Genesis 22:24 (KJV)

What does Genesis 22:24 mean?

Genesis 22:24 adds four children to the account of Abraham’s brother Nahor’s family. Their mother is Reumah, identified as Nahor’s concubine, a woman whose place in the household was distinct from that of a wife.

The narrator adds Reumah’s children after listing the children of Nahor and his wife Milcah. The word “also” marks the addition: the family account includes children born to more than one woman.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 22:24

• “concubine” — פִּילֶגֶשׁ (pilegesh): This word refers to a woman in a recognized relationship with a man but with a different household status from a wife. Reumah belongs to Nahor’s household, though the term distinguishes her position from Milcah’s.

Why Genesis 22:24 matters

• The verse identifies a branch of Abraham’s wider family. Nahor is named as Abraham’s brother in Genesis 22:20, so Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah are Abraham’s nephews.
• The family report leads into later events through another branch. Rebekah, named in Genesis 22:23 as Bethuel’s daughter, later becomes Isaac’s wife in Genesis 24.