Isaac's dysfunctional family

Genesis 25

Genesis 25 begins with another round of genealogy, in regards to the children Abraham has with a new wife, Keturah, who is also referred to as a concubine in this same chapter. It really has me wondering who Keturah is, this woman who is barely mentioned in the Bible, but manages to occupy the role of both concubine and wife to the same man.

Keturah is described by many rabbis as being a woman of virtue. In Judaism, it is explained that the name “Keturah” is based on her acts, which were “pleasant like frankincense”. Some rabbinical scholars hold the belief that Keturah and Hagar are the same person. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9293-keturah

Abraham did not treat Hagar and Ishmael very well. Likewise, he sends all of Keturah’s children away so that they would not live in the same vicinity of his precious son, Issac, who inherited everything. Abraham wants Isaac to be considered his rightful heir without being threatened by any of his half-brothers. This favoritism is apparently okay in the Abraham family tree.

The descendents of one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah, Midian, will feature in later stories. Joseph was sold by his brother to the Midianites, and the Israelites will attack the town of Midian in later years. There is no archaeological or historical record for a Midian tribe, all anecdotes in regards to Midianites comes from the Torah and Qur’an.

At the time of Abraham’s death, Isaac lived near Beer-Lahai-Roi. This is the same well where God found Hagar after she fled into the desert.

We learn the names of Ishmael’s twelve sons, who will supposedly become the twelve tribal rulers that God proclaimed they would be. There is a very different translation in the NIV compared to the JPS Torah to describe Ismael’s sons.

Genesis 25: 17-18, NIV Altogether, Ishmael lived 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. His descendents settled in the are from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.

Genesis 25:17-18, JPS These were the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years; then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his kin. They dwelt from Havilah, by Shur, which is close to Egypt, all the way to Asshur; they camped alongside their kinsmen.

Why is this important? Because today’s Jewish people are supposedly the descendants of Isaac, just like today’s Arab Muslims are supposedly the descendants of Ishmael. And, some people on this planet like to claim that these two ethnic groups will always be at war with each other, because the Bible says so. The Christian Bible is the book that uses the word hostility, while the Torah makes no such implication. Take, for example, this earlier verse:

Genesis 16:12, NIV “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”

Genesis 16:12, JPS “He shall be a wild ass of a man; His hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he shall dwell alongside all of his kinsmen.”

Granted, in both translations, Ishmael is not portrayed as the nicest of folks, and is very different from the Ishmael found in the Qu’ran. But, it is only the Christian Bible that claims he and his descendants will be hostile towards their extended family.

Rebekah was from Northwest Mesopotamia, Abraham’s place of birth, and in this chapter we learn she was also associated with Arameans:

Genesis 25:19-20, NIV This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

So apparently, Rebekah was from Ur, since Eliezer was sent to Abraham’s place of birth to find a wife for Isaac, the town of Nahor (Gen 24:10), and is also an Aramean. This is starting to get confusing!

According to more scientific, non-biblical sources, the Arameans (or Aramaean) were a confederacy of tribes that spoke a northern Semitic language (Aramaic) and, between the 11^th and 8^th century BCE, occupied Aram, a large area in northern Syria. Some of these tribes also conquered large regions in Mesopotamia during the same time period.

Isaac and Rebekah also struggled with infertility, like Isaac’s parents, and relied on God’s interference in order to have a child. Rebekah eventually became pregnant with twins, and readers once again have pre-destination thrown at them. Before Rebekah’s twins are even born, God dooms the elder one (Esau) in favor of the younger twin (Jacob).

Genesis 25:23, NIV 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.”

The boys were born, Esau and Jacob. Esau was named for his red hair, and Jacob for the fact that he was holding Esau’s heel when he emerged from the womb. The name Jacob literally means “heel holder”, and in later times also came to mean “supplanter”. Isaac favored Esau, and Rebekah favored Jacob. Once again, the choosing of favorites is perfectly fine! It’s nice to see that dysfunctional families have such a long, storied history.

This chapter ends with yet another confusing tale. Esau, the hunter, returns “from the open country”, starving. Jacob just so happens to be cooking some stew (I thought that would be a job for the slaves?). Instead of being a nice brother, and offering Esau a meal with no strings attached, Jacob decides to take advantage of the situation. He bribes Esau, demanding that he forego his birthright, before he will give him any food. Esau (did I mention that he was starving), consents. Jacob is a jerk.