The Skeptics Annotated Bible (35 page)

64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel.

65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.

67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

25
Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

(25.1)
“Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.”
68 Was Keturah Abraham’s wife or concubine?

2 And she
bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

(25.1-2)
“Keturah … bear him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.”
Abraham needed God’s help to father Isaac when he was 100 years old (Gen 21.1-2, Rom 4.19, Heb 11.12). But here, when he is even older, he manages to have six more children without any help from God.
Since Abraham had so many sons, why does the Bible say that he had only one?
53 How many sons did Abraham have?

3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.

6 But unto the sons of
the concubines, which Abraham had
, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

(25.6)
“The concubines, which Abraham had”
16 Is polygamy OK?

7 And these are the days of the years of
Abraham
’s life which he
lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.

(25.7)
“Abraham … lived an hundred threescore and fifteen years.”

8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;

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

11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi.

12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,

15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:

16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

17 And these are
the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven
years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.

(25.17)
“The years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven”

18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.

19 And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac:

20 And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.

21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because
she was barren
: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.

(25.21)
“She was barren.”
In the Bible it’s always the women that are “barren”, never the men. And when God “opens their womb,” the resulting babies are always boys.

22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD.

23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.