Commentaria in Genesim
Chapter Twenty-five. Synopsis of the Chapter
Abraham takes Cetura and has six children by her, and dies. Secondly, in verse 12, the descendants and death of Ishmael are recounted. Thirdly, in verse 19, Rebecca bears Jacob and Esau to Isaac; the younger of them is preferred by God to the elder. Fourthly, in verse 29, Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a dish of pottage.
1. And Abraham married another wife named Cetura: 2. who bore him Zamran, and Jecsan, and Madan, and Madian, and Jesboc, and Sue. 3. Jecsan also begot Saba and Dadan. The sons of Dadan were Assurim, and Latusim, and Loomim. 4. But of Madian came Epha, and Opher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaa: all these were the children of Cetura. 5. And Abraham gave all that he possessed to Isaac: 6. but to the sons of the concubines he gave gifts, and separated them from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, to the east country. 7. And the days of Abraham’s life were a hundred and seventy-five years. 8. And decaying he died in a good old age, and having lived a long time, and being full of days: and was gathered to his people. 9. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the double cave, which is in the field of Ephron the son of Seor the Hethite, over against Mambre, 10. which he bought of the sons of Heth: there he was buried, and Sara his wife. 11. And after his death, God blessed Isaac his son, who dwelt by the well named of the Living and Seeing. 12. These are the generations of Ishmael the son of Abraham, whom Agar the Egyptian, Sara’s handmaid, bore to him: 13. And these are the names of his sons according to their kindreds and generations. The firstborn of Ishmael was Nabaioth, then Cedar, and Adbeel, and Mabsam, 14. And Masma, and Duma, and Massa, 15. Hadar, and Thema, and Jethur, and Naphis, and Cedma. 16. These are the sons of Ishmael: and these their names by their castles and towns, twelve princes of their tribes. 17. And the years of the life of Ishmael were a hundred and thirty-seven: and decaying he died, and was gathered to his people. 18. And he dwelt from Hevila as far as Sur, which looks towards Egypt, as you go to the Assyrians: he died in the presence of all his brethren. 19. These also are the generations of Isaac the son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac. 20. Who when he was forty years old, took to wife Rebecca, the daughter of Bathuel the Syrian of Mesopotamia, the sister of Laban. 21. And Isaac besought the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and he heard him, and made Rebecca to conceive. 22. But the children struggled in her womb, and she said: If it were to be so with me, what need was there to conceive? And she went to consult the Lord. 23. And he answering, said: Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be divided out of thy womb, and one people shall overcome the other, and the elder shall serve the younger. 24. And when her time of being delivered was come, behold twins were found in her womb. 25. He that came forth first was red, and hairy like a skin: and his name was called Esau. Immediately the other coming forth, held his brother’s foot in his hand, and therefore he was called Jacob. 26. Isaac was threescore years old when the children were born to him. 27. And when they were grown up, Esau became a skilful hunter, and a husbandman: but Jacob a plain man dwelt in tents. 28. Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his hunting: and Rebecca loved Jacob. 29. And Jacob boiled pottage: to whom Esau, coming faint out of the field, 30. said: Give me of this red pottage, for I am exceeding faint. For which reason his name was called Edom. 31. And Jacob said to him: Sell me thy birthright. 32. He answered: Behold I die, what will the birthright avail me? 33. Jacob said: Swear therefore to me. Esau swore to him, and sold his birthright. 34. And so taking bread and the pottage of lentils, he ate, and drank, and went his way, making little account that he had sold his birthright.
1. AND ABRAHAM MARRIED ANOTHER WIFE. Sara was dead, and Agar had been sent away at God’s command, and perhaps was also dead; therefore Abraham took another, a third, wife, that from him seed might be multiplied also among the nations. This was done after Isaac had married Rebecca (of which in the preceding chapter), and consequently after the 140th year of Abraham.
Allegorically, the sons of Agar are the pagans and unbelievers; the sons of Cetura are the heretics, who persecute the sons of Isaac, that is, the faithful and Catholics. So Origen, and St. Augustine, Questions 70.
NAMED CETURA. The Hebrews, Lyranus and Thomas Anglicus think that she was the same as Agar, and that she was called Cetura, that is, perfumed with incense, because, cast out of Abraham’s house, she gave herself to chastity, prayer and the worship of God, whose symbol is incense and its burning. They add that Abraham, after Sara’s death, sent Isaac to bring back Agar, or Cetura. But these are inventions of the Jews, which Abulensis and Cajetan refute at length. Cetura, like Agar, seems to have been a handmaid, or slave, of Abraham; for if they had been freeborn, they would not be called concubines in verse 6.
Note: Abraham took Cetura after the death of Sara, who died in the 127th year of her age, when Abraham was 137 years old. Being therefore of so many years, he took Cetura, and by her begot six children; for Cetura was vigorous and fruitful. Add that God, who gave Abraham the power of generating by Sara beyond nature, also aided his power of generating by Cetura, and supplied what was lacking to him.
2. MADIAN. From him came the Madianites: these, then, are the descendants of Abraham by Cetura known to us; the rest are unknown. Josephus, however, relates that they inhabited Arabia Felix, as far as the Red Sea.
3. THE SONS OF DADAN WERE ASSURIM, AND LATUSIM, AND LOOMIM. These are names of nations and peoples who took their origin from the sons of Dadan. So Vatablus, and it is plain from the Hebrew. Perhaps they were so called from each one’s trade; for Assurim, according to St. Jerome, signifies merchants; Latusim, workers in iron and brass; Loomim, of many tribes and peoples, understand, owners or rulers. The Chaldee renders it, dwelling in camps, in tents, and on islands.
4. OPHER. His son Afer gave his name to Africa.
Afer gave his name to the city and region, as Josephus teaches from Alexander Polyhistor and Cleomedes, although others, following Solinus, would have Africa named from Afer, the son of Libys and Hercules. Some think that from these sons of Cetura sprang the Brahmins, who are the wise men and, as it were, the religious of the Indians, and that they were called Brachmans, as if Abrahamans; whence the Brahmins also worship a certain Perabramma, as the most ancient of the gods, who seems to be their first father Abraham. These conjectures are plausible, but uncertain.
6. BUT TO THE SONS OF THE CONCUBINES, of Agar and Cetura. Hence it is plain that Abraham did not neglect Agar and Ishmael, although sent away by him, but sent them gifts from time to time.
Note that these concubines were true wives (for so they are called in verse 4 and elsewhere), but of lower rank and almost slaves. Hence the principal wife was, and was called, the mistress. So Abraham gave Jescha, in chapter 11, verse 29, the name Sarai, that is, my princess or my lady. This principal wife was taken after betrothal, with the dowry spoken of and with solemn rite, and she was the mother of the family, sharer with her husband in all his goods, and governess of the house, and her son, finally, was heir to his father. Concubines commonly and ordinarily had nothing of the kind, but for the most part remained slaves, and of servile condition. So Pererius and others.
GIFTS. Gold, silver, garments, flocks, and so on.
HE SEPARATED THEM, that they might not contend with Isaac, and disturb him in the possession of the promised land; and again, that their posterity might not infect the children of Isaac with their idolatry and vices.
TO THE EAST COUNTRY. Note: the descendants of Ishmael lay nearest to the descendants of Isaac, towards the east. But those born of Cetura dwelt beyond the Ishmaelites, further to the east, and therefore these are always called in Scripture the children of the east, of whom there is frequent mention. See Arias in his book Chanaan, chapters 1 and 4.
8. AND DECAYING, as if to say, Abraham died not of disease, nor by any violence brought on from without, but of old age, when natural moisture, heat and strength failed.