Abstract
Abraham's burial in Genesis 25 is traditionally viewed as a scene of reconciliation between Isaac and Ishmael. Both ancient (Jub. 22; 23; Gen. Rab. 62.3, 5) and modern exegetes understand that Genesis 25 records the acts of the father and the sons as exemplary for the generations to come: Abraham declares his will concerning his legacy before he dies, and Isaac and Ishmael, ‘show proper filial piety…in joining together to bury their father’. Reading Abraham's story as a whole, this article argues that Ishmael's appearance in Gen. 25.9 cannot be viewed as heralding the arrival of long-awaited harmony in the pious household. Since ancient Israel and cognate cultures recognized the obligation of burying one's deceased parents as legal expectations of an heir, the deposition of Abraham in the grave by Isaac and Ishmael can be understood as a dispute over inheritance.
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