the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Genesis 25:8
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Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
He breathed his last breath and died at an old age, after a long and satisfying life.
Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. He joined his ancestors.
Then Abraham expired, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full [of years]; and was gathered to his people.
Abraham gave up the spirit, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full, and was gathered to his people.
Then Abraham breathed his last and he died at a good old age, an old man who was satisfied [with life]; and he was gathered to his people [who had preceded him in death].
and he failide, and diede in good eelde, and of greet age, and ful of daies, and he was gaderid to his puple.
and Abraham expireth, and dieth in a good old age, aged and satisfied, and is gathered unto his people.
And at a ripe old age he breathed his last and died, old and contented, and was gathered to his people.
Then Avraham breathed his last, dying at a ripe old age, an old man full of years; and he was gathered to his people.
And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
And Abraham came to his death, an old man, full of years; and he was put to rest with his people.
And then Abraham waxyng away, dyed in a lustie age, beyng an olde man, when he had liued ynough, and was gathered to his people.
And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, old and full [of days]; and was gathered to his peoples.
Then he grew weak and died. He had lived a long and satisfying life. He died and went to be with his people.
And Abraham expired, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
Then Abraham gaue vp the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of yeeres, and was gathered to his people.
Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
Then Abraham breathed his last and died, after living a long and full life of many good years, and was buried with his people.
Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
So Abraham breathed his last, and died in a fine old age, old and satisfied, - and was gathered unto his people,
Then Abraham yeelded the spirit, and died in a good age, an olde man, and of great yeeres, & was gathered to his people.
Then Abraham became sick, and died in a good old age, an old man satisfied with his days; and was gathered to his people.
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.
Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
And Abraam failing died in a good old age, an old man and full of days, and was added to his people.
And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
He took his last breath and died at a good old age, old and contented, and he was gathered to his people.
Avraham gave up the spirit, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full, and was gathered to his people.
And Abraham passed away and died in a good old age, old and full of years. And he was gathered to his people.
And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, aged and satisfied, and was gathered to his people.
and fell sicke and dyed in a good age, whan he was olde, & had lyued ynough and was gathered vnto his people.
Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.
Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
and he died at a ripe old age, having lived a long and satisfying life. He breathed his last and joined his ancestors in death.
Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.
And Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of days; and he was gathered to his people.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
gave: Genesis 25:17, Genesis 35:18, Genesis 49:33, Acts 5:5, Acts 5:10, Acts 12:23
good: Genesis 15:15, Genesis 35:28, Genesis 35:29, Genesis 47:8, Genesis 47:9, Genesis 49:29, Judges 8:32, 1 Chronicles 29:28, Job 5:26, Job 42:17, Proverbs 20:29, Jeremiah 6:11
gathered: Genesis 25:7, Genesis 35:29, Genesis 49:33, Numbers 20:24, Numbers 27:13, Judges 2:10, Acts 13:36
Reciprocal: Exodus 23:26 - the number Numbers 31:2 - gathered Deuteronomy 31:16 - thou shalt Deuteronomy 32:50 - be gathered Joshua 23:1 - waxed old 2 Kings 22:20 - I will gather 1 Chronicles 23:1 - old 2 Chronicles 24:15 - and was full of days Job 41:32 - hoary Psalms 91:16 - With long life Ecclesiastes 3:20 - go Hebrews 11:13 - all died
Cross-References
But you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, 175 years.
And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, old and satisfied, and was gathered to his people.
And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre.
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years. And he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered to his people.
Now Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his venison. And Rebekah loved Jacob.
And Jacob boiled pottage. And Esau came in from the field, and he was faint.
And it came to pass, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin.
And he charged them, and said to them, I am to be gathered to my relatives: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the sons of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Then Abraham gave up the ghost,.... Very readily and cheerfully, without any previous sickness or present pain, but through the decay of nature by reason of old age, in a very easy quiet manner:
and died in a good old age, an old man; for quantity, in those times few arriving to a greater; for quality, not attended with those inconveniences and disadvantages with which old age generally is, and therefore called evil:
and full [of years]; in the original it is only, "and full"; the Targum of Jonathan adds, "of all good"; temporal and spiritual, with which he was filled and satisfied; or he had had enough of life, and was willing to depart, and was full of desires after another and better world:
and was gathered to his people; which is to be understood not of his interment, there being only the body of Sarah in the sepulchre in which he was laid; but of the admission of his soul into the heavenly state upon its separation from the body, when it was at once associated with the spirits of just men made perfect. The Arabic writers f say that he died in the month of Nisan, others say Adar, in the year of the world 3563; but, according to Bishop Usher, he died A. M. 2183, and before Christ 1821.
f Elmacinus, p. 34. Patricides, p. 21. Apud Hottinger. Smegma Oriental. p. 315.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- The Death of Abraham
1. קטוּרה qeṭûrâh, “Qeturah, incense.”
