Genesis 25:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb.

NIV: When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.

NASB: When her days leading to the delivery were at an end, behold, there were twins in her womb.

CSB: When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb.

NLT: And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins!

KJV: And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.

NKJV: So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.

These events occurred thousands of years before mankind developed the technology to look at an unborn child prior to birth. Rebekah, up to this point, only knows that there has been constant commotion—a "struggle"—inside her womb during this pregnancy (Genesis 25:22). In most cases, there would have been no way to know that a woman was bearing twins until delivery was complete. More than likely, this was the case with Rebekah. Beyond the surprise of having two sons, rather than just one, their birth would have made the prophecy about them given in the previous verse much clearer (Genesis 25:23). These two children would eventually become two nations.

Genesis 25:19–28 describes the birth of Isaac and Rebekah's twin boys. After marrying when Isaac is 40, Rebekah does not become pregnant for 20 years, and only in response to Isaac's prayer to the Lord. Her pregnancy is so difficult that she approaches the Lord to ask why. His response is a prophecy about the divided nations that will come from her. That makes more sense when two children are born, one red and hairy, the other grabbing his brother's heel. The first is named Esau, who becomes a hunter loved by his father. The second is Jacob, a quiet, stay-at-home man favored by his mother.

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 5/2/2024 12:40:42 PM