Ishmael
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Bible Concordance
Ishmael (44 Occurrences)

Genesis 16:11 The angel of Yahweh said to her, "Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because Yahweh has heard your affliction.
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Genesis 16:15 Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
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Genesis 16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
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Genesis 17:18 Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!"
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Genesis 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
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Genesis 17:23 Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money; every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the same day, as God had said to him.
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Genesis 17:25 Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
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Genesis 17:26 In the same day both Abraham and Ishmael, his son, were circumcised.
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Genesis 25:9 Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre,
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Genesis 25:12 Now this is the history of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bore to Abraham.
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Genesis 25:13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to the order of their birth: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
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Genesis 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments: twelve princes, according to their nations.
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Genesis 25:17 These are the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred thirty-seven years. He gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people.
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Genesis 28:9 Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
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Genesis 36:3 and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth.
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2 Kings 25:23 Now when all the captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.
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2 Kings 25:25 But it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal seed came, and ten men with him, and struck Gedaliah, so that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldeans that were with him at Mizpah.
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1 Chronicles 1:28 The sons of Abraham: Isaac, and Ishmael.
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1 Chronicles 1:29 These are their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
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1 Chronicles 1:31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.
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1 Chronicles 8:38 Azel had six sons, whose names are these: Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.
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1 Chronicles 9:44 Azel had six sons, whose names are these: Azrikam, Bocheru, and Ishmael, and Sheariah, and Obadiah, and Hanan: these were the sons of Azel.
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2 Chronicles 19:11 Behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Yahweh; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and Yahweh be with the good.
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2 Chronicles 23:1 In the seventh year Jehoiada strengthened himself, and took the captains of hundreds, Azariah the son of Jeroham, and Ishmael the son of Jehohanan, and Azariah the son of Obed, and Maaseiah the son of Adaiah, and Elishaphat the son of Zichri, into covenant with him.
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Ezra 10:22 Of the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
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Jeremiah 40:8 then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, to wit, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.
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Jeremiah 40:14 and said to him, Do you know that Baalis the king of the children of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam didn't believe them.
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Jeremiah 40:15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Please let me go, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: why should he take your life, that all the Jews who are gathered to you should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?
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Jeremiah 40:16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, You shall not do this thing; for you speak falsely of Ishmael.
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Jeremiah 41:1 Now it happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal and one of the chief officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they ate bread together in Mizpah.
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Jeremiah 41:2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
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Jeremiah 41:3 Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with him, to wit, with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.
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Jeremiah 41:6 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it happened, as he met them, he said to them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
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Jeremiah 41:7 It was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah killed them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men who were with him.
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Jeremiah 41:8 But ten men were found among those who said to Ishmael, Don't kill us; for we have stores hidden in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he stopped, and didn't kill them among their brothers.
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Jeremiah 41:9 Now the pit in which Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had killed, by the side of Gedaliah (the same was who which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel), Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with those who were killed.
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Jeremiah 41:10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people who were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the children of Ammon.
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Jeremiah 41:11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
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Jeremiah 41:12 then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.
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Jeremiah 41:13 Now it happened that, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, then they were glad.
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Jeremiah 41:14 So all the people who Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned about and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah.
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Jeremiah 41:15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the children of Ammon.
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Jeremiah 41:16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, to wit, the men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon:
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Jeremiah 41:18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor over the land.
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Thesaurus
Ishmael (44 Occurrences)
...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" (Genesis 21 ...
/i/ishmael.htm - 38k

Ishmael's (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Ishmael's (4 Occurrences). Genesis 17:18 And Abraham
said to God, If only Ishmael's life might be your care! (BBE). ...
/i/ishmael's.htm - 7k

Nethani'ah (20 Occurrences)
... captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made
Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of ...
/n/nethani'ah.htm - 13k

Ish'mael (40 Occurrences)
Ish'mael. Ishmael, Ish'mael. Ishmaelite . ... (See RSV). Genesis 16:15 And Hagar
bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael...
/i/ish'mael.htm - 18k

Nethaniah (20 Occurrences)
... 36:14). (4) The father of Ishmael, the murderer of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 40:8,
14, 15; Jeremiah 41:11 2 Kings 25:23, 25). Some manuscripts ...
/n/nethaniah.htm - 15k

Joha'nan (25 Occurrences)
... captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made
Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of ...
/j/joha'nan.htm - 13k

