Woman living at the time of the Patriarchs
Keturah was the concubine Abraham took after the death of Sarah, and she bore him six sons.
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Keturah is mentioned in Gen.25.1, 4 and 1Ch.1.32, 33 as the concubine Abraham took after the death of Sarah. She is described as Abraham's concubine, which in the context of the ancient Near East, was a secondary wife with legal rights and status.
Keturah bore Abraham six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah (Gen.25.2; 1Ch.1.32). These sons became the ancestors of various tribes and nations, expanding Abraham's descendants beyond the primary line of Isaac and Ishmael.
Abraham gave gifts to the sons of Keturah and sent them away to the east, separating them from his son Isaac to avoid conflict over the inheritance (Gen.25.6). This action ensured that Isaac, the child of promise, would be the primary heir of Abraham's legacy and covenant blessings.
The mention of Keturah and her sons in the genealogies of Abraham demonstrates the fulfillment of God's promise to make Abraham a father of many nations (Gen.17.4-6). It also highlights the complexity of family relationships and the importance of preserving the line of Isaac as the chosen heir of the covenant promises.
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Incense, the wife of Abraham, whom he married probably after Sarah’s death (Gen. 25:1-6), by whom he had six sons, whom he sent away into the east country. Her nationality is unknown. She is styled “Abraham’s concubine” (1 Chr. 1:32). Through the offshoots of the Keturah line Abraham became the “father of many nations.”
(incense), the wife of Abraham after the death of Sarah. (Genesis 25:1; 1 Chronicles 1:32) (B.C. 1860.)
that makes the incense to fume
KETU'RAH (incense), the wife of Abraham after Sarah's death. Gen 25:1; 1 Chr 1:32. She was the mother of six sons.
KETU'RAH (incense), the wife of Abraham after Sarah's death. Gen 25:1; 1 Chr 1:32. She was the mother of six sons.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
4 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H6989
Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah,
The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
The sons born to Keturah, Abrahamʼs concubine: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.
The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were Keturahʼs sons.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.