Who Is Keturah?
- Pastor Sean Smith
- May 25, 2024
- 2 min read
Discussion: We often learn about Hagar and Sarah as the two prominent women in Abraham’s life…both blessing him with sons; however, only the latter received the received the promise/the blessing of the Lord. However, few fully realize that a third lady would also bless Abraham with sons after Sarah’s death. Today we learn about Keturah.
Keturah was one of Abraham's wives. The Rabbis describe her as a woman of virtue, for which she was worthy of being joined to Abraham. Though the Torah describes them separately, the rabbis often identify Keturah with Hagar, who they state came back to remarry Abraham after Sarah's death.
Debate: There has been some debate as to whether Keturah was Abraham’s wife or his concubine, since she is described as each in different places in Scripture. Genesis 25:1 says that Keturah was his wife; 1 Chronicles 1:32 calls her his concubine. Genesis 25:6 also implies that Keturah was a concubine. A concubine was a woman who willingly entered into an exclusive relationship with a man for the purposes of meeting his sexual needs or providing children for him (Hagar was considered a concubine of Abraham’s). The woman was often a slave or a single female without male protectors. A concubine did not have equal status as a wife, but, unlike a prostitute, she was provided for and considered the sole property of the man. Because Keturah was in a monogamous relationship with Abraham, she could properly be considered his “wife,” although she had a lesser rank than Sarah had enjoyed.
Keturah’s sons were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah (Genesis 25:1). The descendants of Midian (the Midianites) later become a big part of Israel’s history; in fact, Moses married a Midianite (Exodus 2:15–21). All Keturah’s sons received “gifts” from Abraham (Genesis 25:6), but none shared in the inheritance of Isaac (verse 5). Keturah’s sons became the fathers of Arabian tribes living east of Israel.
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