Interesting Facts

• Ishmael was the firstborn son of Abram, born to Hagar, Sarai’s Egyptian handmaid.
• The angel of YHWH promised that Ishmael’s seed would be multiplied exceedingly, so that it could not be numbered for multitude.
• Ishmael was circumcised at the age of thirteen along with Abraham and all the males in Abraham’s household.
• Ishmael took a wife from Egypt named Ribah (also called Meribah) and later another wife from Canaan named Malchuth.
• Ishmael’s descendants, along with the sons of Keturah, went and dwelt from Paran to the entering in of Babylon and mingled with each other, and their name was called Arabs, and Ishmaelites.
• The children of Tarshish made war with the sons of Ishmael and oppressed them for a long time until Joseph sent help from Egypt.
• Ishmael died at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years.

Genealogy

• Ishmael was the son of Abram and Hagar, Sarai’s handmaid.
• Ishmael’s first wife was Ribah (Meribah), an Egyptian woman, who bore him Nebayoth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, and their sister Bosmath.
• Ishmael cast off his wife Ribah, who returned to Egypt.
• Ishmael’s second wife was Malchuth, a woman from the land of Canaan, who bore him Nishma, Dumah, Masa, Chadad, Tema, Yetur, Naphish, and Kedma.
• Nebayoth, Ishmael’s firstborn, had sons named Mend, Send, and Mayon.
• Kedar, another son of Ishmael, had sons named Alyon, Kezem, Chamad, and Eli.
• Adbeel’s sons were Chamad and Jabin.
• Mibsam’s sons were Obadiah, Ebedmelech, and Yeush.
• The sons of Mishma (son of Malchuth) were Shamua, Zecaryon, and Obed.
• The sons of Dumah (son of Malchuth) were Kezed, Eli, Machmad, and Amed.
• The sons of Masa (son of Malchuth) were Melon, Mula, and Ebidadon.
• The sons of Chadad (son of Malchuth) were Azur, Minzar, and Ebedmelech.
• The sons of Tema (son of Malchuth) were Seir, Sadon, and Yakol.
• The sons of Yetur (son of Malchuth) were Merith, Yaish, Alyo, and Pachoth.
• The sons of Naphish (son of Malchuth) were Ebed-Tamed, Abiyasaph, and Mir.
• The sons of Kedma (son of Malchuth) were Calip, Tachti, and Omir.
• Esau, Jacob’s brother, married Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebajoth, becoming Ishmael’s son-in-law. Esau also took Bashemath, Ishmael’s daughter, as a wife. Esau later took Machlath, the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebayoth, as another wife.

Historical Context

Ishmael’s birth occurred when Abram was eighty-six years old. His early years were within the household of Abram and Sarai in Canaan. A significant event in his early life was the birth of Isaac to Sarai, after which tensions arose, leading to Sarai’s demand that Hagar and Ishmael be cast out. This event took place in the context of YHWH’s covenant with Abraham, promising him numerous descendants and the land of Canaan. The act of circumcision, commanded by God, was performed on Ishmael at the age of thirteen, marking him and Abraham’s household within this covenant. The sources also place Ishmael within the timeline of other significant figures, noting his birth seven years after Hebron was built in Egypt. Later in his life, Abraham desired to see Ishmael in the wilderness where he dwelt, indicating a continued, albeit perhaps distant, familial connection. Ishmael’s marriages, one to an Egyptian and another to a Canaanite woman, reflect potential interactions and integration with the surrounding cultures. The eventual separation of Ishmael and his descendants, dwelling eastward from Havilah unto Shur, placed them geographically in a region distinct from where Isaac and his descendants would primarily reside.

Narrative

Ishmael’s narrative begins with his birth to Hagar as a means for Abram and Sarai to have offspring. His conception led to a shift in the relationship between Hagar and Sarai, resulting in Hagar’s flight and her encounter with an angel who prophesied his numerous descendants and named him Ishmael. After returning and giving birth, Ishmael lived in Abram’s household until Sarah’s jealousy over Isaac led to his and his mother’s expulsion. God promised to make a great nation of Ishmael. Ishmael and Hagar wandered in the wilderness until God provided water, sustaining them. Ishmael grew and eventually married an Egyptian woman, Ribah, and had children. Later, Abraham visited Ishmael and, through a test of Ishmael’s first wife’s hospitality, indicated his disapproval, leading Ishmael to cast her off and marry Malchuth from Canaan. Ishmael and his family increased and accumulated livestock, dwelling in tents and traveling in the wilderness for a long time, with limited contact with Abraham. The descendants of Ishmael spread forth, dwelling from Havilah unto Shur. They are also described as dwelling near the wilderness of Paran, their dwelling stretching from Havilah to Shur, before Egypt as one goes toward Assyria. They later mingled with the sons of Keturah and were called Arabs and Ishmaelites, dwelling from Paran to the entering in of Babylon. In later narratives, the Ishmaelites are depicted as merchants traveling to Egypt. They purchased Joseph from his brothers. They also faced conflict with the children of Tarshish and sought help from Egypt, where Joseph assisted them. Esau sought counsel from Nebayoth, Ishmael’s son, regarding his inheritance dispute with Jacob. Esau also married Ishmael’s daughters, forming familial ties. Ishmael’s death at the age of 137 prompted mourning from Isaac. Later, Zepho, seeking revenge for events in Canaan, sought assistance from the Ishmaelites to wage war against Egypt and the children of Jacob. These narratives portray Ishmael as the progenitor of a significant people who dwelt in regions east of Canaan, engaged in trade, experienced conflict, and maintained connections with the lineage of Abraham through marriage and alliances.