Bible Strands
Genesis 25:17
Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the conclusion of Ishmael’s life immediately after cataloging his twelve sons and tribal encampments. This entry occurs within the genealogical section tracing Abraham’s descendants.
The words — The phrase וְאֵלֶּה חַיֵּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל (ve'eleh chayei yishma'el) literally translates to "and these are the years of the life of Ishmael." It functions as a standard biographical formula marking the end of a patriarchal lifespan.
The thread — The clause "was gathered to his people" parallels the death record of Abraham in Genesis 25:7 and recalls the peaceful departure promised in Genesis 15:15. These references situate Ishmael’s mortality within the established patriarchal death notices.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to note the structural equivalence between Ishmael’s recorded age and Abraham’s. It marks the completion of Ishmael’s personal timeline before shifting focus to his descendants’ territorial settlement.
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
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
Cross-references
- Genesis 15:15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.
- Genesis 25:7 Abraham lived a total of 175 years.