Genesis 17:18
New International Version
And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”

New Living Translation
So Abraham said to God, “May Ishmael live under your special blessing!”

English Standard Version
And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”

Berean Standard Bible
And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”

King James Bible
And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

New King James Version
And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

New American Standard Bible
And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!”

NASB 1995
And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!”

NASB 1977
And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!”

Legacy Standard Bible
And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!”

Amplified Bible
And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael [my firstborn] might live before You!”

Christian Standard Bible
So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to you! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael were acceptable to You!”

American Standard Version
And Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee!

Contemporary English Version
Then he asked God, "Why not let Ishmael inherit what you have promised me?"

English Revised Version
And Abraham said unto God, Oh that Ishmael might live before thee!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then Abraham said to God, "Why not let Ishmael be my heir?"

Good News Translation
He asked God, "Why not let Ishmael be my heir?"

International Standard Version
So Abraham responded to God, "If only Ishmael would live in constant awareness that you're always with him!"

Majority Standard Bible
And Abraham said to God, ?O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!?

NET Bible
Abraham said to God, "O that Ishmael might live before you!"

New Heart English Bible
Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Abraham said to God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

World English Bible
Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Abraham says to God, “O that Ishmael may live before You”;

Young's Literal Translation
And Abraham saith unto God, 'O that Ishmael may live before Thee;'

Smith's Literal Translation
And Abraham will say to God, O for Ishmael to live before thee.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to God: O that Ismael may live before thee.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he said to God, “If only Ishmael would live in your sight.”

New American Bible
So Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael could live in your favor!”

New Revised Standard Version
And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live in your sight!”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Abraham said to God, O that Ishmael might live in thy presence!

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And God said to Abraham, “Truly Sara your wife shall give birth to a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaaq, and I shall establish my covenant with him for an eternal covenant and with his seed after him.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Abraham said unto God: 'Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee!'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Abraam said to God, Let this Ismael live before thee.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Covenant of Circumcision
17Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?” 18And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!” 19But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.…

Cross References
Genesis 21:10-12
and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!” / Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael. / But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.

Genesis 16:15-16
And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. / Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

Genesis 21:1-3
Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. / So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised. / And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.

Genesis 25:12-18
This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. / These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, / Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ...

Romans 9:7-9
Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” / So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring. / For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

Galatians 4:22-31
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. / His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born through the promise. / These things serve as illustrations, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery: This is Hagar. ...

Genesis 18:10-14
Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent. / And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. / So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” ...

Genesis 22:2
“Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

Hebrews 11:17-18
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, / even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”

Genesis 15:4-5
Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” / And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Genesis 21:13
But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”

Genesis 18:17-19
And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? / Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. / For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

Genesis 26:2-5
The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you. / Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. / I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, ...

Romans 4:18-21
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” / Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb. / Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ...

Genesis 12:2-3
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. / I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”


Treasury of Scripture

And Abraham said to God, O that Ishmael might live before you!

O that.

Jeremiah 32:39
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

Acts 2:39
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

before.

Genesis 4:12,14
When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth…

Psalm 4:6
There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

Psalm 41:12
And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.

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Genesis 17
1. God renews the covenant with Abram,
5. and changes his name to Abraham, in token of a greater blessing.
9. Circumcision is instituted.
15. Sarai's name is changed to Sarah, and she is blessed.
17. Isaac is promised, and the time of his birth fixed.
23. Abraham and Ishmael are circumcised.














And Abraham said to God
This phrase marks a direct communication between Abraham and God, highlighting the intimate relationship they share. The Hebrew root for "said" is "אָמַר" (amar), which is often used in the context of speaking or declaring. This indicates not just a casual conversation but a heartfelt plea. Abraham's dialogue with God reflects his deep concern and paternal love for Ishmael, his firstborn son. Historically, this moment is significant as it shows Abraham's role as an intercessor, a theme that recurs throughout the Bible.

O that Ishmael might live
The phrase "O that" is a translation of the Hebrew "לוּ" (lu), which expresses a wish or desire. Abraham's plea for Ishmael to "live" is not merely about physical survival but encompasses a desire for a prosperous and meaningful life. The Hebrew word for "live" is "חָיָה" (chayah), which can imply thriving or flourishing. This reflects Abraham's hope for Ishmael's future, despite the divine promise of a covenant through Isaac. It underscores the tension between human desires and divine plans, a recurring theme in scripture.

under Your blessing
The concept of "blessing" in Hebrew is "בְּרָכָה" (berakah), which signifies favor, prosperity, and divine approval. Abraham's request for Ishmael to live "under Your blessing" reveals his understanding of the importance of divine favor in one's life. In the ancient Near Eastern context, a blessing was seen as essential for success and protection. This plea shows Abraham's faith in God's power to bestow blessings and his desire for Ishmael to be included in God's benevolent plans. It also foreshadows the later assurance God gives that Ishmael will indeed be blessed, though the covenant will be established through Isaac.

(18) O that Ishmael . . . --For thirteen years Ishmael had been the "son of the house" (Genesis 15:3), and regarded probably as the true heir. Mingled then with Abraham's joy there was also the pain, natural to a father, of knowing that this transference of the promise to Sarah's child meant the deposition and disappointment of one who for so long had held the post of honour. Stoicism would have repressed this upright and natural feeling, but God hears and accepts the father's prayers; and while the birthright and religious pre-eminence is justly given to the son of the freewoman, there is a large earthly blessing for the handmaid's son.

Verse 18. - And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! Not implying that Abram was content with Hagar's child as the promised seed without waiting for Sarai s son (Jerome, Calvin, Kalisch); scarcely that he feared lest God might remove Ishmael by death now that Isaac had been promised (Wordsworth-); but probably that he desired that Ishmael might not only live and prosper (Bush), but share with Sarah s son in the blessings of the covenant (Keil, Longs, Rosenmüller, Murphy, 'Speaker's Commentary,' Inglis).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And Abraham
אַבְרָהָ֖ם (’aḇ·rā·hām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 85: Abraham -- 'exalted father', the father of the Jewish nation

said
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

God,
הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים (hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

“O that
ל֥וּ (lū)
Preposition
Strong's 3863: If, would that!

Ishmael
יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל (yiš·mā·‘êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3458: Ishmael -- 'God hears', the name of several Israelites

might live
יִחְיֶ֥ה (yiḥ·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive

under Your [blessing]!”
לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃ (lə·p̄ā·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6440: The face


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OT Law: Genesis 17:18 Abraham said to God Oh that Ishmael (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 17:17
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