Interesting Facts

• Mibsam is identified as one of the sons of Ishmael.
• His mother was Ribah, also known as Meribah, who was Ishmael’s wife from the land of Egypt.
• He had at least three brothers mentioned by name: Nebajoth (the firstborn), Kedar, and Adbeel, and at least one sister, Bosmath.
• Mibsam had sons named Obadiah, Ebedmelech, and Yeush.

Genealogy

• Mibsam was a son of Ishmael, who was 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, Kedar, Adbeel, and Bosmath.
• Mibsam was an uncle to the twelve princes born to Ishmael’s later wife, Malchuth: Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
• He was the father of Obadiah, Ebedmelech, and Yeush.

Historical Context

Mibsam was born sometime between the years 2060 and 2065. This period followed the birth of his eldest brother, Nebajoth, in 2060, and marks the time when Ishmael and his Egyptian wife, Ribah, were having their children. The family was dwelling in the wilderness of Paran, where Ishmael had become an archer. Mibsam‘s upbringing would have been within this nomadic environment, learning the skills necessary for survival in the wilderness. Around the year 2071 and again in 2074, Abraham made attempts to visit Ishmael, indicating a continuing, though sometimes complex, family relationship. By 2075, Abraham had moved to Beersheba and established a covenant with Abimelech. Mibsam would have been a young man during these events, witnessing the growth of Ishmael’s household and the increasing distinction between his lineage and that of Isaac. His early life would have been shaped by the nomadic lifestyle and the developing identity of Ishmael’s family in the regions outside of Canaan.

Narrative

The narrative concerning Mibsam within the provided sources is primarily genealogical. He is listed as the fourth son born to Ishmael and his wife Ribah. The significance of Mibsam in the overarching narrative lies in his contribution to the expansion of Ishmael’s descendants, fulfilling the divine promise that Ishmael would father a great nation. While the texts do not attribute any specific actions or dialogues directly to Mibsam, the mention of his sons, Obadiah, Ebedmelech, and Yeush, in later genealogical listings demonstrates the continuation of his lineage. Thus, Mibsam‘s role in the narrative is one of a progenitor, an integral link in the chain of Ishmael’s family growth and the establishment of distinct tribal groups. His existence, along with that of his brothers and their offspring, serves to illustrate the fulfillment of God’s word regarding Ishmael’s future, even as the primary narrative focus shifts towards Isaac and his descendants.