Verse 5 shows that Abraham’s line continues only through Isaac, and therefore Isaac is Abraham’s only heir. Verse 6 contrasts what Abraham did for Isaac with what he did for his other sons.
Abraham gave all he had to Isaac: the wording of this verse expresses the same thought the servant conveyed in 24.36. Gave is used here in the special sense of a person passing on his property at death to an heir. In English this thought is expressed by such verbs as “bequeath,” “will,” “give as inheritance,” “leave.” Good News Translation says “left everything he owned.” In other languages it may be necessary to follow the customs that apply for inheritance; in one situation, for example, the translation says “Then Abraham called all his people together and told them that when he died everything of his would belong to his son Isaac.” For a discussion of “heir” see 15.2. In languages in which it is more natural to speak of inheriting, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy provides a model: “Isaac inherited everything that Abraham had.”
It is reasonable to assume that Abraham is still alive in verse 5 when he arranged for Isaac to inherit his property. To assume he is dead in verse 5 may conflict with the statement that he gave gifts to his sons while he was still living in Gen 25.6. However, we may also translate these two closely related verses so that their time in relation to Abraham’s death is made clear; for example, “When Abraham died he left all his property to Isaac. However, while he was still alive he gave gifts to … and sent them away….”
Another possible adjustment is to change the order of verses 5 and 6. In this case we may translate “While Abraham was still living he gave gifts to … and sent them away… Later, when Abraham died, he left all his property to Isaac.”
But to the sons of his concubines: concubines (see discussion of this term in 22.24) appears strange if the reference is to Keturah, who is not referred to as concubine in Gen 25.1. The plural form of this word may refer to Keturah and Hagar, or to these two and still others not mentioned elsewhere. In languages that distinguish between the main wife and secondary wives, it is advisable to use something equivalent to secondary wives here.
Abraham gave gifts: gifts translates a general word for presents. These may have been in the form of jewels, precious metals, animals, slaves, or combinations of these. In any event they would be movable gifts that could be taken to another area. The gifts are probably given as a legal settlement that will enable these sons to begin life on their own. It is unlikely that money as it is used in the modern world would have been a part of these gifts, but quantities of precious metals served the same purpose; therefore it is legitimate to include money along with other items in translation, if a descriptive expression is required.
He sent them away from his son Isaac: the purpose of sending these sons away is to remove them from Isaac so that they will not be a threat to Isaac’s wealth and security. In translation it may be necessary to make clear that Abraham is separating these other sons from Isaac. We may translate, for example, “He sent them far away to keep them separated from Isaac.” Another example from some translations is “He sent them away to countries in the east, because he didn’t want them to stay there with his son Isaac.”
Eastward to the east country: some take this repeated use of east to refer to a land in the east called “East.” A similar expression is found in 29.1. Moffatt translates “eastward to the land of Kedem.” (The Hebrew word for “east” is qedem.) According to Driver the expression is a general designation of the land that lay to the east, northeast, or southeast of Canaan. For some languages Good News Translation will be a suitable model, but for others it will be necessary to use local conditions to designate east; for example, “to a land where the sun rises,” “to a land beyond the big mountains.”
Verse 6 completes the genealogy and the separation of Isaac’s future line from that of his half-brothers. The next subdivision will end with God blessing Isaac after Abraham’s death and burial.
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .