General Notes

Ishmael means "may God hear".  Ishmael, in the Old Testament, the elder son of the Hebrew patriarchAbraham and the reputed a ncestor of a group of Arabian tribes.  His storyis interwoven with that of Isaac.  Ishmael' s mother was Hagar, Egyptianhandmaid to Abraham's wife, Sarah, who was barren.  In answer t o herprayers, Sarah conceived and was delivered of a son, Isaac.  Having thussatisfied Abraha m, Sarah demanded that Hagar and Ishmael be driven away.Hagar and her son fled to the south .  Ishmael settled in the wilderness,married an Egyptian woman, and became the progenitor o f 12 tribes ofdesert nomads.  The region occupied by these Ishmaelites included most ofcentra l and northern Arabia.  Muslims regard themselves as thedescendants of Ishmael.   (Encarta En cyclopedia '99, CD-rom)  Abraham's son by Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant girl, Ishmael was takenas an infant into th e desert when his mother fled from Abraham's campafter animosity flared between Hagar and Sar ah.  The Lord heard Hagar'scry for help and gave Ishmael his name ("I have heard"); He then o rderedHagar to return to Sarah and Abraham.  Ishmael was circumcised with therest of the male s in Abraham's camp, and was a favorite of Abrahambecause he was Abraham's oldest son.  Jealo usy between Hagar and Sarahdrove Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness a second time.  Agai n Godintervened and saved the boy from death by thirst, promising Hagar thatIshmael would b e the father of 12 princes.  Ishmael grew up to be a wildnomad roaming the desert stretches i n southern Canaan, famous as anarcher.  He married an Egyptian girl and fathered 12 sons who , aspromised, became the ancestors of powerful tribes in the area east of theArabah.  When Ab raham died, Ishmael returned to help Isaac bury theirfather.  (Everyone in the Bible, by Will iam P. Barker; 1966)  He was 13 years old before his half-brother, Isaac, was conceived.  Out of Ishmael the Arabs sprang, and out of the Arabs Mohammed was born.(Women of the Old Tes tament, by Abraham Kuyper, 1933, 1961, 1981)  Ishmael's people were and are a fighting people.  (Women of the OldTestament, by Abraham Kuyp er, 1933, 1961, 1981)  Among the Babylonian documents that have come to us from the days ofHammurabi, there is a lis t of witnesses, one of who is registered as'Abuha, son of Ishmael'.  (Internet:www.biblebelie vers.org.au/nation01.htm)  He died at 137 years old. His children and descendants were constantly atwar with one another .