lot more distinctive than that of Abraham's first wife, Sarah. named Ishmael was born from the union between Shemitic Abraham and his African
Her nationality is Ethiopian as she was the mother of Sheba and the Medians whose descendant, Jethro,or Ragu'el or Reu'el the Ethiopian priest of Median begot a daughter, Zipporah, who, in the Scriptures, was referred to as the Ethiopian wife of Moses. (Genesis 25:1; 1 Chronicles 1:32) (B.C. Generations later, Moses would marry the daughter of Jethro the Midianite, and other descendants of Jethro converted as well (see Judges 1:16). ), Furthermore, one of Abrahams children was Midian, presumably the progenitor of the nation of Midian. Keturah is the second wife of Abraham, whom he took after the death of his first wife Sarah, and who bore him six additional sons, namely Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah (Genesis 25:1-2). Keturah is referred to in Genesis as "another wife" of Abraham[2] (Hebrew: .mw-parser-output .script-hebrew,.mw-parser-output .script-Hebr{font-family:"SBL Hebrew","SBL BibLit","Taamey Ashkenaz","Taamey Frank CLM","Frank Ruehl CLM","Ezra SIL","Ezra SIL SR","Keter Aram Tsova","Taamey David CLM","Keter YG","Shofar","David CLM","Hadasim CLM","Simple CLM","Nachlieli",Cardo,Alef,"Noto Serif Hebrew","Noto Sans Hebrew","David Libre",David,"Times New Roman",Gisha,Arial,FreeSerif,FreeSans} Translit. There is most likely some truth in this theory. The intent of the Torah was thus to only a single concubine, Hagar (Gen. Rabbah 61:4). 5. JOKSHAN. A theme in the Abraham stories is his lack of children, which is why he marries Hagar and has Ishmael. Muslim exegesis states that Sarah asked Abraham to marry her Egyptian handmaiden Hagar because she herself was barren. tr:Kantura. Keturah was one of Abrahams wives. Yishbaq. Please support us. Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary - Keturah, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Keturah. Answer Keturah was Abraham's second wife, following the death of Sarah, his first wife ( Genesis 23:2; 25:1 ). Salem Media Group. The Bible; the Pentateuch; Tanakh (the Pentateuch, Prophets and Hagiographia)Torah mentions this marriage in Gen. 25:1, after the death of Sarah and subsequent to the wedding of Isaac and Rebekah. She indeed was entangled with her husband, Abraham. ISHBAK. After enumerating Nabal's enormous wealth in flocks (1 Sam 25:2), the narrative introduces her in contrast to him. [8] Insofar as verses 56 and the mention of children of concubines, these verses seem to be expressing a viewpoint that Abraham had concubines and children all alongit was just that his wife (Sarah) didnt have children. From another wife (or wives) named Keturah, Abraham begat six nations who went to the East. Though she is called a "concubine," this may have been to distinguish her sons as well as Ishmael from Isaac the son of promise, Genesis 25:6; 1 Chronicles 1:32; Galatians 4:22 ,30. Keva . This tradition is based on Gen. 24:62: Isaac had just come back from the vicinity of Beer-la-hai-roihe brought back with him Hagar, who had been at Beer-la-hai-roi, and had also given this place its name, as is related in Gen. 16:14 (Tanhuma, Hayyei Sarah 8). beautiful wife, later called Sarah. All these were the children of Keturah. From zamar; musical; Zimran, a son of Abraham by Keturah -- Zimran. Her ancestry is not mentioned, although she was presumably a local Canaanite. The Midrash Yalkut Shimoni (Job, Remez 904) has a fascinating take on the three wives of Abraham: "Sarah was the daughter of Shem, Keturah was the daughter of Japheth, and Hagar was the daughter of Ham.". Genesis Rabbah interpreted the name Keturah in accordance with the opinion that she was identical to Hagar: the name was said to be related to the Aramaic ketur (knot) to imply that she was "bound" and did not have sexual relations with anyone else from the time she left Abraham until her return. When Isaac married Rebekah, he said to himself: I have taken a wife, while my father is without a spouse! He went and brought him Keturah. Who was Keturah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org Shuach -- a son of Abraham and Keturah. 7743, 7744. The Rabbis ask: What gifts did Abraham nevertheless give the sons of Keturah? Keturah. According to the Book of Genesis, Abraham married Keturah after the death of his first wife, Sarah. Recall that after the Flood, Ham, the father of the black races,
Gen. 25:6 relates that Abraham sent the sons of Keturah away from Isaac eastward, to the land of the East. He told them: Go as far eastward as you can, so you will not be burnt by the burning coal of Isaac (Gen. Rabbah 61:7). Qeturah -- a wife of Abraham 6988, 6989. Although Abraham took Keturah as a spouse, she was never his true wife. In other words, Abraham married (and had children) from the three families of Noah. When the Children Our synagogue says Mincha shortly before sunset and Maariv almost immediately after Ashkenazi vs Sephardic Jews: Their Differences & Origins, Mincha and Maariv Together; Earliest time for Maariv, Behind the Scenes of Netflixs Jewish Matchmaking. In addition, in the days to come Abraham will be ashamed of Ishmael and the offspring of Keturah, as portrayed in Isa. One of the most important and influential men in the Old Testament is Abraham, affectionately called father by three major religions of the world. In my Torah studies I keep running across the