Women of the Bible-K

Keturah
Keziah
King's Daughter

Keturah
Genesis 25:1-2, 1 Chronicles 1:32-33
ket-oo-raw' "incense"

Genesis 25:1-2:

Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

After Sarah's death, Abraham took a second wife. The sons Keturah bore did not share in the promise.

1 Chronicles 1:32-33:

The sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan. The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the descendants of Keturah.

History has largely forgotten Keturah. She was Abraham's second wife, if Hagar isn't counted. Unlike Sarah, she has six sons. Unlike Sarah, she does not appear to have had much role in the lineage of Christ. The Bible doesn't say exactly when Keturah became Abraham's wife. If it was after Sarah's death, Abraham would have been quite elderly.

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Keren-happuch
Job 42:13-16
keh'-ren hap-pook' "horn of antimony"

Job 42:13-16:

He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children's children, four generations.

Like her sisters, Keren-happuch was born after Job's restoration and she gained an inheritance with her brothers. Antimony is a metal alloy.

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Keziah
Job 42:13-16
kets-ee-aw' "cassia"

Job 42:13-16:

He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children's children, four generations.

Keziah was one of the three daughters born to Job after his restoration. Like her sisters she was beautiful and like her brothers she shared in his inheritance.

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King's Daughter
1 Samuel 17:24-27

In the middle of the David and Goliath story, the people of Israel make a suggestion that will change Michal's life.

1 Samuel 17:24-27:

All the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled from him and were very much afraid. The Israelites said, 'Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make his family free in Israel.' David said to the men who stood by him, 'What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?' The people answered him in the same way, 'So shall it be done for he man ho kills him.'

Here we see that the men of Israel were rather free with the king's daughter. Without even the king's consent, they agree to give his daughter in marriage to the hero of the day. From this passage it appears David has a specific motive for battling Goliath, a motive he doesn't mention when speaking to Saul. This will later leave the question of who is manipulating who with the marriage of Michal.

"The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A, and are used by permission. All rights reserved."

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