Genesis 25:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife.

NIV: the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.

NASB: the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth; there Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.

CSB: This was the field that Abraham bought from the Hethites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.

NLT: This was the field Abraham had purchased from the Hittites and where he had buried his wife Sarah.

KJV: The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.

NKJV: the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.

This verse completes the description of Abraham's burial cave begun in the previous verse. The full details of Abraham's acquisition of this cave, and the field attached to it, can be found in Genesis chapter 23. The important point of that narration is that Abraham legally purchased the field from a man named Ephron. This was done with the full approval of the counsel of the Hittites who lived in the region at the time. Abraham's legal ownership of the cave as a burial place was undisputed.

Abraham was buried alongside Sarah, and not with his other wife Keturah, who was mentioned at the beginning of this chapter (Genesis 25:1–2). He was also not buried alongside Hagar (Genesis 16:1–4), though their son Ishmael attended Abraham's burial. This burial with Sarah emphasizes Abraham's explicit, God-directed choice for his line and God's blessing to flow through Isaac to future generations.

Genesis 25:1–18 adds details before describing the deaths of Abraham and then Ishmael. Abraham has taken another wife, other than Sarah, and has six sons with her. He gives them gifts but sends them all away to the east. Isaac will be his sole true heir. Still, when Abraham dies and is buried at the age of 175, Ishmael joins Isaac for the funeral. Ishmael's 12 sons are listed, along with a description of the region their tribes settled in. Finally, Ishmael dies, as well, at the age of 137.

Genesis 25 is packed with information. Abraham marries another wife, most likely before Sarah died, and has six sons with her. Abraham dies at the age of 175 and is buried by both Isaac and Ishmael at the family-owned cave where Sarah was buried. Ishmael's 12 sons are listed, along with the region their tribes settled in, to the east of what would later become Israel. And, finally, God grants Isaac's prayer for Rebekah to become pregnant by giving the couple twins: the feuding Jacob and Esau.

The previous chapter tells the story of how Abraham's servant found a wife for Isaac from among Abraham's people. This chapter rushes to fill in the details of the end of Abraham's life before beginning the story of Isaac's years as patriarch. Abraham marries another woman and has six sons with her, eventually sending them all away from Isaac. Abraham dies and is buried with Sarah. Ishmael's 12 sons are listed, and then his death is recorded, as well. Finally, Isaac's twin boys are born in response to his prayer to the Lord.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/12/2024 10:22:04 PM