Topical Bible: Abraham: Ishmael Born To

◄ Abraham: Ishmael Born To ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Background and Context:

Abraham, originally named Abram, is a central figure in the Bible, known as the patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites, Edomites, and Midianites. His account is primarily found in the Book of Genesis. God called Abraham to leave his homeland and journey to a land that He would show him, promising to make him a great nation (Genesis 12:1-2). Despite this promise, Abraham and his wife, Sarah (originally Sarai), faced the challenge of childlessness for many years.

The Birth of Ishmael:

The birth of Ishmael is a significant event in Abraham's life, marking a pivotal moment in the unfolding of God's promises. The narrative is found in Genesis 16. Sarah, unable to bear children, offers her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, to Abraham as a surrogate. This was a customary practice in the ancient Near East for a barren wife to provide her husband with an heir through a servant.

Genesis 16:1-2 states: "Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, 'Look now, the LORD has prevented me from having children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai."

Abraham consents to Sarah's proposal, and Hagar conceives. However, this decision leads to tension and conflict within the household. Hagar's pregnancy causes her to look with contempt on Sarah, leading to strife between the two women.

Hagar's Flight and Divine Encounter:

The discord becomes so severe that Hagar flees into the wilderness. There, she encounters the Angel of the LORD, who instructs her to return to Sarah and submit to her. The Angel also delivers a promise concerning her unborn child, Ishmael.

Genesis 16:10-11 records the Angel's words: "Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, 'I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.' The Angel of the LORD also said to her, 'You have conceived and will bear a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your affliction.'"

The name "Ishmael" means "God hears," signifying God's awareness of Hagar's plight. The Angel further prophesies that Ishmael will be "a wild donkey of a man" and that his hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand against him (Genesis 16:12).

Ishmael's Birth:

Hagar returns to Abraham's household and gives birth to Ishmael when Abraham is 86 years old (Genesis 16:15-16). Ishmael becomes the firstborn son of Abraham, and his birth is a fulfillment of God's promise to multiply Abraham's descendants. However, Ishmael's birth also sets the stage for future familial and tribal tensions, as God's covenantal promise of a son through Sarah remains unfulfilled until the birth of Isaac.

Significance:

The birth of Ishmael is significant in biblical history as it marks the beginning of the Ishmaelite lineage. Ishmael is traditionally considered the ancestor of several Arab tribes, and his account is foundational in understanding the complex relationships between the descendants of Abraham. The narrative also highlights themes of faith, human agency, and divine intervention, illustrating the challenges and consequences of attempting to fulfill God's promises through human means.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 16:3,15
And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelled ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Of God's Attestation to Abraham, by which He Assures Him, when Now ...
... After these things Ishmael was born of Hagar; and Abraham might think that in him
was fulfilled what God had promised him, saying, when he wished to adopt his ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 26 of gods attestation to.htm

Of the Children of the Flesh and the Children of the Promise.
... wrath," the latter "vessels of mercy." [772] And this was typified in the two sons
of Abraham,"Ishmael, the son of Agar the handmaid, being born according to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 2 of the children of.htm

John Chapter iii. 21-Jun
... Well, did they who were born of bond women at the former time, return into the wombs
of the free to be born anew? The seed of Abraham was in Ishmael also; but ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xii john chapter iii.htm

Abraham --The Father of the Faithful.
... A little son was born to them, and they called him ... They were very happy, for though
Abraham was a hundred ... and good wishes, yet the little lad Ishmael, the son ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter iii abrahamthe father of.htm

The Story of Hagar and Ishmael
... to Abraham and Sarah, his wife, was born, when Abraham ... She, too, had a child and
his name was Ishmael. So now there were two boys in Abraham's tent, the older ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of hagar and.htm

Here Followeth the Life of Abraham
... Every child masculine that shall be born shall be ... I beseech thee, Lord, that Ishmael
may live before thee. Our Lord said to Abraham, Sarah shall bring forth a ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here followeth the life of.htm

John Chapter ii. 23-25; iii. 5-Jan
... be heir with my son Isaac." And when Abraham was sorrowful ... For what evil had Ishmael
done to the boy Isaac, in ... he says, "But as then he that was born after the ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xi john chapter ii.htm

Chapter xxv
... this account, brief as it is, aims to furnish proof for the fulfilment of God's
promises in reference to this first-born son of Abraham. Ishmael did develop ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxv.htm

The Patriarchs.
... son, Ishmael, had by this time been born to him of ... herds, and fine horses, much as
Ishmael himself must ... They are still circumcised, and honour Abraham as their ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson ii the patriarchs.htm

Abraham's Four Surrenders
... Abraham's faith almost staggered a number of times. Ishmael was born, but God set
aside the son of the bondwoman, for he was not to be the ancestor of the Son ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/men of the bible/i abrahams four surrenders.htm