Questions and Answers

Was Keturah Abrahams' wife or concubine?

Keturah could have been Abraham's concubine who at some point became his wife.

The point behind both verses is not about Keturah, but about her children. The author of Genesis may have been less exact and referred to these children as those of Abraham's wife (if Bob had a child with Jill before being married, then got married to Jill, we would refer to the child as being of Bob's wife), while the author of 1 Chronicles (who is busy being exact in documenting genealogies) may have been more exact and noted that such children were born while Keturah was still the concubine of Abraham.

• 1 Chronicles 1:32 - The sons born to Keturah, Abraham's concubine...

• Genesis 25:1 - Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah