Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Sarah’s maid Hagar the
Egyptian. Today Ishmael’s descendants
are attributed to the wrong group of people and this document will point out
issues of that assertion. We will review the following:
· The blessings that were given to Ishmael.
· Where Ishmael lived.
· The natural resources that were available where Ishmael lived
Picture sources:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Biblia_zlota_klasykow_T._1_1899_(97031632)_(cropped).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agar_e_Ismael.jpg
Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar
First,
we will review the history of Ishmael birth and blessings stated in Gensis and
in Josephus’ writings. I have included Josephus’ writings since he states that
Ishmael is the father of the Arabian nations.
The bible does include Arabia; however, it never states the Arabians’
origin. When Agar (Hagar) was pregnant
with Ismael an angel came to her and told her that her seed would be
multiplied:
“And
an angel of the Lord found her by the fountain of water in the wilderness, by
the fountain in the way to Sur. And the angel of the Lord said to her, Agar,
Sara's maid, whence comest thou, and wither goest thou? and she said, I am
fleeing from the face of my mistress Sara. And the angel of the Lord said to
her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel
of the Lord said to her, I will
surely multiply thy seed, and it shall not be numbered
for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said to her, Behold thou art with child, and
shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ismael, for
the Lord hath hearkened to thy humiliation. He shall be a wild man, his hands
against all, and the hands of all against him, and he shall dwell in the presence of all his
brethren. And she called the name of
the Lord God who spoke to her, Thou art God who seest me; for she said, For I
have openly seen him that appeared to me. Therefore she called the well, The
well of him whom I have openly seen; behold it is between Cades and Barad. And
Agar bore a son to Abram; and Abram called the name of his son which Agar bore
to him, Ismael.” LXX Gen 16:7-15
“Accordingly Sarai, at God's command, brought to his bed one of
her handmaidens, a woman of Egyptian descent, in order to obtain children by
her; and when this handmaid was with child, she triumphed, and ventured to
affront Sarai, as if the dominion were to come to a son to be born of her. But
when Abram resigned her into the hand of Sarai, to punish her, she contrived to
fly away, as not able to bear the instances of Sarai's severity to her; and she
entreated God to have compassion on her. Now a Divine Angel met her, as she was
going forward in the wilderness, and
bid her return to her master and mistress, for if she would submit to that wise
advice, she would live better hereafter; for that the reason of her being in
such a miserable case was this, that she had been ungrateful and arrogant
towards her mistress. He also told her, that if she disobeyed God, and went on
still in her way, she should perish; but if she would return back, she should become the mother of a son who should reign
over that country. These admonitions she obeyed, and returned to her
master and mistress, and obtained forgiveness. A little while afterwards, she
bare Ismael; which may be interpreted
Heard of God, because God had heard
his mother's prayer.” Josephus
Antiquities Book One, Chapter 10.4
When
Ismael was age 13, our Father in Heaven blessed him again and said he would be
twelve nations. Abraham circumcised
Ismael since Ismael was considered part of the Abrahamic covenant.
“And
Abraam said to God, Let this Ismael live
before thee. And God said to Abraam, Yea,
Sarrha thy wife shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with
him, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to
him and to his seed after him. And concerning Ismael, behold, I have heard thee, and,
behold, I have blessed him, and will increase him and multiply him exceedingly;
twelve nations [G1484 ethnos; a race (as
of the same habit), that is, a tribe] shall he beget, and I will make him a great
nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac,
whom Sarrha shall bear to thee at this time, in the next year. And he left off
speaking with him, and God went up from Abraam. And Abraam took Ismael his son,
and all his home-born servants, and all those bought with money, and every male
of the men in the house of Abraam, and he circumcised their foreskins in the
time of that day, according as God spoke to him. And Abraam was ninety-nine
years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ismael his son was thirteen years old when he was
circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And at the period
of that day, Abraam was circumcised, and Ismael his son, and all the men of his
house, both those born in the house, and those bought with money of foreign
nations.” LXX Gen 17:18-27
“And
Abram inquiring also concerning
Ismael, whether he should live or not, God signified to him that
he should live to be very old, and should be the father of great nations.
Abram therefore gave thanks to God for these blessings; and then he, and all
his family, and his son Ismael, were circumcised immediately; the son being
that day thirteen years of age, and he ninety-nine.” Josephus Antiquities Book One, Chapter 10, 5
“But
as for the
Arabians, they circumcise after the thirteenth year,
because Ismael,
the founder of their nation, who was born to Abraham of the concubine, was
circumcised at that age; concerning whom I will presently give a particular
account, with great exactness.” Josephus Antiquities, Book One, Chapter 12.2
Agar
arranged for Ismael to marry an Egyptian. The Egyptians were descendants of Mitsrayim,
who was Ham’s son and Ham was a son of Noah. Agar was also a descendant of Ham.
Both Agar and Ismael’s wife were offspring of Noah; therefore, they were part
of our Father in Heaven’s covenant with Noah. Ismael’s descendants were of the
Adamic blood line from both their father and mother’s side of the family.
“And God was with the child,
and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness, and his
mother took
him a wife out of Pharan of Egypt.” Sep Gen 21:20-21
Ismael
lived in the wilderness east of the Euphrates next to the Assyrians. Both Ismael and the Assyrians were descendants
of Shem; therefore, they were brethren.
Ismael had twelve sons who were considered princes or chiefs; therefore,
our Father in Heaven’s promise to Abraham, Agar, and Ismael was kept. Below are three different bible versions and
Josephus writing with the names Ishmael’s twelve sons.
“And
these are the generations of Ismael the son of Abraam, whom Agar the Egyptian
the hand-maid of Sarrha bore to Abraam. And these are the names of the sons of
Ismael, according to the names of their generations. The firstborn of Ismael,
Nabaioth, and Kedar, and Nabdeel, and Massam, and Masma,
and Duma, and Masse, and Choddan, and Thaeman, and Jetur,
and Naphes, and Kedma. These are the sons of Ismael, and these
are their names in their tents and in their dwellings, twelve princes according to their nations. And
these are the years of the life of Ismael, a hundred and thirty-seven
years; and he failed and died, and was added to his fathers. And he dwelt from
Evilat to Sur, which is opposite Egypt, until one comes to the Assyrians; he dwelt in the presence of all his brethren.” LXX Gen
25:12-18
“And these are their
generations: the first-born of Ismael, Nabaeoth, and Kedar, Nabdeel,
Massam,
Masma, Iduma, Masse, Chondan,
Thaeman, Jettur, Naphes, Kedma:
these are the sons of Ismael.” LXX 1Ch 1:29-31
“et hae generationes eorum
primogenitus Ismahelis Nabaioth et Cedar et Adbeel et Mabsam
Masma et Duma Massa Adad et Thema Iathur Naphis
Cedma hii sunt filii Ismahelis” LV 1Ch 1:29-31
“These are their generations:
The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel,
and Mibsam, Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema, Jetur,
Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.” KJV
1Ch 1:29-31
“When
the lad [Ismael] was grown up, he married a wife, by birth an Egyptian, from
whence the mother was herself derived originally. Of this wife were born to Ismael
twelve sons; Nabaioth, Kedar, Abdeel, Mabsam, Idumas, Masmaos, Masaos,
Chodad, Theman, Jetur, Naphesus, Cadmas. These inhabited all the country
from Euphrates to
the Red Sea, and called it Nabatene.
They are an Arabian
nation, and name their tribes from these, both because
of their own virtue, and because of the dignity of Abraham their father.” Josephus Antiquities, Book One, Chapter 12.4
Ishmael’s Family
I
made this table of Ishmael’s family showing the different spelling of their
names depending on which bible version you are reading.
|
Brenton Greek Septuagint |
Latin Vulgate |
King James |
Josephus |
Strong’s |
|
Agar |
Agar |
Hagar |
Hagar |
|
|
Ismael |
Ishmahelis |
Ishmael |
Ismael |
|
|
Nabaioth (Nabaeoth) |
Nabaioth |
Nebaioth |
Nabaioth |
|
|
Kedar |
Cedar |
Kedar |
Kedar |
|
|
Nabdeel |
Abbeel |
Adbeel |
Abdeel |
|
|
Massam |
Mibsam |
Mibsam |
Mabsam |
|
|
Masma |
Mishma |
Mishma |
Mabsam |
|
|
Duma (Iduma) |
Dumah |
Dumah |
Idumas |
|
|
Masse |
Massa |
Massa |
Masmaos |
|
|
Choddan (Chondan) |
Adad |
Hadad |
Chodad |
|
|
Thaeman |
Thema |
Tema |
Theman |
|
|
Jetur (Jettur) |
Iathur |
Jetur |
Jetur |
|
|
Naphes |
Naphis |
Naphish |
Naphesus |
|
|
Kedma |
Cedma |
Kedemah |
Cadmas |
Where Ishmael Lived
Ishmael, the son of Abraham, was a
descendant of Shem who was Noah’s son; therefore his brethren were
Shemites. In this verse we are told that
Ishmael would dwell with his brethren.
