Ishmael
His name means "God hears," and in the wilderness, God did.
Old Testament · c. 2000–1800 BC · Genesis, Galatians · Also known as Son of Abraham and Hagar
About Ishmael
Ishmael was Abraham’s first son, born to Sarah’s Egyptian servant Hagar. Before his birth an angel told Hagar to name him Ishmael, "because the LORD hath heard thy affliction." When Isaac was born, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking and had Abraham send him and Hagar away. In the wilderness, as the boy lay dying of thirst, "God heard the voice of the lad," showed Hagar a well, and promised to make him a great nation. He grew up an archer in the wilderness, became the father of twelve princes, and stood with Isaac to bury their father.
Ishmael never speaks in Scripture, so this guide speaks about him, not as him. Many Arab peoples, and Islamic tradition, regard Ishmael as an ancestor. In Galatians 4, Paul uses Hagar and Sarah, and their sons, as an allegory of two covenants.
The story
God hears
Hagar had fled into the wilderness when the angel of the LORD found her and said, "thou… shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction." Ishmael was born when Abram was eighty-six.
Genesis 16:7-16
A promise for Ishmael too
When God promised Abraham a son by Sarah, Abraham said, "O that Ishmael might live before thee!" God answered, "As for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him… twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." Ishmael was circumcised that day, aged thirteen.
Genesis 17:18-26
Sent away
At the feast for Isaac’s weaning, Sarah saw Hagar’s son "mocking," and demanded that Abraham cast them out. Abraham was grieved, but God told him to listen to Sarah, promising, "also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation." Early the next morning Abraham sent Hagar and the boy away with bread and a bottle of water.
Genesis 21:8-14
God heard the voice of the lad
When the water ran out, Hagar left the boy under a shrub and wept. "And God heard the voice of the lad." The angel said, "Arise, lift up the lad… for I will make him a great nation." God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. "And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer."
Genesis 21:15-21
Brothers at the grave
When Abraham died, "his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah." Ishmael had twelve sons, "twelve princes according to their nations," as God had promised, and he lived 137 years.
Genesis 25:7-17
Key moments
- Named by an angel: "The LORD hath heard thy affliction." (Genesis 16:11)
- Blessed with a promise: "Twelve princes shall he beget." (Genesis 17:20)
- Sent away with Hagar: Bread and a bottle of water. (Genesis 21:14)
- God hears him in the wilderness: A well appears. (Genesis 21:17-19)
- Buries Abraham with Isaac: At Machpelah. (Genesis 25:9)
Questions about Ishmael
What did God promise about Ishmael?
God promised more than once to make Ishmael a great nation. To Abraham: "As for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him… twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." And in the wilderness: "I will make him a great nation." Genesis 25 records his twelve sons, "twelve princes according to their nations."
Did Ishmael and Isaac get along?
Genesis says little. At Isaac’s weaning feast Sarah saw Ishmael "mocking" (the Hebrew word can also mean laughing or playing), and he was sent away. The next time they appear together is at Abraham’s burial: "his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him." What their relationship was like in between isn’t recorded.
Does Ishmael ever speak in the Bible?
No words of Ishmael are recorded. Yet his voice matters in his story: when he lay dying of thirst in the wilderness, "God heard the voice of the lad," just as his name, which means "God hears," had promised.
Connected people
Read it yourself
Start with Genesis 16; 21.