People of the Bible › Ishmael
Ishmael יִשְׁמָעֵאל
Abraham's son. 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.
Also called Ishmaelite, Ishmeelite.
Family
| Father | Abraham |
|---|---|
| Mother | Hagar |
| Children | Adbeel, Dumah, Hadad, Nebaioth, Kedar, Mibsam, Mishma, Massa, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah, Mahalath |
| Brothers and sisters | Isaac, Ishbak, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Shuah, Zimran |
Where Ishmael appears
Genesis (19), 1 Chronicles (5), Judges (1), 2 Samuel (1), Psalms (1)
Key verses
- Genesis 16:11 first mention — And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
- Genesis 16:15 — And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
- Genesis 17:20 — And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
- Genesis 17:23 — And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.
- Genesis 25:12 — Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
- Genesis 25:13 — And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
- Genesis 37:25 — And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
- Genesis 37:27 — Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
- Genesis 37:28 — Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
- Genesis 39:1 — And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
- Judges 8:24 — And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
- 2 Samuel 17:25 — And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man’s son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother.
Person data: STEPBible.org TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0), adapted. Several people in the Bible share this name; this page is about the one described above. Verse text: King James Version.