Inheritance of the Promised Land and Descendants of Keturah
The concept of inheritance in the Promised Land is central to the biblical narrative, particularly concerning the twelve tribes of Israel. This inheritance was distributed by lot among the tribes, with specific boundaries and territories assigned to each [7, 8]. For instance, the tribe of Judah received land in the southern part of Canaan, extending to the frontier of Edom and the desert of Zin [10, 11]. The territory of Benjamin was situated between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph [5]. Other tribes, like Simeon, had their inheritance within the territory of Judah, including places such as Beersheba and Moladah [1]. The land itself was described as extremely fruitful, abounding in minerals, and referred to by various names including the "Holy Land," "Land of Canaan," and "Land of Promise" [2].
In contrast to the descendants of Israel, Abraham's other children, specifically the sons of Keturah, did not inherit the Promised Land. Keturah is identified as one of Abraham's concubines [6, 9]. Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines, including Hagar and Keturah, which may have included cattle, seed, and implements for husbandry [6]. However, he sent them away while he was still alive, to prevent them from disputing Isaac's settlement in the Land of Promise after his death [6]. This action established a precedent that the children of concubines would not inherit alongside the legitimate heir [6, 9]. Ishbak, for example, was a son of Abraham and Keturah and became the progenitor of a tribe in northern Arabia [4]. The Jewish tradition, as interpreted by John Gill, suggests that concubines were "half wives" or "secondary ones," whose children did not inherit [9]. Flavius Josephus also notes the importance of legitimate lineage in inheritance, highlighting that Abraham desired his son to marry within his relations to ensure a legitimate heir [3].
Sources
- Joshua “Joshua 19:2 (BSB) — Their inheritance lay within the territory of Judah and included Beersheba (or Sheba), Moladah,”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Holy Land — Extremely fruitful -- Ex 3:8; Nu 13:27; De 8:7-9; 11:10-12. Abounded in minerals -- De 8:9; 33:25. Called The land. -- Le 26:42; Lu 4:25. The Lord's land. -- Ho 9:3. Land of Canaan. -- Ge 11:31; Le 14:34. Land of Israel. -- 1Sa 13:19; Mt 2:20,21. Land of Judah. -- Isa 26:1. Land of the Hebrews. -- Ge 40:15. Land of promise. -- Heb 11:9. Land of Immanuel. -- Isa 8:8. Pleasant land. -- Ps 106:24; Da 8:9. Good land. -- Nu 14:7; De 3:25. Glorious land. -- Da 11:16. Palestine. -- Ex 15:14; Isa 14:29,31. Original inhabitants of, expelled for wickedness -- Ge 15”
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 16, section 3: "Abraham is the son of Terah, and a kinsman of yours; for Nahor, the grandfather of these children, was the brother of Abraham, by both father and mother; upon which account he hath sent me to you, being desirous to take this damsel for his son to wife. He is his legitimate son, and is brought up as his only heir. He could indeed have had the most happy of all the women in that country for him, but he would not have his son marry any of them; but, out of regard to his own relations, he desired him to match here, whose affection ”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Ishbak — (left behind), a son of Abraham and Keturah, (Genesis 25:2; 1 Chronicles 1:32) and the progenitor of a tribe of northern Arabia. (B.C. after 1856.)”
- Joshua (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Joshua 18:11: Inheritance of the Tribe of Benjamin. - Jos 18:11-20. Boundaries of the inheritance. - Jos 18:11. The territory of their lot (i.e., the territory assigned to the Benjaminites by lot) came out (through the falling out of the lot) between the sons of Judah and the sons of Joseph. Jos 18:12-14 The northern boundary ("the boundary towards the north side") therefore coincided with the southern boundary of Ephraim as far as Lower Beth-horon, and has already been commented upon in the exposition of Jos 16:1-3. The western boundary follows in Jos 18:14. At Beth-horon ”
- Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 25:6: Unto the sons of the concubines - Viz., Hagar and Keturah, Abraham gave gifts. Cattle for breed, seed to sow the land, and implements for husbandry, may be what is here intended. And sent them away - while he yet lived - Lest after his death they should dispute a settlement in the Land of Promise with Isaac; therefore he very prudently sent them to procure settlements during his lifetime, that they might be under no temptation to dispute the settlement with Isaac in Canaan. From this circumstance arose that law which has prevailed in almost all countries, of giving”
- Numbers (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 27 (introduction): Claims of Zelophehad's Daughters to an Inheritance in the Promised Land. - Num 27:1-4. The divine instructions which were given at the mustering of the tribes, to the effect that the land was to be divided among the tribes in proportion to the larger or smaller number of their families (Num 26:52-56), induced the daughters of Zelophehad the Manassite of the family of Gilead, the son of Machir, to appear before the princes of the congregation, who were assembled with Moses and Eleazar at the tabernacle, with a request that they would assign them an”
- Numbers (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Numbers 34:13: This land, according to the boundaries thus described, the Israelites were to distribute by lot (Num 26:56), to give it to the nine tribes and a half, as the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh had already received their inheritance on the other side of the Jordan (Num 32:33.).”
- Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 25:6: But unto the sons of the concubines which Abraham had,.... These were Hagar and Keturah, though they are both called his wives, Gen 16:3; yet they were concubines; so Keturah, Ch1 1:32; they were, as some render the word, "concubine wives" (e); they were half wives or secondary ones: the Jewish writers say that they were espoused, but not by writing, as wives were; they were under the lawful wife, when there were any, and a kind of head servants in the family, and their children did not inherit; now the sons of the concubines of Abraham were Ishmael by Hagar, and the”
- Joshua (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Joshua 15:1: Boundaries of the inheritance of the tribe of Judah. - Jos 15:1. Its situation in the land. "And there was (i.e., fell, or came out; cf. Jos 16:1; Jos 19:1) the lot to the tribe of Judah according to its families to the frontier of Edom (see at Num 34:3), to the desert of Zin southward, against the extreme south" (lit. from the end or extremity of the south), i.e., its inheritance fell to it, so that it reached to the territory of Edom and the desert of Zin, in which Kadesh was situated (see at Num 13:21), on the extreme south of Canaan. Jos 15:2-4 The southern”
- Joshua (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Joshua 15 (introduction): Inheritance of the Tribe of Judah - Joshua 15 Under the superintending providence of God, the inheritance which fell to the tribe of Judah by lot was in the southern part of Canaan, where Caleb had already received his inheritance, so that he was not separated from his tribe. The inheritance of Judah is first of all described according to its boundaries (Jos 15:1-12); then for the sake of completeness it is stated once more with regard to Caleb, that he received Kirjath-arba for his inheritance, and took possession of it by expelling the Anakites a”