The Death of Abraham in the Bible: His Age and Descendants

Christianity.com Editorial Staff

"These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people." ~ Genesis 25:7-8

Age of Abraham at His Death

As seen in the scripture above, Abraham lived to be 175 years old at the time of his death. Abraham died "in a good old age, old and full of days"; that is, he died full of faith and blessing from God.

All the days, even of the best and greatest saints, are not special days; some slide on silently; such were these last days of Abraham. Here is an account of Abraham's children by Keturah and his estate's disposition. After the birth of these sons, he set his house in order, with prudence and justice. He did this while he yet lived. It is wisdom for men to do what they find to do while they live, as far as they can. 

Abraham lived 175 years, just one hundred years after he came to Canaan; so long he was a sojourner in a strange country. Whether our stay in this life is long or short, it matters but little, provided we leave behind us a testimony to the faithfulness and goodness of the Lord, and an excellent example to our families. We are told that his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him. It seems that Abraham had himself brought them together while he lived. Let us not close the history of the life of Abraham without blessing God for such a testimony of the triumph of faith. (Matthew Henry Commentary)

Read the Bible text of Abraham's last days and his lineage that carried on:

Abraham's Death and Burial

Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country. These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, 175 years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi. (Genesis 25:1-11)

The Genealogy of Ishmael

These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes. (These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.) They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled over against all his kinsmen. (Genesis 25:12-18)

The Genealogy of Isaac

These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham fathered Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her, and she said, "If it is thus, why is this happening to me?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger." When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (Genesis 25:19-28)

The Children of God

The children of God are not Abraham's children according to the flesh. If this were so, the six children of Abraham by Keturah would be the children of God. So also would be the Jews, the Ishmaelites, and the Edomites, by right of birth, for the Jews came from Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. The Ishmaelites sprang from Hagar, Abraham's concubine. The Edomites were the offspring of Esau, Jacob's twin brother. But the children of God are all who embrace the faith of Abraham through the word of promise.

Abraham sent all the children of Keturah away from Isaac, who was born according to the word of promise. He sent them away to emphasize that the children of God are born according to this word.

The prophecy in Genesis 25:23, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger," shows that God's purpose in salvation stands based on His calling, and not based on works, either good or bad (Romans 9:11). God foreknew which of the two sons would believe the word of promise given to Abraham. Jacob embraced the faith of Abraham, whereas Esau rejected it. Both were called, but Jacob alone responded to the call through faith. The Jews came from Jacob and those who respond to God's calling, as Jacob did, are the children of God. The Jews who do not embrace Abraham's faith are like Esau.

Photo credit: Flickr/jean louis mazieres

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