Interesting Facts

• Elisha is identified in the genealogical records as one of the sons of Medan.
• Medan was born to Abraham and Keturah, making Elisha a great-grandson of Abraham through this lineage.
• The provided texts contain no explicit accounts of Elisha’s personal actions, words, or life events beyond his name in a list.
• Elisha is mentioned in conjunction with his brothers: Amida, Joab, Gochi, and Nothach.

Genealogy

• Elisha’s father was Medan, who was the son of Abraham and his wife Keturah.
• His grandfather was Abraham, a foundational figure in the lineage.
• His grandmother was Keturah, Abraham’s wife after the death of Sarah. Some texts note she was from the land of Canaan or among the daughters of Abraham’s household servants.
• Through his paternal line, Elisha was a great-grandson of Terah and a descendant of Shem and Noah [inferred from general patriarchal genealogies not explicitly detailed in these sources for this specific line].
• His brothers, as listed in the sources, were Amida, Joab, Gochi, and Nothach.
• The current textual excerpts provide no information regarding Elisha’s birth details, potential marital connections, or any offspring he may have had.

Historical Context

As a descendant in the lineage of Abraham through Keturah, Elisha’s existence would be placed in the generations following Abraham’s marriage to Keturah and the subsequent births of their six sons, including Medan. This period was characterized by Abraham’s provision of gifts to the sons of his concubines, including Keturah’s offspring, and their subsequent departure eastward, away from Isaac, who was designated as the primary heir. Medan, and by extension his sons such as Elisha, would have been part of this eastward migration. The foundational cultural and religious influences for Elisha’s lineage would have originated from the teachings and example of Abraham, who exhorted his extended family to observe the way of the Lord, to act righteously, and to love their neighbors. While the descendants of Jokshan, another son of Keturah, are noted as maintaining a more nomadic existence, the texts do not provide specific details regarding the settlement patterns of Medan’s descendants. Nevertheless, Elisha’s life would have unfolded within the context of the communities established by these eastward-moving groups, shaped by the ethical and religious framework transmitted by Abraham.

Narrative

Within the narrative landscape presented by these textual fragments, Elisha’s presence is solely within a genealogical listing. He is mentioned as one of the five sons born to Medan, who himself is enumerated among the six sons of Abraham by Keturah. The sources offer no specific incidents, dialogues, or biographical details concerning Elisha. His significance within the broader narrative lies in his inclusion within the record of Abraham’s expanding family through his union with Keturah, illustrating the diversification of Abraham’s descendants and their separation from the line of Isaac into the eastern territories. Unlike some other descendants, such as Ishmael, whose movements and settlements are described in more detail, or even the sons of Jokshan with their distinct way of life, the texts provide no unique narrative features for the lineage of Medan beyond their initial separation and eastward migration. Therefore, Elisha’s story, as far as these sources reveal, is one of belonging to a specific branch of Abraham’s extended family, a testament to the fulfillment of the divine promise of numerous descendants, even if the individual details of his life remain unrecorded within these particular texts.