Kareah (14 Occurrences)
... captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made
Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of ...
/k/kareah.htm - 12k

Kare'ah (14 Occurrences)
... captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made
Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of ...
/k/kare'ah.htm - 10k

Nebaioth (5 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Height. (1.) Ishmael's eldest son (Genesis
25:13), and the prince of an Israelitish tribe (16). He had ...
/n/nebaioth.htm - 9k

Gedali'ah (28 Occurrences)
... captains of the forces, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made
Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of ...
/g/gedali'ah.htm - 15k

Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia
Ishmael

Sarai, Abram's wife, was barren (Genesis 11:30). Impatient at the long delay of the promise, Sarah agreed for Abram to cohabit with her maid Hagar, and as a result Ishmael was born eleven years after Abram and Sarah entered Canaan (Genesis 16:1-16). He was finally cast out of Abram's house at Sarah's request and the Lord's approval, for Abram's Descendants were to be counted from Isaac (Genesis 21:1-21).

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Ishmael

God that hears

Smith's Bible Dictionary
Ishmael

(whom God hears).

  1. The son of Abraham by Hagar the Egyptian his concubine; born when Abraham was fourscore and six years old. (Genesis 16:15,16) (B.C. 1910.) Ishmael was the first-born of his father. He was born in Abraham's house when he dwelt in the plain of Mamre; and on the institution of the covenant of circumcision, was circumcised, he being then thirteen years old (Genesis 17:26) With the institution of the covenant, God renewed his promise respecting Ishmael. He does not again appear in the narrative until the weaning of Isaac. At the great feast made in celebration of the weaning, "Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Abraham, mocking," and urged Abraham to cast him and his mother out. Comforted by the renewal of God's promise to make of Ishmael a great nation, Abraham sent them away, and they departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. His mother took Ishmael a wife out of the land of Egypt." (Genesis 21:9-21) This wife of Ishmael was the mother of the twelve sons and one daughter. Of the later life of Ishmael we know little. He was present with Isaac at the burial of Abraham. He died at the age of 137 years. (Genesis 25:17,18) The sons of Ishmael peopled the north and west of the Arabian peninsula, and eventually formed the chief element of the Arab nation, the wandering Bedouin tribes. They are now mostly Mohammedans who look to him as their spiritual father, as the Jews look to Abraham. Their language, which is generally acknowledged to have been the Arabic community so called, has been adopted with insignificant exceptions throughout Arabia. The term "Ishmaelite" occur on three occasions: (Genesis 37:25,27,28; 39:1; Judges 8:24; Psalms 83:6)
  2. One of the sons of Azel, a descendant of Saul through Meribbaal or Mephibosheth. (1 Chronicles 8:38; 9:44)
  3. A man of Judah, father of Zebadiah. (2 Chronicles 19:11)
  4. Another man of Judah, son of Jehohanan; one of the captains of hundreds who assisted Jehoiada in restoring Joash to the throne. (2 Chronicles 23:1)
  5. A priest of the Bene-Pashur, who was forced by Ezra to relinquish his foreign wife. (Ezra 10:22)
  6. The son of Nethaniah; a perfect marvel of craft and villainy, whose treachery forms one of the chief episodes of the history of the period immediately succeeding the first fall of Jerusalem. His exploits are related in (Jeremiah 40:7; Jeremiah 41:16) with a short summary. During the siege of the city he had fled across the Jordan where he found a refuge at the court of Baalis. After the departure of the Chaldeans, Ishmael made no secret of his intention to kill the superintendent left by the king of Babylon and usurp his position. Of this Zedaliah was warned in express terms by Johanan and his companions, but notwithstanding entertained Ishmael and his followers at a feast, (Jeremiah 41:1) during which Ishmael murdered Gedaliah and all his attendants. The same night he killed all Zedaliah's establishment, including some Chaldean soldiers who were there. For two days the massacre remained entirely unknown to the people of the town. On the second day eighty devotees were bringing incense and offerings to the ruins of the temple. At his invitation they turned aside to the residence of the superintendent, and there Ishmael and his band butchered nearly the whole number: ten only escaped by offering a heavy ransom for their lives. This done he descended to the town, surprised and carried off the daughters of King Zedekiah, who had been sent there by Nebuchadnezzar for safety, with their eunuchs and their Chaldean guard, (Jeremiah 41:10,16) and all the people of the town, and made off with his prisoners to the country of the Ammonites. The news of the massacre had by this time got abroad, and Ishmael was quickly pursued by Johanan and his companions. He was attacked, two of his bravos slain, the whole of the prey recovered; and Ishmael himself with the remaining eight of his people, escaped to the Ammonites.
ATS Bible Dictionary
Ishmael