2. זמרן zı̂mrān, “Zimran, celebrated in song.” יקשׁן yāqshān, “Joqshan, fowler.” מדן medān, “Medan, judge.” מדין mı̂dyān, “Midian, one who measures.” לאבק yı̂shbāq, “Jishbaq, he leaves.” שׁוּח shûach, “Shuach, pit.”
3. לטוּשׁם leṭûshı̂ym, “Letushim, hammered, sharpened.” לאמים le'umı̂ym, “Leummim, peoples.”
4. עיפה ‛êypâh, “‘Ephah, darkness.” עפר ‛êper, “‘Epher, dust.” אבידע 'ǎbı̂ydā‛, “Abida‘, father of knowledge.” אלדעה 'eldā‛âh, “Elda‘ah, knowing?”
Another family is born to Abraham by Keturah, and portioned off, after which he dies and is buried.
Genesis 25:1-6
Added and took a wife. - According to the laws of Hebrew composition, this event may have taken place before that recorded in the close of the previous chapter. Of this law we have several examples in this very chapter. And there is nothing contrary to the customs of that period in adding wife to wife. We cannot say that Abraham was hindered from taking Keturah in the lifetime of Sarah by any moral feeling which would not also have hindered him from taking Hagar. It has been also noticed that Keturah is called a concubine, which is thought to imply that the proper wife was still living; and that Abraham was a very old man at the death of Sarah. But, on the other hand, it is to be remembered that these sons were in any case born after the birth of Isaac, and therefore after Abraham was renewed in vital powers. If this renewal of vigor remained after the birth of Isaac, it may have continued some time after the death of Sarah, whom he survived thirty-eight years. His abstinence from any concubine until Sarah gave him Hagar is against his taking any other during Sarah’s lifetime. His loneliness on the death of Sarah may have prompted him to seek a companion of his old age. And if this step was delayed until Isaac was married, and therefore separated from him, an additional motive would impel him in the same direction. He was not bound to raise this wife to the full rights of a proper wife, even though Sarah were dead. And six sons might be born to him twenty-five years before his death. And if Hagar and Ishmael were dismissed when he was about fifteen years old, so might Keturah when her youngest was twenty or twenty-five. We are not warranted, then, still less compelled, to place Abraham’s second marriage before the death of Sarah, or even the marriage of Isaac. It seems to appear in the narrative in the order of time.
Genesis 25:2
The endeavors to ascertain the tribes that descended from these six sons of Keturah have not been very successful. Zimran has been compared with Ζαβράμ Zabram (Ptol. vi. 7, 5), situated west of Mecca on the Red Sea. Jokshan with the Κασσανῖται Kassanitai (Ptol. vi. 7, 6), and with the tribe Jakish among the Himyarites in South Arabia. Medan with Μοδιάνα Modiana on the east coast of the Aelanitic Gulf. Midian is found in two localities west of the Aelanitic Gulf and east of the Salt Sea. Among the former, Moses afterward found refuge. The latter are probably east of Abraham’s residence. Ishbak is compared with Shobek, a place in Idumaea. Shuah probably belongs to the same region. He may be the ancestor of Bildad the Shuhite Job 2:11. Of these, Midian alone appears to be ascertained. The others may have been absorbed in that congeries of tribes, the Arabs.
Genesis 25:3-4
Sheba, Dedan, and Asshurim are recurring names Genesis 10:7, Genesis 10:22, Genesis 10:28, describing other tribes of Arabs equally unknown. The three sons of Dedan may be traced in the tribe Asir of the south of Hejaz, the Beni Leits of Hejaz, and the Beni Lam of the borders of Mesopotamia. Of the sons of Midian, Epha is mentioned in Isaiah 60:6 along with Midian. Epher is compared with Beni Ghifar in Hejaz, Henok with Hanakye north of Medinah, Abida with the Abide, and Eldaah with the Wadaa. These conjectures of Burckhardt are chiefly useful in showing that similar names are still existing in the country. There are here six sons of Abraham, seven grandsons, and three great-grandsons, making sixteen descendants by Keturah. If there were any daughters, they are not noticed. It is not customary to mention females, unless they are connected with leading historical characters. These descendants of Abraham and Keturah are the third contribution of Palgites to the Joktanites, who constituted the original element of the Arabs, the descendants of Lot and Ishmael having preceded them. All these branches of the Arab nation are descended from Heber.
