Bible Strands
Genesis 25:12
This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records a genealogical heading following Abraham’s death and Isaac’s blessing, introducing the lineage of Ishmael before listing his twelve sons.
The words — תּוֹלְדֹת (tol'dot) literally means "accounts" or "generations," functioning here as a formal marker to introduce a family record rather than a chronological timeline.
The thread — This genealogical notice echoes Genesis 11:27 and 37:2, while the lineage itself is detailed in Genesis 25:13–16 and referenced in Psalms 83:6 and Genesis 17:20 regarding God’s promise to Ishmael.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to recognize that biblical genealogies serve as structural anchors for covenant history, confirming God’s faithfulness to past promises even outside the primary line of promise.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
Cross-references
- Psalms 83:6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,
- Genesis 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
- Genesis 21:13 But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”
- Genesis 16:10 Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.”