1. Genesis 16:1-16 21:1-34, son of Abraham and Hagar, B. C. 1910. He was at first regarded as "the son of the promise;" but after the birth and weaning of Isaac he was driven from his father's house, at the age of about seventeen, and took with his mother the way to Egypt her native land. Overcome with heat and thirst, and then miraculously relieved, he remained in the wilderness of Paran, took a wife from Egypt, and was the father of twelve sons, heads of Arab tribes. He seems to have become on friendly terms with Isaac, and to have attended at the bedside of their dying father. At his own death, he was one hundred and thirty-seven years old, Genesis 25:9,17.

The Ishmaelites, his posterity, were said, in the days of Moses, to dwell "from Havilah unto Shur that is before Egypt," that is, in the northwestern part of Arabia. See HAVILAH 2. Subsequently they, with the descendants of Joktan, the fourth from Shem, Genesis 10:26-29, and Jokshan, the son of Abraham by Keturah, Genesis 25:3, and perhaps also of some of the brethren of Joktan and Jokshan, occupied the whole peninsula of Arabia. See ARABIA. They became very numerous and powerful, according to the divine promise, Genesis 17:16. The prediction also in Genesis 16:12, has been fully verified in their history. Located near their "brethren" the Jews, they have always led a roving, wild, and predatory life. To a great degree unchanged, they are to this day the untamed though tributary masters of the desert. See MIDIANITES.

2. A prince of Judah, who fled to the Ammonites when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Chaldeans. Soon after, he returned and assassinated Gedaliah the governor and many others; but was obliged to flee for his life, Jeremiah 40:1-41:18.

Easton's Bible Dictionary
God hears.

(1.) Abraham's eldest son, by Hagar the concubine (Genesis 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 (Genesis 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" (Genesis 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" (Genesis 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 (Genesis 37:25, 27, 28; 39:1), "their hand against every man, and every man's hand against them."

(2.) The son of Nethaniah, "of the seed royal" (Jeremiah 40:8, 15). He plotted against Gedaliah, and treacherously put him and others to death. He carried off many captives, "and departed to go over to the Ammonites."

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ISHMAEL (1)

ish'-ma-el (yishma`e'l, "God heareth," or "God may," "shall hear"; Ismael):

(1) The son of Abraham by Hagar, the Egyptian slave of his wife Sarah. The circumstances connected with his birth reveal what seems to us to be a very strange practice. It was customary among ancient peoples to correct the natural defect of barrenness by substituting a slave woman. In our narrative, this is shown to be authorized and brought about by the legitimate wife with the understanding that the offspring of such a union should be regarded as her own: "It may be that I shall obtain children by her," literally, "that I shall be builded by her" (Genesis 16:2).

1. Birth:

The hopes of Sarah were realized, for Hagar gave birth to a son, and yet the outcome was not fully pleasing to Abraham's wife; there was one serious drawback. As soon as Hagar "saw that she had conceived," her behavior toward her mistress underwent a radical change; she was "despised in her eyes." But for the intervention of the angel of Yahweh, the boy might have been born in Egypt. For, being dealt with hardly (or humbled) by Sarah, the handmaid fled toward that country. On her way she was told by the angel to return to her mistress and submit herself "under her hands." She obeyed, and the child who was to be as "a wild ass among men" was born when his father was 86 years old (Genesis 16:7-16).