“he [Ishmael] shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren [G80 adelphos; From G1 (as a connective particle) and δελφύς delphus
(the womb); a brother].” LXX Gen 16:12
The place were the 12 tribes of Ishmael
lived was called Arabia. The noun Arabia
is said to mean ‘west’, meaning ‘west of Assyria’. This verse implies that Arabia had a
forest.
The oracle concerning Arabia [Ishmaelites]. In the thickets [H3293a yaar; wood, forest, thicket] in Arabia you will lodge, O caravans of Dedanites [Abraham
& Keturah descendant]. ESV Ish 21:13
We
are told that Ismael dwelt between Evilat (Havilah) and Sur (Shur). The verses below provide a good description
of where Ismael lived:
“And he dwelt from Evilat to Sur,
which is opposite
Egypt, until one comes to the Assyrians; he dwelt in the
presence of all
his brethren.” LXX Gen 25:18
The
place called Evilat (above) was named after Jektan’s son Evila. Jektan [Joktan] was also a descendant of
Noah’s son Shem; therefore, Jektan was brethren to Ishmael and lived next to
him.
“And
to Heber were born two sons, the name of the one, Phaleg, because in his days
the earth was divided, and the name of his brother Jektan. And Jektan begot
Elmodad, and Saleth, and Sarmoth, and Jarach, and Odorrha, and Aibel, and
Decla, Eval, and Abimael, and Saba, and Uphir, and Evila, and Jobab, all
these were the sons of Jektan. And their dwelling was
from Masse [Ishmael’s son], till one comes to Saphera, a mountain of the east.” LXX Gen 10:25-30
The
Assyrians are also mentioned in Genesis 25:18 (above). The Assyrians are
descendants of Asshur who was Shem’s second son. Therefore, Evilat and the Assyrians are both
Shemites, as was Ishmael. (See genealogy
charts, Adam & Eve's Family Tree.)
Genesis
chapter 2 tells us more about where Ishmael, Evilat and the Assyrians were
living.
“And God planted a garden eastward in Edem, and placed there the man
whom he had formed. And God made to spring up also out of the earth every
tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in
the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and
evil. And a river proceeds out of Edem to water the garden, thence it
divides itself into four heads [G746 archē; a beginning, origin]. The name of the one, Phisom, this it is
which encircles the whole land of Evilat [Havilah], where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald. And the
name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia
[Ham’s son Cush’s land]. And the third river is Tigris, this is that
which flows forth over against the Assyrians
[Shem’s son Asshur]. And the
fourth river is Euphrates. And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed,
and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it.” LXX Gen 2:8-15
Josephus
tells us that the Ishmaelites called where they lived Nabatene which is derived
from Ishmael’s first-born son’s name. He
also states that they were an Arabian nation living between the Euphrates and
the Red Sea. If you study bible genealogy and bible geography, you will find
that Noah’s son Shem was given the land east of the Euphrates and Ham was given
land west of the Euphrates (this topic is too lengthy discuss further
here).
These
inhabited all the country from Euphrates
to the Red Sea, and called it Nabatene.
They are an Arabian
nation, and name their tribes from these, both because
of their own virtue, and because of the dignity of Abraham their father.” Josephus Antiquities, Book One, Chapter 12.4
These
two verses tell us that Arabia had gold and silver.
“And the weight of the gold that was brought to Solomon in one year was
six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, besides what the men who were
regularly appointed and the merchants brought, and all the kings of Arabia
and princes of the land: all brought gold and
silver to king Solomon.” LXX 2Ch 9:13-14
“And he shall live, and there shall be given him of the gold of Arabia: and men shall pray for him
continually; and all the day shall they praise him.” LXX Psa 72:15
Ishmael’s
son Kedar is mentioned in the verse below which was a lament for Tyre. Apparently Arabia was a good place to raise
camels, lambs and rams for trade.
