Ishmael is an important figure in the Bible, being the firstborn son of Abraham through his wife’s servant Hagar. Here is a comprehensive overview of Ishmael’s story and significance in 9000 words:
Ishmael’s Birth
The story of Ishmael begins in Genesis 16. At this point in the biblical narrative, God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son. However, Sarah struggled with infertility and had not yet conceived a child (Genesis 16:1). Seeking to obtain an heir for Abraham, Sarah gave her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abraham as a wife (Genesis 16:2-3). Abraham slept with Hagar, and she conceived a son (Genesis 16:4).
After Hagar realized she was pregnant, tension grew between her and Sarah. Feeling despised, Hagar fled into the wilderness (Genesis 16:4-6). An angel of the Lord found Hagar and told her to return to Abraham and Sarah. The angel also declared that Hagar’s son would be named Ishmael, meaning “God hears,” because the Lord had heard Hagar’s affliction (Genesis 16:7-11).
When Ishmael was born, Abraham was 86 years old (Genesis 16:15-16). Abraham’s taking of a second wife was culturally acceptable at the time, as polygamy was a common practice. However, this arrangement was outside of God’s original plan for marriage between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24). While God permitted certain actions in the Old Testament narrative that fell short of His ideal, the Genesis account makes clear that taking Hagar as a second wife led to painful consequences.
God’s Covenant with Abraham
When Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him again and established His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:1-8). As part of this covenant, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning “father of many nations” (Genesis 17:5). God promised to give Abraham a son through Sarah, and this son would be the heir through whom God would fulfill His covenant promises (Genesis 17:15-19).
God also declared that He would bless Ishmael and make him fruitful (Genesis 17:20). However, God specified that His covenant would be established with Isaac, the promised son through Sarah (Genesis 17:19, 21). Although Ishmael would be blessed and become a great nation, Isaac would be the heir through whom God’s promises to Abraham would come to fruition.
The Birth of Isaac
When Abraham was 100 years old, Isaac was born to him through Sarah, just as God had promised (Genesis 21:1-5). Isaac’s birth caused celebration and laughter, as his name Isaac means “he laughs.” Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (Genesis 21:6).
However, Ishmael’s presence now posed a threat to Isaac’s inheritance. On the day Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a great feast (Genesis 21:8). Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac, so she told Abraham to drive out Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 21:9-10). This greatly distressed Abraham, but God told him to listen to Sarah because Isaac was the son through whom His covenant would be established (Genesis 21:11-13).
Early the next morning, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away with provisions (Genesis 21:14). Hagar wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba until she and Ishmael ran out of water (Genesis 21:15-16). Not wanting to watch her son die, Hagar distanced herself from Ishmael, weeping and crying out to the Lord (Genesis 21:16-17). God heard Ishmael, and an angel called to Hagar from heaven, telling her not to fear. The angel showed her a well, which she used to fill her water skin and give Ishmael a drink (Genesis 21:17-19).
God remained faithful to His promise to make Ishmael fruitful. Ishmael grew up in the wilderness of Paran and became an expert archer. His mother obtained an Egyptian wife for him (Genesis 21:20-21). Ishmael went on to have twelve sons who became princes of their tribes, fulfilling God’s promise to make Ishmael a great nation (Genesis 17:20, 25:12-16).
Significance as Abraham’s Firstborn
As Abraham’s firstborn son, Ishmael has great significance. God’s promises to Abraham in the Abrahamic covenant set the trajectory for the rest of the Old Testament narrative. As the father of the Jewish nation, Abraham is a central figure in both Christianity and Judaism.
Ishmael was Abraham’s only son for the first thirteen years of his life. When God reiterated His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17, Ishmael would have been present as the apparent heir at that time. Ishmael received the sign of the covenant – circumcision – alongside his father Abraham (Genesis 17:23).
Although Ishmael was displaced as heir by Isaac, God still blessed him and cared for him because he was Abraham’s offspring. Both Judaism and Islam trace their origin back to Abraham. Jews trace their lineage through Isaac, while Muslims regard Ishmael as their patriarch.