2. Circumcision:

At the age of 13 years the boy was circumcised (Genesis 17:25) in accordance with the Divine command received by Abraham: "Every male among you shall be circumcised" (Genesis 17:10). Thus young Ishmael was made a party to the covenant into which God had entered with the lad's father. The fact that both Abraham and his son were circumcised the same day (Genesis 17:26) undoubtedly adds to the importance of Ishmael's partaking of the holy rite. He was certainly made to understand how much his father loved him and how deeply he was concerned about his spiritual welfare. We may even assume that there was a time when Abraham looked upon Ishmael as the promised seed. His error was made clear to him when God promised him the birth of a son by Sarah. At first this seemed to be incredible, Abraham being 100 years of age and Sarah 90. And yet, how could he disbelieve the word of God? His cherished, though mistaken, belief about Ishmael, his doubts regarding the possibility of Sarah's motherhood, and the first faint glimmer of the real meaning of God's promise, all these thoughts found their expression in the fervid wish: "O that Ishmael might live before thee!" (Genesis 17:18). Gradually the truth dawned upon the patriarch that God s thoughts are not the thoughts of men, neither their ways His ways. But we have no reason to believe that this entire changing of the mental attitude of Abraham toward Ishmael reacted unfavorably on his future treatment of this son "born of the flesh" (compare Genesis 21:11). If there were troubles in store for the boy likened by the angel of Yahweh to a wild ass, it was, in the main, the youngster's own fault.

3. Banishment:

When Isaac was weaned, Ishmael was about 16 years of age. The weaning was made an occasion for great celebration. But it seems the pleasure of the day was marred by the objectionable behavior of Ishmael. "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian. mocking" (Genesis 21:9). Her jealous motherly love had quickened her sense of observation and her faculty of reading the character of children. We do not know exactly what the word used in the Hebrew for "mocking" really means. The Septuagint and the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) render the passage: "When Sarah saw the son of Hagar. playing with Isaac," and Paul followed a later tradition when he says: "He that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit" (Galatians 4:29). Lightfoot (in his notes to the Epistle to the Galatians) says: "At all events the word seems to mean mocking, jeering." At any rate, the fact remains that Sarah objected to the bringing up of the son of promise together with the "mocker," and so both mother and son were banished from the tents of Abraham.

Now there came a most critical time in the life of young Ishmael. Only some bread and a bottle of water were "put on the shoulder" of Hagar by Abraham when he expelled her with her son. Aimlessly, as it seems, the two walked about in the wilderness of Beersheba. The water was soon spent, and with it went all hope and energy. The boy, being faint with thirst and tired out by his constant walking in the fierce heat of the sun, seemed to be dying. So his mother put him rapidly down in the shade of some plant. (We do not share the opinion of some writers that the narrative of Genesis 21:8 represented Ishmael as a little boy whom his mother had carried about and finally flung in the shade of some shrub. Even if this passage is taken from a different source, it is certainly not in conflict with the rest as to the age of Ishmael.) After this last act of motherly love-what else could she do to help the boy?-she retired to a place at some distance and resignedly expected the death of her son and perhaps her own.

For the 2nd time in her life, she had a marvelous experience. "God heard the voice of the lad" and comforted the unhappy mother most wonderfully. Through His angel He renewed His former promise regarding her son, and then He showed her a well of water. The lad's life was saved and, growing up, he became in time an archer. He lived in the wilderness of Paran and was married by his mother to an Egyptian wife (Genesis 21:21).

4. His Children:

When Abraham died, his exiled son returned to assist his brother to bury their father (Genesis 25:9). In the same chapter we find the names of Ishmael's 12 sons (25:12) and a brief report of his death at the age of 137 years (25:17). According to Genesis 28:9 he also had a daughter, Mahalath, whom Esau took for his wife; in Genesis 36:3 her name is given as Basemath.

5. Descendants:

The character of Ishmael and his descendants (Arabian nomads or Bedouins) is very accurately and vividly depicted by the angel of Yahweh: "He shall be as a wild ass among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him" (Genesis 16:12). These nomads are, indeed, roaming the wilds of the desert, jealous of their independence, quarrelsome and adventurous. We may well think of their progenitor as of a proud, undaunted and rugged son of the desert, the very counterpart of the poor boy lying half dead from fatigue and exposure under the shrub in the wilderness of Beersheba.

6. In the New Testament:

The person and the history of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, "born after the flesh," is of special interest to the student of the New Testament because Paul uses him, in the Epistle to the Galatians, as a type of those Jews who cling to the paternal religion in such a manner as to be unable to discern the transient character of the Old Testament institutions, and especially those of the Mosaic law. By doing so they could not be made to see the true meaning of the law, and instead of embracing the grace of God as the only means of fulfilling the law, they most bitterly fought the central doctrine of Christianity and even persecuted its advocates. Like Ishmael, they were born of Hagar, the handmaid or slave woman; like him, they were Abraham's sons only "after the flesh," and their ultimate fate is foreshadowed in the casting out of Hagar and her son. They could not expect to maintain the connection with the true Israel, and even in case they should acclaim Christ their Messiah they were not to be the leaders of the church or the expounders of its teachings (Galatians 4:21-28).

