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Genesis

About this book

Abraham's Other Descendants and Death

Chapter 25

1 Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. 5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. 7 Abraham lived a total of 175 years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life.⁠ He joined his ancestors. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hittite. 10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

Ishmael's Descendants

12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps—twelve princes according to their clans. 17 Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 18 His descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next to Egypt all the way to Asshur. They settled away from all their relatives.

The Birth of Jacob and Esau

19 This is the account of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham became the father of Isaac. 20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 But the children struggled inside her,⁠ and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she asked the Lord, 23 and the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”⁠ 24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, there were twins in her womb.⁠ 25 The first came out reddish all over, like a hairy garment, so they named him Esau.⁠ 26 When his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

Esau Sells His Birthright

27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents.⁠ 28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished.⁠ 30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed me some of the red stuff—yes, this red stuff—because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) 31 But Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” So Esau swore an oath to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. So Esau despised his birthright.

Texts in conversation

Compare Epic of Gilgamesh I 103 and Genesis 25:25

Ancient Near East, Babylonian · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Genesis describes Esau as hairy and a hunter of the open fields, while Jacob lives in tents. The Epic of Gilgamesh uses a similar pairing: the wild, shaggy Enkidu who lives with animals contrasted with the civilized king Gilgamesh of Uruk.

Passages

Epic of Gilgamesh I 103

Ancient Near East, Babylonian
99 Aruru washed her hands, 100 she took a pinch of clay, she threw it down in the wild. 101 In the wild she created Enkidu, the hero, 102 an offspring of silence, knit strong by Ninurta. 103 All his body is matted with hair, 104 he is adorned with tresses like a woman: 105 the locks of his hair grow as thickly as Nissaba’s, 106 he does not know at all a people nor even a country. 107 He was clad in a garment like Šakkan’s, 108 feeding on grass with the very gazelles. 109 Jostling at the water-hole with the herd, 110 he enjoyed the water with the animals. 111 A hunter, a trapper-man, 112 came face to face with him by the water-hole.
2100 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Epic of Gilgamesh

Genesis 25:25

Hebrew Bible
24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out reddish all over, like a hairy garment, so they named him Esau. 26 When his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born. 27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Genesis

References

"... Typological Parallels. Ancient Near Eastern parallels that are more likely typological than cognate include: the symbolic contrast of culture and nature in the rivalry between Jacob and Esau and in the Mesopotamian rivalry between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the Egyptian rivalry between Horus and Seth, and the Phoenician rivalry between Hypsouranios and Ousoos (Hendel 1987b: 111–31); the use of clothing to symbolize the rites de passage in the Joseph narrative (see above, C.5.) and in the Gilgamesh epic (Moran Encyclopedia of Religion 5: 559); Jacob’s mysterious wrestling encounter with God in Genesis 32:23–33 and Gilgamesh’s dream of a wrestling encounter with his patron god Shamash in the Gilgamesh epic (Hendel 1987b: 103–9). There are many typological parallels from other cultures for stories about tricksters like Jacob (Hendel 1987b: 123, 128–29; Niditch 1987: 95–118), wise heroes like Joseph (Niditch 1987: 110–14), heroes who wrestle with gods (de Pury 1979), primeval floods (Dundes 1988), and many other motifs and themes in Genesis (Frazer 1918; Gaster 1950) ..."
David Noel (ed.) Freedman, The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 3087.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Epic of Gilgamesh I 103 and Genesis 25:25

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