Ishmael

About Ishmael

Ishmael was the first son of Abraham, born to him through Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian maidservant (Gen.16.15). His birth came after Sarah, who was barren, had given Hagar to Abraham to bear a child on her behalf. God spoke to Hagar, telling her to name the child Ishmael, meaning "God hears" (Gen.16.11).

As he grew, Ishmael became a skilled archer (Gen.21.20). When Isaac was born to Sarah, she insisted that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away (Gen.21.10). God confirmed this action but promised to make Ishmael a great nation (Gen.21.13,18). Ishmael settled in the wilderness of Paran and married an Egyptian woman (Gen.21.21).

Ishmael had twelve sons who became tribal rulers (Gen.17.20; 25.13-16). He lived to be 137 years old (Gen.25.17). Ishmael and Isaac together buried their father Abraham (Gen.25.9).

Ishmael's descendants, the Ishmaelites, are mentioned as traders who purchased Joseph from his brothers (Gen.37.25-28; 39.1). They are also noted as skilled archers (Isa.21.17) and as enemies of Israel (Psa.83.6). One of David's warriors, Zebadiah, was the son of an Ishmaelite (1Ch.2.17; 27.30).

Ishmael represents the ancestors of various Arab tribes. His story illustrates God's faithfulness to His promises, even to those not chosen for the primary covenant line.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.