(2) The son of Nethaniah (Jeremiah 40:8-41:18; compare 2 Kings 25:23-25). It is a dreary story of jealousy and treachery which Jeremiah has recorded in chapters 40, 41 of his book. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of the better class of Jewish citizens, it was necessary to provide for some sort of a government in the depopulated country. Public order had to be restored and maintained; the crops of the fields were endangered and had to be taken care of. It was thus only common political prudence that dictated to the king of Babylon the setting up of a governor for the remnant of Judah. He chose Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, for the difficult position. The new officer selected for his place of residence the city of Mizpah, where he was soon joined by Jeremiah. All the captains of the Jewish country forces came to Mizpah with their men and put themselves under Gedaliah's orders (Jeremiah 40:13). Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama "of the seed royal" (2 Kings 25:25) was among their number-all of which must have been rather gratifying to the new governor. But he was destined to be cruelly disappointed. A traitor was among the captains that had gathered around him. Yet the governor might have prevented his dastardly scheme. Johnnan, the son of Kareah, and other loyal captains warned him of the treachery of Ishmael, telling him he was induced by Baalis, the Ammonite king, to assassinate the governor. But the governor's faith in Ishmael was not to be shaken; he even looked upon Johanan's report as false and calumnious (Jeremiah 40:16).

About 2 months after the destruction of Jerusalem, Ishmael was ready to strike the mortal blow. With 10 men he came to Mizpah, and there, at a banquet given in his honor, he killed Gedaliah and all the Jews and Chaldeans that were with him. He succeeded in keeping the matter secret, for, 2 days after the horrible deed, he persuaded a party of 80 pious Jews to enter the city and killed all but 10 of them, throwing their bodies into a pit. These men were coming from the ruins of the Temple with the offerings which they had intended to leave at Jerusalem. Now they had found out, to their great distraction, that the city was laid waste and the Temple destroyed. So they passed by Mizpah, their beards shaven, their clothes rent, and with cuts about their persons (Jeremiah 41:5). We may, indeed, ask indignantly, Why this new atrocity? The answer may be found in the fact that Ishmael did not kill all of the men. He spared 10 of them because they promised him some hidden treasures. This shows his motive. He was a desperate man and just then carrying out a desperate undertaking. He killed those peaceful citizens because of their money, and money he needed to realize his plans. They were those of a traitor to his country, inasmuch as he intended to deport the inhabitants of Mizpah to the land of his high confederate, the king of the Ammonites. Among the captives were Jeremiah and the daughters of the Jewish king. But his efforts came to naught. When Johnnan and the other captains were told of Ishmael's unheard-of actions, they immediately pursued the desperate adventurer and overtook him by the "great waters that are in Gibeon." Unfortunately, they failed to capture Ishmael; for he managed to escape with eight men to the Ammonites.

See, further, GEDALIAH.

(3) A descendant of Benjamin and the son of Azel (1 Chronicles 8:38; compare 9:44).

(4) The father of Zebadiah who was "the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's (Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 19:8) matters" (2 Chronicles 19:11).

(5) The son of Jehohanan, and a "captain of hundreds," who lived at the time of Jehoiada and Joash (2 Chronicles 23:1).

(6) One of the sons of Pashhur the priest. He was one of those men who had married foreign women and were compelled to "put away their wives" (Ezra 10:22).

William Baur

ISHMAEL (2)

(Ismael):

(1) the King James Version "Ismael" (Judith 2:23), the son of Abraham by Hagar.

(2) 1 Esdras 9:22 (King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "Ismael"), corresponding to Ishmael in Ezra 10:22. See preceding article.

