Genesis 25:3

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

Complete Jewish Bible:

Yokshan fathered Sh'va and D'dan. The sons of D'dan were Ashurim, L'tushim and L'umim.

Berean Standard Bible:

Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites, and the Leummites.

American Standard Version:

And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

And Jokshan{H3370} begat{H3205} Sheba{H7614}, and Dedan{H1719}. And the sons{H1121} of Dedan{H1719} were Asshurim{H805}, and Letushim{H3912}, and Leummim{H3817}.

Cross-References (KJV):

Ezekiel 25:13

  • Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.

Job 6:19

  • The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

1 Kings 10:1

  • ¶ And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.

Ezekiel 27:20

  • Dedan [was] thy merchant in precious clothes for chariots.

Jeremiah 49:8

  • Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time [that] I will visit him.

Ezekiel 27:6

  • [Of] the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches [of] ivory, [brought] out of the isles of Chittim.

Jeremiah 25:23

  • Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all [that are] in the utmost corners,

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Commentary for Genesis 25:3

Genesis 25:3 is a part of the genealogy of Abraham through his son Isaac, detailing the lineage of Abraham's grandson through his son Keturah, named Jokshan. This verse specifically mentions Jokshan's sons, Sheba and Dedan, and then lists the sons of Dedan: Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.

**Themes:**
1. **Genealogy and Lineage:** The verse emphasizes the importance of familial connections and the tracing of lineage, which is a common theme throughout the Bible. It establishes the ancestry of various peoples and provides a historical framework for understanding relationships between different tribes and nations.
2. **Blessing and Fulfillment:** This genealogy is part of the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to make him a great nation (Genesis 12:2). By detailing the descendants of Abraham, the narrative shows the beginning of this promise being fulfilled.
3. **The Spread of Nations:** The listing of these descendants also sets the stage for the spread of nations and the establishment of various peoples in the ancient Near East, some of which, like Sheba, will play significant roles in later biblical narratives.

**Historical Context:**
- Genesis 25 is set in the context of the patriarchal age, a period when the ancestors of the Israelite people lived. This was a time when familial lineage and tribal affiliations were of utmost importance for social, economic, and political organization.
- The mention of Sheba and Dedan connects to ancient tribes that historians associate with South Arabia and Northwest Arabia, respectively. These names appear elsewhere in the Bible and in ancient Near Eastern texts, indicating their significance in the region's history.
- The genealogy reflects the biblical authors' interest in connecting the Israelite people with other peoples and nations of the ancient world, which is consistent with the broader historical context of the time, where kinship ties often determined alliances and conflicts.

In summary, Genesis 25:3 is a verse that provides a snapshot of the lineage of Abraham through Keturah, contributing to the theme of divine promises being fulfilled and setting a historical backdrop for the relationships between various peoples mentioned throughout the Bible.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

  1. Strong's Number: H3370
    There are 3 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יׇקְשָׁן
    Transliteration: Yoqshân
    Pronunciation: yok-shawn'
    Description: from יָקֹשׁ; insidious; Jokshan, an Arabian patriarch; Jokshan.
  2. Strong's Number: H3205
    There are 403 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יָלַד
    Transliteration: yâlad
    Pronunciation: yaw-lad'
    Description: a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage; bear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).
  3. Strong's Number: H7614
    There are 23 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שְׁבָא
    Transliteration: Shᵉbâʼ
    Pronunciation: sheb-aw'
    Description: of foreign origin; Sheba, the name of three early progenitors of tribes and of an Ethiopian district; Sheba, Sabeans.
  4. Strong's Number: H1719
    There are 10 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: דְּדָן
    Transliteration: Dᵉdân
    Pronunciation: ded-awn'
    Description: or (prolonged) דְּדָנֶה; (Ezekiel 25:13), of uncertain derivation; Dedan, the name of two Cushites and of their territory; Dedan.
  5. Strong's Number: H1121
    There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: בֵּן
    Transliteration: bên
    Pronunciation: bane
    Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
  6. Strong's Number: H805
    There are 409 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: אֲשׁוּרִי
    Transliteration: ʼĂshûwrîy
    Pronunciation: ash-oo-ree'
    Description: or אַשּׁוּרִי; from a patrial word of the same form as אַשּׁוּר; an Ashurite (collectively) or inhabitant of Ashur, a district in Palestine; Asshurim, Ashurites.
  7. Strong's Number: H3912
    There are 1 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: לְטוּשִׁם
    Transliteration: Lᵉṭûwshim
    Pronunciation: let-oo-sheem'
    Description: masculine plural of passive participle of לָטַשׁ; hammered (i.e. oppressed) ones; Letushim, an Arabian tribe; Letushim.
  8. Strong's Number: H3817
    There are 1 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: לְאֻמִּים
    Transliteration: Lᵉʼummîym
    Pronunciation: leh-oom-meem'
    Description: plural of לְאֹם; communities; Leum mim, an Arabian; Leummim.