Ishmael (Hebrew origin: God hears)
(Genesis 16:11). 19th century b.c.e.
Ishmael was the son of Abraham and his Egyptian concubine Hagar, Sarah's maid. After
Hagar became pregnant, she behaved insolently toward Sarah, who in return treated her harshly. Hagar fled into the desert, where an angel appeared to her and announced that she would have a son who would be called Ishmael. Hagar returned to her mistress and, in due course, gave birth to Ishmael. Thirteen years later, God appeared to Abraham and announced that Sarah would have a son, with whom God would establish an everlasting
covenant, and that Ishmael would also be blessed and would be the ancestor of a great nation. God commanded Abraham to circumcise himself, Ishmael, and all the males in his household. A year later, Sarah gave birth to a son, who was named Isaac.
One day, Sarah, seeing Ishmael mocking Isaac, demanded that Abraham send away Hagar and her son and declare Isaac his sole heir. Abraham loved Ishmael and did not want to yield to Sarah's demand, but God told him to do what she said, reassuring him that his descendants through Ishmael would also become a great nation. Hagar and Ishmael wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. Soon they had finished all the water in their bottle; Hagar, not wanting to see her son die of thirst, placed him under a shrub and moved some distance away crying and lamenting. God heard her cries and sent an angel who told her not to fear. Her son, the angel said, would grow up to be the ancestor of a great nation. God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water nearby. She filled the water bottle and gave the lad a drink. Ishmael grew in the wilderness, became a skilled archer, and married an Egyptian girl whom Hagar chose for him. Ishmael and his half-brother Isaac buried Abraham in the cave of Machpelah, next to Sarah. Ishmael had twelve sons: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedmah, all of them ancestors of great nations. His daughter, Mahalath—also called Basemath—married Esau son of Isaac. Ishmael died when he was 137 years old.
Read more biographies from Who's Who in the Jewish Bible.
| ||||||||||
Your shopping cart is empty. |