* * *
So in just such a simple, natural way, it came about that Abraham agreed to take Keturah as a concubine. To marry her would have suggested that she was taking Sarah’s place, and to move her into Sarah’s tent was unthinkable. Abraham had realized that this would be too difficult for Isaac. However, she was given a tent of her own, and within the fortnight Keturah was with child.
Abraham thought it would be difficult for Isaac to accept this new relationship. To his surprise he found that at first Isaac seemed unconcerned about the marriage. He was merely happy to see his father moving among his men as in the past and tending to the affairs of business that had been neglected.
However, a fortnight later Abraham noticed that Isaac seemed to have become disturbed and even moody. He voiced his feelings to no one, but spent a great deal of time wandering out among the rocks and barren places of the desert. He had realized that when this child was born, it could take his place and receive the blessing and the birthright. His father had sent Ishmael away for his sake, but would he also send away any son that Keturah might have?
These thoughts drummed in his head and caused him almost physical pain. He had longed for his father to regain his interest in life, but he had not imagined it would come about in this way. Worse still, he felt guilty for thinking such things.
When the child was born Isaac witnessed with alarm the great feast given in his honor. They had named the child Zimran, meaning celebrated, saying that Abraham was indeed blessed with a concubine who could give him many sons like Zimran.
In the days that followed, Isaac became more and more withdrawn and lonely. Finally, he tried to put aside all such gloomy thoughts by spending more time in his father’s house in Gerar and visiting the king’s palace. Here he was always welcome. The old king had many wives and a dozen daughters. The young women, like the Egyptians, found it no disgrace to sit with young men and enjoy simple board games like Jackals and Hounds or to play haunting love songs on their decorated lyres.
All of this seemed innocent and to the lonely young man a wonderful distraction. One of the king’s daughters was especially attracted to him. Her name was Anatah, suggesting that she was a devotee of the goddess Anat.
Now two years had passed since Abraham had taken Keturah as his concubine and a situation had developed that brought everything to a sudden climax.
It had started with what seemed another harmless visit to the palace in Gerar. Keturah and her handmaidens had been invited to the palace and they needed an escort. It was not thought wise for Keturah to go alone or even with her maidens, since Sarah, on a similar visit, had been forcefully detained and almost married to the king. It was finally decided that Isaac should accompany her so there would be no danger of the same thing happening again.
They went with gifts and serving women and were welcomed with a great show of affection and excitement. There were one or two young princes but many more princesses. It was evident that they had planned an elaborate party. They had taken over the king’s royal porch and had ordered a rich feast, even hiring some dancers from the market.
The palace was designed after an Egyptian prince’s house. It had formal gardens, a pool with lily pads and frogs, an orchard, and pavilions for the king’s slaves and concubines. There was a wall around the grounds and a guard house at the gate. The king of Gerar always explained to visitors that his city was the very gateway to Egypt from the north. Actually during the long history of the city, it had often belonged to Egypt as one of its outposts.
Inside the walls of the palace were the atmosphere, fragrance, and even music of Egypt. Whatever was new in Egypt would be copied in Gerar within the month. The princesses wore the same style clothes and had their hair done by designers from Egypt. Their eyes were outlined in dusky kohl and their hands and feet were softened by lotions and unguents from the bazaars on the Nile. Their guests were travelers from the great cities of Carchemish and Damascus in the north, while from the south, they came from all the cities of the Nile. Only Abraham and his family among the local inhabitants were considered as equals and friends.
Now as the guests found seats on cushions and carpets spread out around the porch, the drumming began and was blended with the high falsetto of one of the singers. One by one, the dancers from the market got up and danced; with slapping feet and swiveling hips, they kept time to the music. A juggler joked and toyed with a handful of walnuts while one of the servants went around passing out small cakes.
“This is boring,” Anatah whispered to Isaac. “Let’s go to the bench by the pond and play a new game that everyone’s playing in Egypt.” Isaac was charmed by her attention and readily followed her out into one of the private gardens.