Interesting Facts

• Nebaioth is identified as the firstborn son of Ishmael.
• His birth is noted as occurring in the year 2060.
• His mother, Hagar, named him Nebaioth because she said, ‘The Lord was nigh to me when I called upon him’.
• Nebaioth had a sister named Bosmath.
• Nebaioth is mentioned as having descendants, including sons named Mend, Send, and Mayon.
• Nebaioth is referred to as an uncle of Esau, and Esau took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebajoth, as his third wife.

Genealogy

• Nebaioth was the son of Ishmael, who was the son of Abraham and Hagar.
• His mother was Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid. According to Jasher, Hagar took a wife for Ishmael from Egypt named Ribah, also called Meribah. However, Jubilees states that Ishmael’s mother took him a wife from among the daughters of Egypt without specifying her name until his first son’s birth.
• Nebaioth was the first among the twelve sons of Ishmael. His brothers were Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
• He had a sister named Bosmath according to Jasher.
• Nebaioth had sons named Mend, Send, and Mayon.
• His sister, Mahalath (also called Bashemath), was married to Esau, making Nebaioth Esau’s brother-in-law.

Historical Context

The birth of Nebaioth is placed in the year 2060, which is after the birth of Isaac in 2049. This occurs during the time when Abraham and his family were dwelling in the land of the Philistines. Ishmael, Nebaioth’s father, had previously been cast out with his mother Hagar [implied]. By the time of Nebaioth’s birth, Ishmael had grown and become an archer. Nebaioth’s life would have unfolded as his father established his own family and lineage. Later in his life, around the year 2071, Abraham desired to see Ishmael, indicating a continued connection between the two branches of Abraham’s family. By 2074, Ishmael had taken a second wife, Malchuth, after casting away his first wife. The marriage of Nebaioth’s sister, Mahalath, to Esau occurred around the time Jacob went to Mesopotamia in the year 2172. This marriage suggests a connection between the descendants of Ishmael and Esau. Nebaioth would have witnessed the development of Ishmael’s twelve sons who became twelve princes according to their nations.

Narrative

The narrative involving Nebaioth primarily focuses on his birth and his role within Ishmael’s growing family. His naming by his mother, Hagar, reflects her recognition of divine presence and aid during a time of hardship. As the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth would have held a significant position within his father’s household, establishing the initial line of Ishmael’s descendants. While the texts do not detail any direct actions or dialogues of Nebaioth himself, his existence is crucial for understanding the genealogy of Abraham’s extended family. His lineage continued through his sons Mend, Send, and Mayon, indicating the propagation of the Ishmaelite people. Furthermore, the marriage of his sister Mahalath to Esau links his family to the Edomites, descendants of Esau, highlighting the interconnectedness of the patriarchal lineages within the narrative. The fact that Esau sought a wife from Ishmael’s lineage also suggests a degree of interaction or at least awareness between these related families. Therefore, while Nebaioth is not a central figure in dramatic events, his place as Ishmael’s firstborn and the progenitor of a line, as well as his familial connections through his sister, contribute to the broader narrative of Abraham’s posterity as outlined in the sources.