number 40 - Would we consider Adam and Eve to have been Jewish? The children of Keturah and of Ishmael did not receive Abrahams blessing; the midrash stresses that this was an intentional decision on Abrahams part. Religion Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Jewish Women's Archive. [6] Richard Elliot Friedman (The Bible with Sources Revealed [Harper Collins, 2003]) sees verses 14 as coming from E and verses 56 as redactional. From . Her nationality is Ethiopian as she was the mother of Sheba and the Medians whose descendant, Jethro,or Ragu'el or Reu'el the Ethiopian priest of Median begot a daughter, Zipporah, who, in the Scriptures, was referred to as the Ethiopian wife of Moses. (2.) According to the Book of Genesis, she was an Egyptian slave, a handmaiden of Sarah (then known as Sarai), whom Sarah gave to her own husband Abram (later renamed Abraham) as a wife to bear him a child.Abraham's firstborn son, through Hagar, Ishmael, became the progenitor of the Ishmaelites, generally taken to be the Arabs. The minor character Asenath, mentioned in the Bible as Joseph's wife and mother of Manasseh and Ephraim, became the heroine of an ancient Jewish novel written between 100 BCE to 200 CE, likely in Egypt. The contrary view (that Keturah was someone other than Hagar) is advocated by Rashbam, Abraham ibn Ezra, Radak, and Ramban. > Help us elevate the voices of Jewish women. script>. religions of the world. out-of-wedlock son, but they still want to claim lineage from the Pharaohs, who
Ibid. 1:3): and whatever he does prospers (Gen. Rabbah 61:1). A popular old reference Bible calls Ishmael "the progenitor of the Arabs" and goes on to say that Muhammad "came from the line of Ishmael." . // Javascript URL redirection KETURAH, THE THIRD WIFE OF ABRAHAM Much has been made about young women marrying old men for their money, fame, and fortune. half sister, who was also a descendant of Shem. [16] According to modern scholar Richard Elliott Friedman, the identification of Keturah with Hagar has "no basis in the text".[5]. Keturah was one of Abrahams wives. According to this opinion, it continued to their children and descendants as well. Int. (from Aramaic teni) "to hand down orally," "study," "teach." Asenath: Bible | Jewish Women's Archive Transliteration: Medan Phonetic Spelling: (med-awn') Short Definition: Medan. Higger], chap. whose name was Hagar. Oops! with the yod). According to the Judean authors Josephus and Cleodemus Malchus, Punic people were descended from Epher, grandson of Abraham and Keturah. /e/epher.htm - 8k, Medan (2 Occurrences) Easton's Bible Dictionary Contention, the third son of Abraham by Keturah (Genesis 25:2). [5][6][7] This interpretation is set forth in the Midrash[8] and is supported by Rashi, Gur Aryeh, Keli Yakar, and Obadiah of Bertinoro. Was Keturah and Hagar the same person? Shemitic people take pride in their males lineage and ignore
What did he do? and R. Yosef Karo (Beit Yosef, YD 275). 8:5: Again [va-yosef] the Lord spoke to me, where the word appears in the context of divine revelation. /hebrew/3435.htm - 6k, 7744. Our weekly email is chockful of interesting and relevant insights into Jewish history, food, philosophy, current events, holidays and more Dovid Rosenfeld, a native of the Washington, D.C. area, works both as a programmer for aish.com and as a responder for its Ask the Rabbi service. 1. In fact, a difference in opinion is often a characteristic of political peace rather than the reason for its demise. to misuse Sarah for his pleasure. Genesis 25 records that Keturah is the wife Abraham married after his first wife Sarah died. Copyright 2011-2023 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. Does anyone know where the Ark of the Covenant is today? Syrian Bedouin woman, at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893. "the written Torah." Genealogies elsewhere in the Bible are similarly symbolic. /z/zimran.htm - 8k, Jokshan (3 Occurrences) Easton's Bible Dictionary Snarer, the second son of Abraham and Keturah (Genesis 25:2, 3; 1 Chronicles 1:32). Even so, as children of Abraham, they were most certainly blessed and to some degree spiritual heirs of his sanctity. Yishbaq -- a son of Abraham and Keturah 3434, 3435. ZIMRAN. We know surprisingly little about Keturah. All rights reserved. Bibliography Information Orr, James, M.A., D.D. CHAPTER 15. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. [21], According to the Bah author John Able, Bahs consider their founder, Bah'u'llh, to have been "descended doubly, from both Abraham and Sarah, and separately from Abraham and Keturah. Alternatively, Keturah also shares the same root as the Hebrew word for incense ( ketoret ); for her good deeds were sweet and pleasant like incense. [5][13] Possible justifications for this opinion include the fact that Keturah is referred to 1 Chronicles 1:32 as Abraham's concubine (in the singular),[14] and several other verses which suggest that the descendants of Hagar and Keturah lived in the same territory or formed a single ethnic group. Keturah - Wikipedia The film was America's first feature . ( Genesis 25:1 ; 1Chronicles 1:32 ) (B.C. In context, one might suggest that Abraham was simply lonely after Sarahs death. Abraham And Keturah Family Tree You Will Like These Detail Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. "Keturah, Hiram and Aquila"and thou and I, Momus. CHAPTER 16. [6], Keturah is mentioned in two passages of the Hebrew Bible: in the Book of Genesis,[2] and also in the First Book of Chronicles. see HEBREW yada'. Read the latest from JWA from your inbox. We rely on the support of readers like you. Let us know. They probably settled among the sons of Cush, on the north-west coast of the Persian Gulf. Keturah (Hebrew: , Qr, possibly meaning incense; Arabic: ) was a wife or a concubine of the Biblical patriarch Abraham. These are by Herodotus called Barbarians, and perhaps were derived from the Syrians and Arabians, the posterity of Abraham by Keturah. [9], ca:Quetur CHAPTER 15. A son
