Genesis 25

This chapter concludes the Abraham narrative that began in Genesis 12 and turns to the story of Isaac and his two sons. It follows Genesis 24, which tells how Isaac took Rebekah as his wife.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 Abraham's later wife Keturah bears him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Abraham gives all that he has to Isaac; to the sons of his concubines he gives gifts and sends them away to the east country.
• Verses 7–11 Abraham dies at the age of 175. Isaac and Ishmael bury him in the cave of Machpelah.
• Verses 12–18 Ishmael's twelve sons become twelve princes. Ishmael dies at the age of 137.
• Verses 19–23 Isaac marries Rebekah at the age of 40. When she remains childless, Isaac entreats the Lord, and Rebekah conceives. When the children struggle within her, the Lord declares, "the elder shall serve the younger."
• Verses 24–28 Isaac is 60 years old when the twins are born. Esau, red and hairy, comes out first; Jacob follows, his hand grasping his brother's heel. Isaac loves Esau, a hunter, while Rebekah loves Jacob, who dwells in tents.
• Verses 29–34 Weary and wanting to eat Jacob's red pottage, Esau swears an oath and sells his birthright. This is why Esau is also called Edom.

Key Verses

• Genesis 25:23 "The elder shall serve the younger" — a statement foretelling the future of the two brothers and the two nations; it is quoted in the New Testament.
• Genesis 25:34 "Thus Esau despised his birthright" — one of the rare sentences in which the text itself directly evaluates an event.

People and Places

• Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob
• Keturah: Abraham's later wife and the mother of Midian, ancestor of the Midianites.
• Ishmael: The son whom Hagar bore to Abraham.
• Cave of Machpelah: The burial place Abraham purchased from the Hittites and where he buried Sarah (Genesis 23).
• Beer-lahai-roi: The well where Hagar met the angel of the Lord (Genesis 16).
• Padan-aram: Rebekah's homeland. Rebekah is the daughter of Bethuel and the sister of Laban.

Points for Reflection

• Abraham was 160 years old when the twins were born, so he would have lived until his grandsons were about 15. The text arranges its account by person rather than in chronological order.
• Verse 23 is quoted in Romans 9 together with Malachi 1. Calvinism reads the verse as God's sovereign election concerning individual salvation. Arminianism and the Wesleyan tradition tend to read it as election concerning nations and their roles in redemptive history.
• Interpretations of Jacob's conduct differ. Some view him critically for exploiting his brother's distress, while others focus on Esau's disregard for his birthright. Hebrews 12:16 describes Esau as one "who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright."
• The dish that Korean Bibles render as "red-bean porridge" is understood from the Hebrew to be a lentil stew.

In the Korean Church

The story of Esau's pottage is frequently cited, along with Hebrews 12:16, in sermons and Sunday school lessons. It serves as an example of the attitude that treats something precious lightly for the sake of an immediate need.