Keturah was the woman Abraham married after Sarah’s death, as recorded in Genesis 25:1:
“Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah.”
She bore Abraham six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah (Genesis 25:2). These sons became the fathers of various tribes and peoples who settled in regions east of Israel. For example, Midian became the ancestor of the Midianites, a people who appear frequently in Scripture. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, was a Midianite priest (Exodus 2:16–18).
Genesis 25:6 explains that Abraham gave gifts to these sons and sent them eastward, away from Isaac:
“But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east.”
This ensured that Isaac remained the sole heir of the covenant promises, confirming that God’s covenant line would continue through him alone. Nevertheless, Keturah’s descendants played a role in the development of nations and commerce in the ancient Near East, often interacting with Israel in later history, sometimes as allies, sometimes as adversaries.
The account of Keturah’s children highlights two truths: first, God blessed Abraham with many descendants, fulfilling His word that Abraham would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:4); second, while these offspring were part of Abraham’s legacy, the covenant blessings were reserved for Isaac, the child of promise.
