Genesis 25:1

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 25:1 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah.
Genesis 25:1 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 25

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then again Abraham took a wife, etc.] Three years after the death of Sarah, and when his son Isaac was married, and he alone, and now one hundred and forty years of age: and her name [was] Keturah; who she was, or of what family, is not said. An Arabic writer f1343 says she was a daughter of the king of the Turks; another f1344 of them calls her the daughter of King Rama; and another f1345 the daughter of Pactor, king of Rabbah; but there were then no such people in being. Very probably she was one of Abraham’s handmaids born in his house, or bought with his money, perhaps the chief and principal of them. The Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem say she is the same with Hagar, and so, Jarchi;…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“SONS OF ABRAHAM. (Gen 25:1-6) Abraham took a wife--rather, "had taken"; for Keturah is called Abraham's concubine, or secondary wife (Ch1 1:32); and as, from her bearing six sons to him, it is improbable that he married after Sarah's death; and also as he sent them all out to seek their own independence, during his lifetime, it is clear that this marriage is related here out of its chronological order, merely to form a proper winding up of the patriarch's history.”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“25:1-11 Though Abraham had sons by another wife, he safeguarded Isaac’s inheritance and blessing. 25:1 Exactly when Abraham married . . . Keturah is unknown. It was probably, but not necessarily, after Sarah’s death.”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification