Keturah
Name Origin & Meaning
From the Hebrew 'qatar' (to burn incense, to offer sweet-smelling offerings), Keturah's name evokes the rising smoke of sacrifice and worship. In ancient Israel, incense symbolized prayer ascending to God and the sweet aroma of a life pleasing to Him. The name suggests a woman whose presence and legacy carried a fragrant, worshipful quality before the Lord.
First Biblical Appearance
“Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.”
Keturah's introduction as Abraham's wife after Sarah's death, expanding the patriarchal legacy through additional descendants.
Biblical Significance
Keturah was the second wife (or concubine) of Abraham after Sarah's death, and bore him six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Through her, Abraham became the ancestor of several Arabian and Midianite peoples. While less prominent than Sarah, her place in the narrative shows Abraham's continued fruitfulness into old age. She represents the fuller scope of Abraham's fatherhood of many nations.
Notable Bearers
- Keturah wife of Abraham
Personality & Character
Creative completeness and the Trinity — the number of divine fullness in threefold expression
Spiritual symbolism drawn from Scripture and tradition
Modern Variants
A Blessing for This Name
May your life rise like incense before the Lord — a fragrant offering of faithfulness that fills every room you enter with the sweetness of His presence. May you be fruitful in every season and leave behind a legacy as enduring as the nations born from Abraham's covenant.