"He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen." - Genesis 16:12
- Name Meaning: "God will hear" (because the Lord has listened to your affliction (Genesis 16:11)) (Literal Word app)
- Death: 137 years old (Genesis 25:17)
- Father: Abram (Genesis 16:15)
- Mother: Hagar (Genesis 16:15)
- Half-brother: Isaac (Genesis 21:10); Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah (Genesis 25:2)
- Sons: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah (Genesis 25:13-15)
His mother was seen by God while carrying him
Sarai hadn't born children to Abram, so she gave her female servant Hagar to Abram as a wife so that she might obtain children by her. Sarai and Hagar had drama during her pregnancy that escalated to Hagar fleeing into the wilderness. There, the angel of the Lord found her and prophesied,
"I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”
Also,
“Behold, you are pregnant / and shall bear a son. / You shall call his name Ishmael, / because the Lord has listened to your affliction. / He shall be a wild donkey of a man, / his hand against everyone / and everyone's hand against him, / and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
Ishmael was born to Abram
Hagar bore Ishmael when Abram was 86 years old. (Genesis 16:15)
Ishmael shall father 12 princes
When Abraham offered Ishmael before God as his heir, God denied him and insisted Sarah would bear him a son. However, he said, "As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year."
Ishmael is circumcised
Ishmael was 13 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. He was circumcised with Abraham and all Abraham's household.
Ishmael is cast out
When Isaac was born and grew and was weaned, Abraham made a great feast on the day he was weaned. Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian laughing, so she told Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac." God told Abraham, "Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring."
So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
When they ran out of water, Hagar set the child under a bush, went about a bowshot's distance away, and wept, saying, "Let me not look on the death of the child." God heard Ishmael's voice, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, saying, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation." God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She refilled her skin and gave the boy a drink.
God was with Ishmael, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from Egypt.
(Genesis 21)
Abraham Sends Ishmael Away
Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country.
(Genesis 25:5)
Abraham's Death
When Abraham died, Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah with Sarah.
Ishmael's Death
Story
These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes. (These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.) They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settled over against all his kinsmen.