25:1–6 The final episode of Abraham’s story highlights the various ways in which God fulfills his promises to the patriarch. God had promised Abraham that he would have many descendants (13:16; 15:5; 17:2; 22:17) and would be the father of many nations (17:4). That promise is fulfilled not simply through Isaac and Ishmael but also through Abraham’s children by Keturah, listed in the first four verses of Genesis 25. It seems that there is no special divine intervention required for the birth of these children, as there was not for the birth of Ishmael, which reinforces the idea that the marriage to Keturah occurred earlier, before the birth of Isaac.

Most of the nations that come from these offspring are located in the Arabian Peninsula and connected with the spice trade, which is fitting, since their mother’s name, Keturah, has been connected to spices and incense.334 They are clearly counted as part of the Abrahamic family, but, while these are children of Abraham in the physical sense, only Isaac is the child of promise. As a result, he alone inherits Abraham’s estate (v. 5), along with the promises made by God to his father (26:3–5). Abraham loves and provides for all his children (25:6), but there is no confusion in his mind about God’s promise. He does not try to pass it on to a different child, as Isaac will (cf. Genesis 27), nor seek a share of the inheritance for others of his children, as he sought earlier for Ishmael (17:17; 21:10–11). Rather he trusts the God who had said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named” (21:12). Acting upon that faith, he makes provision for his other children—who are linked with Ishmael as the children of his concubines (25:6)—and sends them away, just as he sent away Ishmael (cf. 21:12–14).

It is significant that many of these tribal groups, such as the Midianites, will be subsequently hostile to the Israelites when they come out of Egypt under Moses (cf. Num. 22:4–7) and after the conquest (cf. Judges 6). Though descended from Abraham, they do not share in his spiritual blessings because, like Ishmael, they choose to live “over against all his kinsmen” (Gen. 25:18). Sheba and Dedan—if these are the same groups as later—are singled out for judgment in the prophets for their opposition to Judah at the time of the Babylonian exile (Jer. 25:23; 49:8). The offspring of Asshurim are not to be confused with the Assyrians; they are a distinct group (mentioned also in Numbers 24:22, 24; Ps. 83:8) located close to Egypt (cf. Gen. 25:18).335 What links all these diverse groups is their opposition to Israel (cf. Ps. 83:8–9). It is not enough to be Abraham’s offspring physically if this is not combined with Abraham’s faith. The “not sons” end up being sent away to the east (Gen. 25:6), as when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden (3:23–24).

25:7–11 Abraham himself lives a long and full life under God’s blessing, just as Sarah had, dwelling in the land of Canaan for a full century (cf. 12:4). His death is in line with what God had promised long before: “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age” (15:15). Here we read that Abraham is indeed gathered to his people in a “good old age” (25:8). This means more than simply joining his ancestors in the family grave, since in Abraham’s case the grave site is a new one, occupied only by Sarah. Rather, it contains at least a hint of a continued existence, without which the main point of this chapter—God’s faithfulness to fulfill his promises to Abraham—would fall rather flat.

Abraham’s subsequent funeral is marked by precisely the peace and harmony promised in Genesis 15. His sons Isaac and Ishmael bury their differences long enough to bury their father together in the cave of Machpelah, where Abraham had earlier buried Sarah (Gen. 25:9–10). The rest of their lives will be marked by the “in your face” hostility prophesied by the angel of the Lord in Genesis 16:12, which will be passed down to succeeding generations of their children (25:18). For this brief moment, however, their enmity is forgotten as they join together in the peaceful burial of their father. Here is a man in whose life many promises of God have indeed been fulfilled.

Of course, this documentation of promises fulfilled also highlights those promises that have not yet been fulfilled. God had promised to give Abraham the entire land of Canaan, and thus far he only owns a small field as a burial site, including the cave of Machpelah. The conclusion of Abraham’s story has an “already and not yet” feel to it, with a clear acknowledgement of what God has done to bless him together with a vivid awareness that so much more still remains to be fulfilled.

25:12–18 Ishmael receives his own toledot (family history), a title that highlights the function of the term as an introduction of whatever follows rather than a colophon ending that which precedes it.336 It details the story of the subsequent generations, in this case those who come from Ishmael. Ishmael is identified as a son of Abraham, but he is also the son of Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant (v. 12). These two identities presuppose the reader’s familiarity with the story so far and represent the outworking of Ishmael’s family as part of that same story. Although the subject of the chapter ostensibly shifts from Abraham to Ishmael, the underlying theme is unchanged: God’s faithfulness to Abraham.

Ishmael’s prosperity and numerous progeny is therefore presented as a fulfillment of God’s promises to Hagar and to Abraham that Ishmael would father twelve princes and become a great nation (16:10; 17:20). The twelve sons of Ishmael are listed in 25:13–15, and the fact is recorded that they all become princes. We are informed that Ishmael himself lives to a good age, and, when he dies, he too is “gathered to his people” (v. 17). Assuming this is not simply a stock euphemism for death, this conclusion to Ishmael’s story raises the question regarding to which people he is gathered. Is his final destiny to be with the family of faith, represented by his father, Abraham, or with the family of unbelief, where he spends most of his life? Out of that mixed parentage, who are Ishmael’s true people? The trajectory of his offspring, who choose to dwell in the vicinity of Egypt, is not encouraging. What is more, the last word on Ishmael confirms the prophecy of Genesis 16:10–12, that he would live “over against all his kinsmen” (v. 18). To be an enemy of Abraham’s seed is to place oneself under the curse of Abraham’s God (12:1–3).