Interesting Facts

• Meribah is identified as the wife taken for Ishmael by his mother Hagar.
• In one source, her name is given as Ribah, stated to be the same as Meribah.
• Ribah bore Ishmael four sons: Nebayoth, Kedar, Adbeel, and Mibsam, and a daughter named Bosmath.
• Ribah is described as having been “very bad in the sight of Ishmael, and in the sight of his father Abraham”.
• Due to her behavior, Ishmael cast her off, and she returned to Egypt to her father’s house.

Genealogy

• Meribah (also called Ribah) was from the land of Egypt.
• She was taken as a wife for Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar.
• She bore Ishmael four sons: Nebayoth, Kedar, Adbeel, and Mibsam, and a daughter named Bosmath.
• After being cast off by Ishmael, she returned to the house of her father in Egypt.

Historical Context

Meribah’s story unfolds after Ishmael and his mother Hagar were sent away from Abraham’s household. Ishmael dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. In accordance with the custom of the time, his mother Hagar took a wife for him from her homeland, Egypt. The text implies that during this period, Ishmael was establishing his own family and dwelling separately from his father, Abraham. The cultural context highlights the importance of lineage and the role of parents in arranging marriages for their children. The account of Meribah’s eventual dismissal suggests that marital harmony and respect for elders were valued within the social fabric of the time. Abraham’s concern for Ishmael’s well-being is evident in his attempts to visit his son in the wilderness.

Narrative

Meribah enters the narrative as the Egyptian wife of Ishmael, chosen for him by his mother Hagar. She bore him several children, establishing the early lineage of Ishmael’s family. However, her time as Ishmael’s wife was marked by negative behavior. When Abraham visited Ishmael’s tent during one of his absences, Meribah did not offer him hospitality, claiming to have neither water nor bread. Moreover, she was heard beating and cursing her children and reproaching her husband. Upon his return, Abraham instructed Ishmael through a coded message conveyed by Meribah, telling him to “put away this nail of the tent which thou hast placed here, and place another nail in its stead”. Ishmael understood this message to mean that he should divorce Meribah because she did not honor his father. Consequently, Ishmael hearkened to his father’s instruction and cast off Meribah, who then returned to her father’s house in Egypt. Her narrative serves as a contrast to Ishmael’s second wife, Malchuth, who honored Abraham during a subsequent visit, leading to Abraham’s approving message: “The nail of the tent which thou hast is very good, do not put it away from the tent”. Thus, Meribah’s story highlights the importance of familial respect and hospitality within the patriarchal society depicted in the sources, and her dismissal underscores the consequences of failing to uphold these values.