Genesis 25:5-6
Abraham makes Isaac his heir Genesis 24:36. He gives portions to the sons of the concubines during his lifetime, and sends them away to the East. Ishmael had been portioned off long before Genesis 21:14. The East is a general name for Arabia, which stretched away to the southeast and east of the point where Abraham resided in the south of Palestine. The northern part of Arabia, which lay due east of Palestine, was formerly more fertile and populous than now. The sons of Keturah were probably dismissed before they had any children. Their notable descendants, according to custom, are added here before they are dismissed from the main line of the narrative.
Genesis 25:7-11
The death of Abraham. His years were a hundred and seventy-five. He survived Sarah thirty-eight years, and Isaac’s marriage thirty-five. His grandfather lived a hundred and forty-eight years, his father two hundred and five, his son Isaac a hundred and eighty, and his grandson Jacob a hundred and forty-seven; so that his years were the full average of that period. “Expired” - breathed his last. “In a happy old age,” in external and internal blessedness Genesis 15:15. “Old and full” - having attained to the standard length of life in his days, and being satisfied with this life, so that he was ready and willing to depart. “Gathered to his peoples” Genesis 15:15. To be gathered is not to cease to exist, but to continue existing in another sphere. His peoples, the departed families, from whom he is descended, are still in being in another not less real world. This, and the like expression in the passage quoted, give the first fact in the history of the soul after death, as the burial is the first step in that of the body.
Genesis 25:9-10
Isaac and Ishmael, - in brotherly cooperation. Ishmael was the oldest son, dwelt in the presence of all his brethren, and had a special blessing. The sons of Keturah were far away in the East, very young, and had no particular blessing. Ishmael is therefore properly associated with Isaac in paying the last offices to their deceased father. The burying-place had been prepared before. Its purchase is here rehearsed with great precision as a testimony of the fact. This burial-ground is an earnest of the promised possession.
Genesis 25:11
This verse is an appendix to the history of Abraham, stating that the blessing of God, which he had enjoyed until his death, now descended upon his son Isaac, who abode at Beer-lahai-roi. The general name “God” is here employed, because the blessing of God denotes the material and temporal prosperity which had attended Abraham, in comparison with other men of his day. Of the spiritual and eternal blessings connected with Yahweh, the proper name of the Author of being and blessing, we shall hear in due time.
The section now completed contains the seventh of the documents commencing with the formula, “these are the generations.” It begins in the eleventh chapter and ends in the twenty-fifth, and therefore contains a greater number of chapters and amount of matter than the whole of the preceding narrative. This is as it should be in a record of the ways of God with man. In the former sections, things anterior and external to man come out into the foreground; they lie at the basis of his being, his mental and moral birth. In the present section, things internal to man and flowing from him are brought into view. These are coincident with the growth of his spiritual nature. The latter are no less momentous than the former for the true and full development of his faculties and capacities.
In the former sections the absolute being of God is assumed; the beginning of the heavens and the earth asserted. The reconstruction of skies and land and the creation of a new series of plants and animals are recorded. This new creation is completed by the creating of man in the image of God and after his likeness. The placing of man in a garden of fruit trees prepared for his sustenance and gratification; the primeval command, with its first lessons in language, physics, ethics, and theology; the second lesson in speaking when the animals are named; and the separation of man into the male and the female, are followed by the institutions of wedlock and the Sabbath, the fountain-heads of sociality with man and God, the foreshadows of the second and first tables of the law. The fall of man in the second lesson of ethics; the sentence of the Judge, containing in its very bosom the intimation of mercy; the act of fratricide, followed by the general corruption of the whole race; the notices of Sheth, of calling on the name of Yahweh begun at the birth of Enosh, of Henok who walked with God, and of Noah who found grace in his sight; the flood sweeping away the corruption of man while saving righteous Noah; and the confusion of tongues, defeating the ambition of man, while preparing for the replenishing of the earth and the liberties of men - these complete the chain of prominent facts that are to be seen standing in the background of man’s history. These are all moments, potent elements in the memory of man, foundation-stones of his history and philosophy. They cannot be surmounted or ignored without absurdity or criminality.
