Ishmael
the one God heard
Who was Ishmael?
- Abraham’s firstborn son. His mother was Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian slave. Genesis 16:15-16
- With his mother, he had to leave Abraham’s house. In the desert, God heard his voice and saved them from thirst. Genesis 21:14-19
- He grew up in the wilderness of Paran and became a bowman. God promised to make him a great nation. Genesis 21:18, 20-21
- The name
- In Hebrew, Ishmael means “God has heard”. The angel explained it to Hagar: the Lord had heard her in her affliction. Genesis 16:11; NAB note on Gn 16, 11
- From
- From Canaan, from Abraham’s camp Genesis 16:3, 15
- Occupation
- An archer, in the desert Genesis 21:20
What the Bible says
Genesis 16:15-16
15And Agar brought forth a son to Abram: who called his name Ismael. 16Abram was four score and six years old when Agar brought him forth Ismael.
Genesis 21:14-19
14So Abraham rose up in the morning, and taking bread and a bottle of water, put it upon her shoulder, and delivered the boy, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Bersabee. 15And when the water in the bottle was spent, she cast the boy under one of the trees that were there. 16And she went her way, and sat over against him a great way off as far as a bow can carry, for she said: I will not see the boy die: and sitting over against, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17And God heard the voice of the boy: and an angel of God called to Agar from heaven, saying: What art thou doing, Agar? fear not: for God hath heard the voice of the boy, from the place wherein he is. 18Arise, take up the boy, and hold him by the hand: for I will make him a great nation. 19And God opened her eyes: and she saw a well of water, and went and filled the bottle, and gave the boy to drink.
Genesis 21:18, 20-21
18Arise, take up the boy, and hold him by the hand: for I will make him a great nation. 20And God was with him: and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became a young man, an archer. 21And he dwelt in the wilderness of Pharan, and his mother took a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
The path of Ishmael
- Before Jesus. Before he was born, the angel of the Lord told Hagar to name him Ishmael. Genesis 16:11
- Before Jesus. He was born when Abraham was 86 years old. Genesis 16:16
- Before Jesus. Abraham prayed to God for Ishmael. God promised Abraham to bless Ishmael and make him the father of 12 chieftains. Genesis 17:18, 20
- Before Jesus. At 13 he was circumcised, the sign of the covenant, on the same day as Abraham. Genesis 17:11, 25-26
- With Jesus. Sarah saw Ishmael playing with Isaac and asked Abraham to send him away together with Hagar. God told Abraham to listen to her. Genesis 21:9-12
- With Jesus. In the desert the water ran out. God heard the boy’s voice and showed Hagar a well. Genesis 21:15-19
- Afterward. God was with him. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, became an archer, and his mother found him a wife from Egypt. Genesis 21:20-21
- Afterward. Together with Isaac, he buried Abraham in the cave of Machpelah. He died at the age of 137. Genesis 25:9, 17
Words of Ishmael
The Bible records no words of his. It does say that God heard his voice in the desert (Gn 21, 17).
The greatest thing they did
- God was with him as he grew up. Genesis 21:20
- God promised Abraham to make Ishmael a great nation, because he too was his offspring. Genesis 21:13
- The promise came true: he had 12 sons, chieftains of 12 tribes. Genesis 25:13-16
Not to be confused with
- Isaac: Both were sons of Abraham. Ishmael was Hagar’s son and was born first. Isaac was Sarah’s son, and it was with him that God kept his covenant. Genesis 16:15; Genesis 17:19-21
What people ask
Was Ishmael Abraham’s son?
Yes, his first son. God told Abraham that Ishmael too was his offspring. Genesis 16:15-16; Genesis 21:13
Did God bless Ishmael?
Yes. God promised Abraham to bless him and make him the father of 12 chieftains and of a great nation. Genesis 17:20
How old was Ishmael when he left with his mother?
The Bible does not say directly. A NAB note explains that chapter 21 presents him as a child. From other dates in Genesis, he would have been about 14 or older. Genesis 16:16; Genesis 21:5, 14; NAB note on Gn 21, 14
Did Ishmael ever see Isaac again?
The Bible tells that the two of them buried their father Abraham together. Genesis 25:9
Who are the Ishmaelites?
That is what Genesis calls Ishmael’s descendants. Joseph’s brothers sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites. Genesis 25:16, 18; Genesis 37:27-28
Daily life He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and he was a good archer. Genesis 21:20-21 What he suffered As a boy he had to leave his father’s house…
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