Bible Strands
Ishmael
the name means God will hear Strong's Lexicon
Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar, was the ancestor of various Arab tribes. Though not the chosen heir, he was still blessed by God.
From Easton's Bible Dictionary
God hears. (1.) Abraham's eldest son, by Hagar the concubine (Gen. 16:15; 17:23). He was born at Mamre, when Abraham was eighty-six years of age, eleven years after his arrival in Canaan (16:3; 21:5). At the age of thirteen he was circumcised (17:25). He grew up a true child of the desert, wild and wayward. On the occasion of the weaning of Isaac his rude and wayward spirit broke out in expressions of insult and mockery (21:9, 10); and Sarah, discovering this, said to Abraham, "Expel this slave and her son." Influenced by a divine admonition, Abraham dismissed Hagar and her son with no more than a skin of water and some bread. The narrative describing this act is one of the most beautiful and touching incidents of patriarchal life (Gen. 21:14-16). (See HAGAR.) Ishmael settled in the land of Paran, a region lying between Canaan and the mountains of Sinai; and "God was with him, and he became a great archer" (Gen. 21:9-21). He became a great desert chief, but of his history little is recorded. He was about ninety years of age when his father Abraham died, in connection with whose burial he once more for a moment reappears. On this occasion the two brothers met after being long separated. "Isaac with his hundreds of household slaves, Ishmael with his troops of wild retainers and half-savage allies, in all the state of a Bedouin prince, gathered before the cave of Machpelah, in the midst of the men of Heth, to pay the last duties to the father of the faithful,' would make a notable subject for an artist" (Gen. 25:9). Of the after events of his life but little is known. He died at the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years, but where and when are unknown (25:17). He had twelve sons, who became the founders of so many Arab tribes or colonies, the Ishmaelites, who spread over the wide desert spaces of Northern Arabia from the Red Sea to the Euphrates (Gen. 37:25, 27, 28; 39:1), "their hand against every man, and every man's hand against them."
Easton's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1897 — public domain, quoted in full and unedited.
Family
Children
Adbeel, Dumah, Hadad, Nebaioth, Kedar, Mibsam, Mishma, Massa, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah, Mahalath
From STEPBible's TIPNR genealogy data. A relationship the data marks uncertain is not shown here.
First named at Genesis 16:11.
See Ishmael in the family tree →
Verses that name Ishmael
- Genesis 16:11 The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.
- Genesis 16:15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.
- Genesis 16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
- Genesis 17:18 And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”
- 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 17:23 On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised them, just as God had told him.
- Genesis 17:25 and his son Ishmael was thirteen;
- Genesis 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day.
- Genesis 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite.
- Genesis 25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.
- Genesis 25:13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
- Genesis 25:16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were their names by their villages and encampments—twelve princes of their tribes.
- Genesis 25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 137 years. Then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.
- Genesis 28:9 Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.
- Genesis 36:3 and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
- 1 Chronicles 1:28 The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael.
- 1 Chronicles 1:29 These are their genealogies: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
- 1 Chronicles 1:31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.