edom

After a quick peek at Ishmael’s genealogical record, the Bible now turns back to the family line of Abraham and Isaac. We are reminded that Abraham was the father of Isaac who, at 40 years of age, married Rebekah. After 20 years of marriage, Isaac prayed for a child and God answered the call. Rebekah became pregnant. She felt the babies moving inside her (apparently a little more movement that she had expected), so she asked God why this was happening. God replied, telling Rebekah that “two nations” were in her womb, she was pregnant with twins, and a battle was already being waged inside her. God told Rebekah that one of the twins would be stronger than the other and that, opposite of what tradition

This section of the Bible presents a genealogical account of the line of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hager (Sarah’s Egyptian slave). In this story, Ishmael’s sons are listed, some of who prove important to the continuing narrative of the Old Testament. Ishmael lived to be 137 years old. His sons and their families settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, along the eastern border of Egypt. The passage notes that the “lived in hostility” towards the other tribes they were related to. What the story means to us today Genealogical account The purpose of this passage is primarily genealogical and the sons mentioned play important parts in the upcoming biblical stories. God’s promises fulfilled A comparison of these texts to earlier passages reveals several items that were earlier promised