The second unit doesnt seem to know about a second wife and other sons, since it seems to understand all of Abrahams other sons as coming from concubines.[6]. He used her as a surrogate mother a stand-in for his barren wife to produce an heir, following an ancient Bronze Age Near Eastern custom/law. went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. Since Abrahams later children were not Jewish, they could descend from a mother of ordinary lineage (see Rashbam, Ramban). Chronicles, a late biblical book that knows and integrates traditions from the Torah and other earlier material now found in the Tanakh, resolves this problem by calling Keturah a concubine from the start: , The sons of Keturah, Abrahams concubine (1 Chr 1:32). There is no indication when that happened, other than during his lifetime. Thank you for raising the interesting issue. And Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. According to one opinion in the midrashic work Genesis Rabbah, Keturah and Hagar are names for the same person, whom Abraham remarried after initially expelling. 6990 . The Torah writes nothing about her background and origin although if she was a wife of Abraham and mother to six of his children, she must have been a pretty important person! genesis - How are concubines different than wives? - Biblical 1:17-27, Gen. 20:12) You need to understand
Who is she? and religion that calls Abraham its father: the Arabic religion of Islam. Here a redaction-critical solution seems best. The Rabbis describe her as a woman of virtue, for which she was worthy of being joined to Abraham. Her nationality is unknown. The offspring of Keturah and of Ishmael came before Alexander and argued against Israel: The Land of IsraelErez Israel belongs to us and to you, for we also are the children of Abraham! Gebiha ben Pesisa came and said to the Rabbis: Grant me permission, and I will go and plead against them before Alexander the Great. the area was also settled by Abraham's sons through Keturah (Gen. 25:1-4), the 12 sons of Ishmael (Gen. 25:13-16), and finally the sons of Esau (Gen. 36:1-19), all descendents of Abraham (also Semitic). This notion is based on 25:6: But to Abrahams sons by concubines Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and he sent them away from his son Isaac; and this expulsion is both in this world and in the world to come (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer, chap. What we do know is that Keturah became to mother of six Abrahamic sons, one of whom, Midian, became a nation that both rivaled Israel and became one of the most dominant tributaries to its theology and social structure. It is sold by Booklocker.com, as well as by Amazon.com and all the major on-line sellers. According to one view, Abraham remarried after the death of Sarah and had a total of three wives: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah. While she is introduced early in Exodus, very little is said about her. fi:Keturah themselves Shemitic through Abraham rather than Hamitic by Hagar. Nevertheless, Claus Westermann, in his commentary on Genesis (ad loc. [19] According to the Judean authors Josephus and Cleodemus Malchus, Punic people were descended from Epher, grandson of Abraham and Keturah. Some Jewish sages have proposed that Keturah and Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, are the same person, but there's no evidence in the text to support this, and this proposition is ultimately fantastic. After Sarah dies, Abraham marries Keturah. [5] The medieval Jewish commentator Rashi, and some previous rabbinical commentators, related a traditional belief that Keturah was the same person as Hagar, although this idea cannot be found in the biblical text. Who was Abraham's second wife, Hagar or Keturah? Later, Abraham and Sarah told the same lie to another black King who also wished
Letushim -- "hammered ones," descendant of Abraham and, 28. Abraham had all these when he remarried after the death of his wife Sarah. According to the Biblical tradition, he contracted this second marriage after the death of Sarah (compare Genesis 23), and very likely after the marriage of Isaac (compare Genesis 24). Keturah The wife of Abraham, after the death of Sarah, Genesis 25:1-6. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Do We See Any Gospel Connections in the Book of Numbers? [2][3] The Book of Genesis records that Abraham gave them gifts and sent them to the East, while making Isaac son of Sarah his primary heir. [2] Rashi and Rabbi Menachem bar Shlomo (Midrash Sekhel Tov) ad loc., actually claim that the term concubines is singular, but this seems indefensible. Three camels, one of which is the beast of burden. In its portrayal of the Civil War, the film presents a shining view of the Confederacy. Abrahams Black Concubine and Second Wife.