“Arabia and all the princes
of Kedar, these were thy traders with thee, bringing camels, and lambs,
and rams, in which they trade with
thee.” LXX Eze 27:21
Here
is a recap of the description of where Ishmael’s descendants lived:
·
Ishmael’s home land was called Arabia
·
There was a forest in Arabia
·
Arabia was west of Assyria
·
Arabia was in between Egypt and Assyria.
·
Arabia was next to Joktan’s land.
·
Jektan’s sons lived in between Ishmael’s son Masse and a mountain
on the east called Saphera [Sephar].
·
The land of Evilat, Ethiopia, and Assyria was in a garden with
beautiful trees that are good for food. Since Ishmael lived in the middle of
them, he also lived in a place with beautiful trees.
·
The land of Evilat, Ethiopia, and Assyria had a river that flowed
from four sources or origins. This river
water the garden they lived in. Since
Ishmael lived among them, he also lived among these four rivers.
·
The river Phisom encircles the land of Evilat [Havilah]. Ishmael
lived near this river.
·
The land that Ishmael lived next to called Evilat, had gold,
carbuncle and emeralds.
·
There was a river named Tigris that flowed over against the
Assyrians; notice not thru the land of Assyria.
·
Arabia was next to the Euphrates River and it ended at the Red
Sea.
·
The land of Arabia had gold and silver.
·
Arabia was a good place to raise camels, lambs and rams.
Is Ishmael in Saudi Arabia?
I have heard in many conversations that the people in Saudi Arabia
are descendants of Ishmael but according to the bible this cannot be true. Reflected
below are statements regarding today’s country of Saudi Arabia. These statements ensure me that this land
does not sound at all like the garden of Eden where Ishmael did live. There is not even a permanent river
there.
“Saudi Arabia’s geography is
dominated by the Arabian Desert, associated semi-desert, shrubland,
steppes, several mountain ranges, volcanic lava fields and highlands. The
647500 km2 (250001 sq mi) Rub’ al Khali (“Empty Quarter”) in the
southeastern part of the country is the world’s largest contiguous sand
desert. Though there are lakes in the country, Saudi Arabia is the largest
country in the world by area with no permanent rivers.” Quoted from
Wikipedia
The people of Saudi Arabia live by Sharia law which is not
biblical law. This country would not be a blessing to live in.
“Saudi Arabia is an absolute
monarchy; however, according to the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia adopted by royal
decree in 1992, the king must comply with Sharia (Islamic law) and the Quran,
while the Quran and the Sunnah (the traditions of Muhammad) are declared to be
the country's constitution.” Quoted
from Wikipedia
According to the book of Genesis chapter 2 (above), there should be emerald deposits by Ishmael’s land. The map below shows there are no emerald deposits in Saudi Arabia. Countries that have emerald deposits are colored in dark green.
According to the book of Genesis chapter two and other verses stated above, Ishmael’s land was a good source for gold. According to the map below, Saudi Arabia has very little gold and would not be considered a good source of gold.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_gold_production.svg
According to verses 2Chronicles
9:13-14 (above), Arabia had silver or somewhere near must have provided
them access to silver. The Silver
Production map of the World, below, shows that Saudi Arabia or no one close by
had access to silver. I have read that
Saudi Arabia has a small amount of silver; if they do, they are not known for having
silver mines according to this list in Wikipedia (see here).
Source: World
Silver Production map.
The World Map below shows desert areas in gray and white plus it shows land in green where they would could be a forest. Saudi Arabia is said to have a small forest by the ocean but it is not even big enough to show up in this picture. There is no evidence of a garden of Eden in Saudi Arabia nor even close by.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Winkel_triple_projection_SW.jpg
The bible's description of Arabia does not match Saudi Arabi
at all.
Early American News
The
news articles below show that early Americans believed the Arabians were
descendant to Ishmael plus they provide other interesting insight.
1881 news – Arabian Horses, Ishmael the First Horse Trainer
1884 news – Arabs are descendant to Ishmael
Source: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038292/1884-05-03/ed-1/seq-1/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJZGiVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdYP7wEJAjKY_RIF-1Ayliic8MuHCc7DSa69ixo4hv9rxFySOMYC_YlTEg_aem_MNiAGfoJ2-mO486cupCCYg#date1=1756&sort=date&rows=20&words=Arabs+Ishmael&searchType=basic&sequence=0&index=5&state=&date2=1963&proxtext=ishmael+arab&y=0&x=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1
1886 news – Ishmael founded the nation of Arabs
I believe the article above is in regards to the verse below in Maccabees.