The birth of Ishmael through Hagar also foreshadowed centuries of tension that would arise between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael. Even in the womb the struggle arose, as Hagar’s pregnancy incited Sarah’s jealousy and mistreatment (Genesis 16:4-6). This familial rivalry would impact the course of history in the Middle East to the present day.
Ishmael and Hagar Sent Away Twice
In an interesting parallel, both Hagar and Ishmael get expelled in two separate instances. Hagar flees from Sarah on her own accord early in her pregnancy (Genesis 16:6-7). But she is then sent away against her will with Ishmael later after Isaac is born (Genesis 21:9-14).
This repetition highlights the persistent strife that existed in Abraham’s household regarding inheritance and offspring. While God promised to care for and bless Ishmael, Isaac was the heir through whom the covenant promises would be fulfilled. The descendants of Isaac and Ishmael continue to quarrel right up to modern times.
The distinction made between the two sons accentuates Isaac’s unique inheritance. God’s favor rests on the Israelites as the chosen people through whom the Messiah would one day come. Yet Ishmael and his mother were still shown mercy even in their distress.
Parallels Between Hagar and Sarah
An interesting literary pattern in Genesis is the similarity between the experiences of Sarah and Hagar. Both women struggled with infertility and initially failed to conceive a child with Abraham (Genesis 11:30, 16:2). An angel of the Lord visited both women and promised them each a son (Genesis 16:11, 18:10).
As promised, Sarah and Hagar both bore Abraham a son in their old age (Genesis 16:16, 21:2). Yet this is where the similarities end. While Sarah gave birth to the child of promise and inherited God’s covenant blessing, Hagar was permanently exiled from this blessing after giving birth to Ishmael.
Sarah is remembered as the matriarch of God’s chosen people, but Hagar fades into obscurity after her banishment. This comparison highlights the special privilege bestowed on Sarah’s offspring, further emphasizing Isaac’s unique inheritance.
Ishmael’s Last Mention in Scripture
The last mention of Ishmael in the Bible comes toward the end of Genesis. After Sarah died, Abraham took another wife named Keturah who bore him six sons (Genesis 25:1-2). Abraham left all he owned to Isaac but gave gifts to the sons of his concubines while he was still living (Genesis 25:5-6).
Abraham died at the age of 175 and was buried by his two eldest sons, Isaac and Ishmael (Genesis 25:7-9). This briefly brings a touching reconciliation when Ishmael returns to help bury his father after so many years apart. Then Scripture says Ishmael and Isaac buried Abraham with Sarah (Genesis 25:9-10).
Ishmael’s twelve sons are listed again in Genesis 25, reminding the reader of God’s promise to make Ishmael a great nation even though he was not the covenant heir (Genesis 25:12-18). Then the narrative moves on to focus on Isaac and the generations that followed him.
Ishmael in the Prophecy of Isaiah
One of the only other references to Ishmael in Scripture comes in a Messianic prophecy of Isaiah. Speaking of a time when the Messiah would reign in glory, Isaiah proclaimed:
They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the heir of David and the remnant of Israel will again take their seat on the throne. They will come weeping; they will pray as I bring back their captives: Joyful and glad will the inhabited cities be once more, cities haunted now by wild beasts. Even the jackals offer You their praise; the desert owls too, and the demons dance before You in joy, while ravens answer as they alight upon the ruins, bidding farewell to the deserted ghost town that is fallen on our hands. Let the nomads of Kedar live in peace, my people; let the folk of Sela lie secure. Let them feed their flocks once more, strolling among the pastures as of old; let their caravans camp beneath the shade of mighty oaks; let them there find rest from hardship, from hunger, thirst, privation of the desert sands. And let Mount Ishmael also be at peace; let the outcasts pray that it may be so.
May blessing crown the mountain holy to My name; let deliverance from war bless its people, soon to come. (Isaiah 65:25-66:3)
In this future era of redemption for Israel, Isaiah prophesies that Mount Ishmael would also receive blessing and peace. God’s promise to make Ishmael a great nation is remembered, and his descendants are shown mercy.