Strong's Hebrew
4854. Massa -- a son of Ishmael, also the realm of King Lemuel
... 4853b, 4854. Massa. 4855 . a son of Ishmael, also the realm of King Lemuel.
Transliteration: Massa Phonetic Spelling: (mas-saw') Short Definition: Massa. ...
/hebrew/4854.htm - 6k

110. Adbeel -- "disciplined of God," the third son of Ishmael
... 109, 110. Adbeel. 111 . "disciplined of God," the third son of Ishmael.
Transliteration: Adbeel Phonetic Spelling: (ad-beh-ale') Short Definition: Adbeel. ...
/hebrew/110.htm - 6k

3195. Yetur -- a son of Ishmael, also his desc. and the region ...
... 3194, 3195. Yetur. 3196 . a son of Ishmael, also his desc. ... Word Origin from
the same as tur Definition a son of Ishmael, also his desc. ...
/hebrew/3195.htm - 6k

6938. Qedar -- perhaps "swarthy," a son of Ishmael, also his desc.
... Qedar. 6939 . perhaps "swarthy," a son of Ishmael, also his desc. ... Word Origin from
qadar Definition perhaps "swarthy," a son of Ishmael, also his desc. ...
/hebrew/6938.htm - 6k

8485. Tema -- a son of Ishmael, also his desc. and the region ...
... 8484, 8485. Tema. 8486 . a son of Ishmael, also his desc. ... Word Origin of
uncertain derivation Definition a son of Ishmael, also his desc. ...
/hebrew/8485.htm - 6k

6929. Qedemah -- a son of Ishmael
... 6928, 6929. Qedemah. 6930 . a son of Ishmael. Transliteration: Qedemah
Phonetic Spelling: (kayd'-maw) Short Definition: Kedemah. ...
/hebrew/6929.htm - 6k

5305. Naphish -- a son of Ishmael
... 5304, 5305. Naphish. 5306 . a son of Ishmael. Transliteration: Naphish
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-feesh') Short Definition: Naphish. ...
/hebrew/5305.htm - 6k

1904. Hagar -- Sarah's Eg. maid, the mother of Ishmael
... 1903, 1904. Hagar. 1905 . Sarah's Eg. maid, the mother of Ishmael. Transliteration:
Hagar Phonetic Spelling: (haw-gawr') Short Definition: Hagar. ...
/hebrew/1904.htm - 6k

3459. Yishmeeli -- descendant of Ishmael
... 3458, 3459. Yishmeeli. 3460 . descendant of Ishmael. Transliteration: Yishmeeli
Phonetic Spelling: (yish-maw-ay-lee') Short Definition: Ishmaelites. ...
/hebrew/3459.htm - 6k

4017. Mibsam -- a son of Ishmael, also a Simeonite
... 4016, 4017. Mibsam. 4018 . a son of Ishmael, also a Simeonite. Transliteration:
Mibsam Phonetic Spelling: (mib-sawm') Short Definition: Mibsam. ...
/hebrew/4017.htm - 6k

Library

The Story of Hagar and Ishmael
... THE STORY OF HAGAR AND ISHMAEL. After the great flood the family ... She, too, had
a child and his name was Ishmael. So now there were two boys ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of hagar and.htm

God's Care for the Boy Ishmael
... THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD'S CARE FOR THE BOY ISHMAEL. Jehovah remembered what
he had told Sarah, and he did as he had promised. So Sarah ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/gods care for the boy.htm

How Nebuzaradan Set Gedaliah Over the Jews that were Left in Judea ...
... CHAPTER 9. How Nebuzaradan Set Gedaliah Over The Jews That Were Left In Judea Which
Gedaliah Was A Little Afterward Slain By Ishmael; And How Johanan After ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 9 how nebuzaradan set.htm

A Petulant Wish
... 'And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before Thee! ... The very existence
of Ishmael was a memorial of Abraham's failure in faith and patience. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/a petulant wish.htm

Free Grace
... believed it, but at last, weary with waiting, he adopted the carnal expedient of
taking to himself Hagar, to wife, and he fancied that Ishmael would most ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/free grace.htm

Psalm CXX.
... know that Abraham had two sons, whom indeed the Apostle mentioneth, [5400] and
declareth them to have been types of the two covenants...Ishmael therefore was ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxx.htm

The High Priests of the Jews under whom Christ Taught.
... same book of the Antiquities [178] he writes as follows: "Valerius Gratus [179]
having put an end to the priesthood of Ananus [180] appoints Ishmael, [181] the ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter x the high priests of.htm

The Patriarchs.
... One son, Ishmael, had by this time been born to him of the bondmaid Hagar; but the
child of promise, Isaac, the son of his wife Sarah, was not given till he ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson ii the patriarchs.htm