In the section now completed the sacred writer descends from the general to the special, from the distant to the near, from the class to the individual. He dissects the soul of a man, and discloses to our view the whole process of the spiritual life from the newborn babe to the perfect man. Out of the womb of that restless selfish race, from whom nothing is willingly restrained which they have imagined to do, comes forth Abram, with all the lineaments of their moral image upon him. The Lord calls him to himself, his mercy, his blessing, and his service. He obeys the call. That is the moment of his new birth. The acceptance of the divine call is the tangible fact that evinces a new nature. Henceforth he is a disciple, having yet much to learn before he becomes a master, in the school of heaven. From this time forward the spiritual predominates in Abram; very little of the carnal appears.
Two sides of his mental character present themselves in alternate passages, which may be called the physical and the metaphysical, or the things of the body and the things of the soul. In the former only the carnal or old corrupt nature sometimes appears; in the latter, the new nature advances from stage to stage of spiritual growth unto perfection. His entrance into the land of promise is followed by his descent into Egypt, his generous forbearance in parting with Lot, his valorous conduct in rescuing him, and his dignified demeanor toward Melkizedec and the king of Sodom. The second stage of its spiritual development now presents itself to our view; on receiving the promise, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward, he believes in the Lord, who counts it to him for righteousness, and enters into covenant with him. This is the first fruit of the new birth, and it is followed by the birth of Ishmael. On hearing the authoritative announcement, I am God Almighty; walk before me and be perfect, he performs the first act of that obedience which is the keystone of repentance, by receiving the sign of covenant, and proceeds to the high functions of holding communion and making intercession with God. These spiritual acts are followed by the destruction of the cities of the Jordan vale, with the preservation of Lot, the sojourning in Gerar, the birth of Isaac, and the league with Abimelek. The last great act of the spiritual life of Abraham is the surrender of his only son to the will of God, and this again is followed by the death and burial of Sarah, the marriage of Isaac, and the second marriage of Abraham.
It is manifest that every movement in the physical and ethical history of Abraham is fraught with instruction of the deepest interest for the heirs of immortality. The leading points in spiritual experience are here laid before us. The susceptibilities and activities of a soul born of the Spirit are unfolded to our view. These are lessons for eternity. Every descendant of Abraham, every collateral branch of his family, every contemporary eye or ear-witness, might have profited in the things of eternity by all this precious treasury of spiritual knowledge. Many of the Gentiles still had, and all might have had, a knowledge of the covenant with Noah, and a share in its promised blessings. This would not have precluded, but only promoted, the mission of Abraham to be the father of the seed in whom all the families of man should effectually be blessed. And in the meantime it would have caused to be circulated to the ends of the earth that new revelation of spiritual experience which was displayed in the life of Abraham for the perfecting of the saints.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 25:8. Then Abraham gave up the ghost — Highly as I value our translation for general accuracy, fidelity, and elegance, I must beg leave to dissent from this version. The original word יגוע yigva, from the root גוע gava, signifies to pant for breath, to expire, to cease from breathing, or to breathe one's last; and here, and wherever the original word is used, the simple term expired would be the proper expression. In our translation this expression occurs Genesis 25:8, Genesis 25:17; Genesis 35:29; Genesis 44:33; Job 3:11; Job 10:18; Job 11:20; Job 13:19; Job 14:10; Lamentations 1:19; in all of which places the original is גוע gava. It occurs also in our translation, Jeremiah 15:9, but there the original is נפחה נפשה naphecah naphshah, she breathed out her soul; the verb גוע gava not being used. Now as our English word ghost, from the Anglo-Saxon [A.S.] gast, an inmate, inhabitant, guest, (a casual visitant,) also a spirit, is now restricted among us to the latter meaning, always signifying the immortal spirit or soul of man, the guest of the body; and as giving up the spirit, ghost, or soul, is an act not proper to man, though commending it to God, in our last moments, is both an act of faith and piety; and as giving up the ghost, i.e., dismissing his spirit from his body, is attributed to Jesus Christ, to whom alone it is proper, I therefore object against its use in every other case.