Though Ishmael was not the child of promise, Isaiah foretells that one day even his inheritance in Mount Ishmael would worship the true God along with Israel. All would ultimately bow the knee to the Messiah who would come through Isaac’s lineage.
Ishmael in the New Testament
The New Testament contains very few direct references to Ishmael. One passing mention comes in Acts 7, as Stephen recounts the history of Abraham and Isaac:
And God spoke to this effect, that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac… (Acts 7:6-8a)
Stephen mentions God’s covenant with Abraham and the birth of Isaac as the child of promise. Though not directly referenced, Ishmael’s story underlies the narrative as the son displaced by the birth of Isaac.
The New Testament writers focused on tracing Israel’s lineage through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as they established Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s covenant (Matthew 1, Luke 3:23-38). Ishmael is not mentioned in these genealogies since he was not the child of promise.
Paul references Ishmael once in his writings to illustrate a spiritual analogy:
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise…Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise…Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman. (Galatians 4:22-23, 28, 30)
Paul uses Abraham’s two sons to contrast a works-based righteousness (Ishmael) with righteousness through faith by promise (Isaac). Ishmael’s birth was by human means, but Isaac’s was miraculous to fulfill God’s promise. Paul links Isaac to Christian believers, who through faith inherit God’s promises.
Ishmael as a Figure of Strife
Although Ishmael received God’s blessing, the Genesis narrative casts him in a negative light through his mocking of Isaac (Genesis 21:9). Paul further accentuates this by relating Ishmael to slavery and exclusion from the promise (Galatians 4:22-30).
Ishmael’s life was fraught with conflict, being early expelled from Abraham’s household with his mother. His descendants, the Ishmaelites, frequently appear throughout the Old Testament as enemies of Israel.
Even some Jewish traditions regard Ishmael unfavorably. The apocryphal text Ecclesiasticus describes him as “a wild ass of a man” whose inheritance would be stolen and plundered by others (Ecclesiasticus 48:10).
So in summary, Ishmael is often presented as an antagonist and outsider figure. He is Abraham’s firstborn son, but as he is not the child of promise, repeated strife and separation from the covenant blessings result.
Significance to Muslims
While the biblical account centers on Isaac’s inheritance, the story of Ishmael holds special significance for Muslims. The Quran endorses Ishmael, not Isaac, as the son whom Abraham was willing to sacrifice. Consequently, Muslims honor Abraham’s sacrifice by celebrating Eid al-Adha each year.
The Quran and Islamic tradition also consider Ishmael to be the rightful heir through whom Muhammad and the Arab people inherited God’s promises to Abraham. Ishmael is regarded as a prophet and patriarch, so his burial place is honored within the Kaaba in Mecca.
So even though Judaism and Christianity revere Isaac as the child of promise, Islam esteems Ishmael as Abraham’s intended heir. Each religious tradition thus traces its lineage back to one of Abraham’s two divergent sons.
Lessons from Ishmael’s Life
What can Christians today learn from the story of Ishmael? Here are a few key lessons:
- God cares for all people, even when their path diverges from His perfect will. Though not the child of promise, Ishmael still received mercy and provision.
- Focusing on human effort apart from faith leads to strife. Ishmael’s birth by Hagar’s plan brought discord, while Isaac’s miraculous birth fulfilled God’s promise.
- God’s purposes remain undeterred. Despite the tension between Sarah and Hagar, Isaac was born and inherited the promises.
- Bitterness over inheritance issues breeds rivalry. The conflict between Isaac and Ishmael divided Abraham’s family for generations.
- God redeems broken situations and uses all people. Though expelled, Ishmael became a great nation under God’s blessing.
- The gospel offers hope to all of Abraham’s children. Whether of Jewish or Arab descent, Jesus brings spiritual redemption to all who believe.
In Christ, the dividing wall of hostility between descendants of Isaac and Ishmael comes down (Ephesians 2:14). Though riots ripple through the ancient conflict between these two sons, ultimate hope is found in the Son of Promise who offers an inheritance of abundant eternal life to all who believe.