Waiting Faith Rewarded and Strengthened by New Revelations
... The last-named vision had taken place before Ishmael's birth, and therefore
more than thirteen years prior to the date of the lesson. ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture k/waiting faith rewarded and strengthened.htm

John Chapter iii. 21-Jun
... Ishmael, born of a bond woman, disinherited; Isaac, born of a free woman, made heir:
Esau, born of a free woman, disinherited; the sons of Jacob, born of bond ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xii john chapter iii.htm

Subtopics

Ishmael

Ishmael: A Priest of the Exile

Ishmael: A Son of Azel

Ishmael: A Son of Nethaniah: Defeated by Johanan, and Put to Flight

Ishmael: Assassinated Gedaliah, Governor of Judah Under King of Babylon, and Takes Many Jews Captive

Ishmael: Father of Zebadiah

Ishmael: One of the Captains of Hundreds

Ishmael: Son of Abraham

Ishmael: Son of Abraham with Isaac Buries his Father

Ishmael: Son of Abraham: Children of

Ishmael: Son of Abraham: Circumcised

Ishmael: Son of Abraham: Daughter of, Marries Esau

Ishmael: Son of Abraham: Death of

Ishmael: Son of Abraham: Prayer of Abraham For

Ishmael: Son of Abraham: Promised to be the Father of a Nation

Ishmael: Son of Abraham: Sent Away by Abraham

Related Terms

Ishmael's (4 Occurrences)

Nethani'ah (20 Occurrences)

Ish'mael (40 Occurrences)

Nethaniah (20 Occurrences)

Joha'nan (25 Occurrences)

Kareah (14 Occurrences)

Kare'ah (14 Occurrences)

Nebaioth (5 Occurrences)

Gedali'ah (28 Occurrences)

Ahi'kam (19 Occurrences)

Johanan (31 Occurrences)

Kedar (11 Occurrences)

Neba'ioth (4 Occurrences)

Ahikam (20 Occurrences)

Nebajoth (3 Occurrences)

Mibsam (3 Occurrences)

Adbeel (2 Occurrences)

Sarai (13 Occurrences)

Gedaliah (31 Occurrences)

Hagar (15 Occurrences)

Mahalath (6 Occurrences)

Zebadiah (9 Occurrences)

Kedemah (2 Occurrences)

Naphish (3 Occurrences)

Jaazaniah (5 Occurrences)

Jetur (3 Occurrences)

Ishmaelites (6 Occurrences)

Massa (4 Occurrences)

Births (34 Occurrences)

Bashemath (6 Occurrences)

Elishama (17 Occurrences)

Abraham's (34 Occurrences)

Mizpah (42 Occurrences)

Sarah (38 Occurrences)

Mizpeh (24 Occurrences)

Circumcised (58 Occurrences)

Esau (89 Occurrences)

Nodab (1 Occurrence)

Nebuzaradan (16 Occurrences)

Nebuzar-adan (14 Occurrences)

Nebu'zarad'an (14 Occurrences)

Netophathite (9 Occurrences)

Netoph'athite (3 Occurrences)

Underwent (22 Occurrences)

Jehohanan (9 Occurrences)

Listed (48 Occurrences)

Ish'mael's (1 Occurrence)

Imperial (14 Occurrences)

Tanhumeth (2 Occurrences)

Tanhu'meth (2 Occurrences)

Tema (5 Occurrences)

Eli'shama (17 Occurrences)

Ephai (1 Occurrence)

Dumah (4 Occurrences)

Maacathite (4 Occurrences)

Ma-ac'athite (3 Occurrences)

Mishma (4 Occurrences)

Maachathite (7 Occurrences)

Ma-asei'ah (23 Occurrences)

Ma'halath (2 Occurrences)

Princes (324 Occurrences)

Peoples (305 Occurrences)

Bocheru (2 Occurrences)

Basmath (7 Occurrences)

Baalis (1 Occurrence)

Basemath (7 Occurrences)

Bokeru (2 Occurrences)

Body-guard (23 Occurrences)

Corpses (16 Occurrences)

Chiefs (227 Occurrences)

Azel (5 Occurrences)

Assassinated (10 Occurrences)

Azrikam (6 Occurrences)

Adah (8 Occurrences)

Serai'ah (18 Occurrences)

Selfsame (18 Occurrences)

Sheariah (2 Occurrences)

Self-same (17 Occurrences)

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