Genesis 25 Footnotes

25:1-6 After Sarah’s death, Abraham remarried and, miraculously, continued to have children. This passage is notable for two reasons. First, the descendants of some of these children (e.g., the Midianites) became significant in later generations. Second, Abraham sent the children “to the land of the East,” away from Isaac and the promised land. This was an effort to head off potential family conflicts, which might complicate the progress of God’s promise through Isaac’s descendants.

25:19-26 Besides the ongoing theme in Genesis of God’s opening the womb of barren women, we see here the recurring theme of the younger son displacing the older. This practice was completely contrary to the prevailing custom of the oldest son being the primary heir.