Every man since the fall has not only been liable to death, but has deserved it, as all have forfeited their lives because of sin. Jesus Christ, as born immaculate, and having never sinned, had not forfeited his life, and therefore may be considered as naturally and properly immortal. No man, says he, taketh it - my life, from me, but I lay it down of myself; I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again: therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again, John 10:17-18. Hence we rightly translate Matthew 27:50, αφηκε το πνευμα, he gave up the ghost; i.e., he dismissed his spirit that he might die for the sin of the world. The Evangelist St. John 19:30, makes use of an expression to the same import, which we translate in the same way, παρεδωκε το πνευμα, he delivered up his spirit. We translate Mark 15:37, and Luke 23:46, he gave up the ghost, but not correctly, because the word in both these places is very different, εξεπνευσε, he breathed his last, or expired, though in the latter place (Luke 23:46) there is an equivalent expression, O Father, into thy hands παρατιθεμαι το πνευμα μου, I commit my spirit, i.e., I place my soul in thy hand; proving that the act was his own, that no man could take his life away from him, that he did not die by the perfidy of his disciple, or the malice of the Jews, but by his own free act. Thus HE LAID DOWN his life for the sheep. Of Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5:5; Acts 5:10, and of Herod, Acts 12:23, our translation says they gave up the ghost; but the word in both places is εξεψυξε, which simply means to breathe out, to expire, or die; but in no case, either by the Septuagint in the Old or any of the sacred writers in the New Testament, is αφηκε το μνευμα or παρεδωκε το πνευμα, he dismissed his spirit or delivered up his spirit, spoken of any person but Christ. Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, c., breathed their last Ananias, Sapphira, and Herod expired; but none, Jesus Christ excepted, gave up the ghost, dismissed, or delivered up his own spirit, and was consequently free among the dead. Of the patriarchs, c., the Septuagint uses the word εκλειπων, failing, or κατεπαυσε, he ceased or rested.
An old man — Viz., one hundred and seventy-five, the youngest of all the patriarchs and full of years. The word years is not in the text; but as our translators saw that some word was necessary to fill up the text, they added this in italics. It is probable that the true word is ימים yamim, days, as in Genesis 35:29; and this reading is found in several of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., in the Samaritan text, Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Chaldee. On these authorities it might be safely admitted into the text.
Being full of days, or full of years. - To be satiated with days or life, has been in use among different nations to express the termination of life, and especially life ended without reluctance. It seems to be a metaphor taken from a guest regaled by a plentiful banquet, and is thus used by the Roman poets.
Lucretius, lib. iii., ver. 947, ridiculing those who were unreasonably attached to life, and grievously afflicted at the prospect of death, addresses them in the following manner: -
Quid mortem congemis, ac fies? Nam si grata fuit tibi vita anteacta, priorque, Et non omnia pertusum congesta quasi in vas Commoda perfluxere, atque ingrata interiere: Cur non, ut PLENUS VITAE CONVIVA, RECEDIS?
Fond mortal, what's the matter, thou dost sigh? Why all these fears because thou once must die? For if the race thou hast already run Was pleasant, if with joy thou saw'st the sun, If all thy pleasures did not pass thy mind As through a sieve, but left some sweets behind,
Why dost thou not then, like a THANKFUL GUEST, Rise cheerfully from life's ABUNDANT FEAST?
CREECH.
Et nec opinanti mors ad caput astitit ante, Quam SATUR, ac PLENUS possis discedere rerum.
Ib. ver. 972.
And unexpected hasty death destroys, Before thy greedy mind is FULL of JOYS. Idem.
Horace makes use of the same figure:-
Inde fit, ut raro, qui se vixisse beatum Dicat, et exacto CONTENTUS tempore vitae Cedat, ut CONVIVA SATUR, reperire queamus.
Sat. l. i. Sat. i. ver. 117.
From hence how few, like SATED GUESTS, depart From life's FULL BANQUET with a cheerful heart?
FRANCIS.
The same image is expressed with strong ridicule in his last EPISTLE- Lusisti satis, edisti satis, atque bibisti; Tempus ABIRE tibi est. Epist. l. ii., ver. 216.
Thou hast eaten, drunk, and play'd ENOUGH;
then why So stark reluctant to leave off, and DIE?
The poet Statius uses abire paratum PLENUM vita, "prepared to depart, being FULL of LIFE," in exactly the same sense: -
Dubio quem non in turbine rerum Deprendet suprema dies; sed abire paratum, Ac PLENUM VITA.
Sylv. l. ii., Villa Surrentina, ver. 128.
The man whose mighty soul is not immersed in dubious whirl of secular concerns, His final hour ne'er takes him by surprise, But, FULL of LIFE, he stands PREPARED to DIE.
It was the opinion of Aristotle that a man should depart from life as he should rise from a banquet. Thus Abraham died FULL of days, and SATISFIED with life, but in a widely different spirit from that recommended by the above writers-HE left life with a hope full of immortality, which they could never boast; for HE saw the day of Christ, and was glad; and his hope was crowned, for here it is expressly said, He was gathered to his fathers; surely not to the bodies of his sleeping ancestors, who were buried in Chaldea and not in Canaan, nor with his fathers in any sense, for he was deposited in the cave where his WIFE alone slept; but he was gathered to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to the Church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven; Hebrews 12:23.
