Interesting Facts

• Kedar is identified as the second son of Ishmael.
• His mother was Ribah, also known as Meribah, who was taken as a wife for Ishmael from the land of Egypt.
• Kedar had at least three brothers: Nebajoth (the firstborn), Adbeel, and Mibsam, and at least one sister, Bosmath.
• Kedar himself became a progenitor, having sons named Alyon, Kezem, Chamad, and Eli.

Genealogy

• Kedar‘s father was Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar.
• His mother was Ribah (also called Meribah), an Egyptian woman who became Ishmael’s wife.
• He was the brother of Nebajoth, Adbeel, Mibsam, and Bosmath.
• Kedar was the uncle of the twelve princes born to Ishmael’s second wife, Malchuth: Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
• He was the father of Alyon, Kezem, Chamad, and Eli.

Historical Context

Kedar was born after Nebaioth, whose birth is recorded in the year 2060. His birth would have occurred sometime between 2060 and 2065, during the period when Ishmael and his Egyptian wife, Ribah, had their children. This was a time when Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, were dwelling in the wilderness of Paran after being sent away by Abraham. Ishmael had become skilled as an archer in the wilderness. Kedar would have grown up in this environment, likely learning the ways of nomadic life and the skills necessary for survival in the wilderness alongside his brothers and sister. Later, around the year 2071 and again in 2074, Abraham attempted to visit Ishmael, indicating ongoing, albeit sometimes strained, familial ties. By 2075, Abraham had moved to Beersheba and made a covenant with Abimelech. Kedar would have been a young man during these interactions and the establishment of Ishmael’s family as a distinct group with increasing livestock.

Narrative

The narrative concerning Kedar is primarily genealogical, establishing his place within the lineage of Ishmael. He is listed as the second of Ishmael’s sons by his Egyptian wife, Ribah, and further identified as the father of Alyon, Kezem, Chamad, and Eli. The text does not provide any specific actions or dialogues directly attributed to Kedar. His significance in the narrative lies in his contribution to the burgeoning family of Ishmael, fulfilling the divine promise that Ishmael would father a great nation. While the focus of the narrative concerning Ishmael largely revolves around his separation from Abraham’s household and the development of his own family and alliances, Kedar, as one of his sons, plays a part in this expansion. The naming of his descendants further illustrates the ongoing development of Ishmael’s tribal identity, even though the details of Kedar‘s individual life and influence remain unelaborated upon within the provided sources.