“But when Alexander heard of this, he came to war against him whereupon
king Ptolemee brought forth his host, and met him with a mighty power, and put
him to flight. So Alexander fled into Arabia there to be defended; but
king Ptolemee was exalted: For Zabdiel the Arabian took off Alexander's
head, and sent it unto Ptolemee. King Ptolemee also died the third day after,
and they that were in the strong holds were slain one of another.” LXX 1Ma 11:15-18
1903 news – Arab horses found among Ishmael
Prophecies of Ishmael’s Descendants
Isaiah
tells us that when Jesus returns, he will rule over the Gentile nations stated
in the verses below and Arabia will be one of them.
“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall
arise to rule over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust, and his rest
shall be glorious. And it shall be in that day, that the Lord shall again shew
his hand, to be zealous for the remnant that is left of the people, which shall
be left by the Assyrians, and that from Egypt, and from the
country of Babylon, and from Ethiopia, and from the Elamites,
and from the rising of the sun, and out of Arabia”. LXX Isa 11:10-11
The
prophecy below indicates that the tribes of Ishmael will be impacted when
Babylon falls again; therefore, we know there are some true descendants of
Ishmael still living.
“And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs!” And he answered, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved
images of her gods he has shattered to the ground.” O my threshed and winnowed
one, what I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, I announce to
you. The oracle concerning Dumah [Ishmaelite]. One is calling to me from Seir, “Watchman, what
time of the night? Watchman, what time of the night?” The watchman says:
“Morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; come back
again.” The oracle concerning Arabia
[Ishmaelites]. In the thickets
[H3293a yaar; wood, forest, thicket] in Arabia you will lodge, O
caravans of Dedanites [Abraham & Keturah descendant]. To the thirsty bring
water; meet the fugitive with bread, O inhabitants of the land of Tema [Ishmaelites]. For they have fled from
the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the press of
battle. For thus the Lord said to me, “Within a year, according to the years of
a hired worker, all the glory of Kedar [Ishmaelites] will come to an end. And the remainder of the
archers of the mighty men of the sons of Kedar [Ishmaelites] will be few, for
the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.” ESV Isa 21:9-17
“Sing a new hymn to the Lord: ye who are his dominion, glorify his name
from the end of the earth: ye that go down to the sea, and sail upon it; the
islands, and they that dwell in them. Rejoice, thou wilderness, and the
villages thereof, the hamlets, and the dwellers in Kedar:
the inhabitants of the rock shall rejoice, they shall shout from the top of the
mountains. They shall give glory to God, and shall proclaim his praises
in the islands. The Lord God of hosts shall go forth, and crush the war: he
shall stir up jealousy, and shall shout mightily against his enemies.” LXX Isa 42:10-13
When
Jesus returns, Ishmael’s son Kedar will be gathered to make sacrifices:
“And all the flocks of Kedar
shall be gathered, and the rams of Nabaeoth shall
come; and acceptable sacrifices shall be offered on my altar, and my house of
prayer shall be glorified.” LXX Isa 60:7
These
scriptures ensure us that there are true Ishmaelites among us today.
Ismael’s Blessings
The
blessings given to Ishmael, below, were
not conditional. In addition to these
blessings, he was part of the Abrahamic covenant and his offspring would
continue to be part of this covenant provided that they were circumcised. This is a recap of Ishmael’s blessing that
were stated in the verses at the start of this article.
· God would bless Ishmael by multiplying his seed.
· God would bless Ishmael with twelve nations.
· God would make Ishmael a great nation.
· God blessed Ishmael with living to the age of 137.
So,
Ishmael would be a great nation according to God’s definition of a great
nation. A great nation, according to
God’s definition, would contain people that read and believed HIS words that
are documented in the bible. Saudi
Arabia contains people that believe in ‘the traditions of Muhammad’ that
are documented in the Quran which is very different from the Christian
bible. I do not believe the people of
Saudi Arabia or the land of Saudi Arabia are what is described in the bible. Today’s Ishmaelites are living amongst the
white race and we cannot tell the difference between them and today’s
Israelites (See
who are the Israelites today).
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