Genesis 25:16

These are the sons of Ishmael,.... The twelve before mentioned, Genesis 25:13 , these are their names, by their towns and by their castles; their towns and their castles being called after their names, some of which we are able to trace at this distance, as the above notes show: twelve princes according to their nations; these were princes, or heads of tribes, and there were twelve of them, and continued so, see Genesis 17:20; where is the prophecy, and here an accomplishment of it.

(16) By their towns, and by their castles. —Towns and castles in the wilderness of Paran there were none, but we know for certain that the first of these words signified an unwalled village. (See Leviticus 25:31 , where it is exactly described; also Psalm 10:8 ·, Isaiah 42:11 .) It was, however, a settled and permanent place of dwelling. The other word rendered here castle, but used as the equivalent of tent in Psalm 69:25 , is really a cluster of tents, the encampment of a tribe, and movable. It occurs in Numbers 31:10 ; 1Chronicles 6:54 ; Ezekiel 25:4 . As is well known, the Arabs are divided into two classes—the dwellers in tents, who are ever moving from station to station, within certain limits, nevertheless, which they seldom pass over; and the agricultural class, who have fixed habitations, are looked upon as inferiors, and probably are the remains of a conquered race. To this day they pay a sort of rent, or black-mail, to the nobler Arabs. We find, then, this distinction already existing when this Tôldôth was drawn up; the agricultural Arabs dwelling in unwalled villages, while the nomad tribes pitched now here, and now there, their clusters of black camels’-hair tents. And thus we have in these words proof that Ishmael and his subjects were not all upon the same level; for while he, his sons, and his noblest retainers would dwell in tents, the inhabitants of the villages would be men of inferior origin, compelled to submit themselves to him.

16 . by their villages, and … encampments ] The distinction is, probably, between settled habitations in open unwalled villages, and circles of black tents in which the Bedouins dwell. This distinction between the permanent and the movable dwellings of the Ishmaelites is not reproduced in the versions. LXX ἐν ταῖς σκηναῖς … ἐν ταῖς ἐπαύλεσιν , Lat. per castella et oppida . See, also, for “encampments,” the tîrôth of the Midianites ( Numbers 31:10 ) and of “the children of the east” ( Ezekiel 25:4 ). twelve princes ] See note on Genesis 25:2 . The fulfilment of Genesis 17:20 (P). The “princes” are “leaders,” or Sheikhs , of clans. nations ] A technical term for “clan” ( ’ummah = ’ummat in Arabic); cf. Psalm 117:1 : elsewhere only Numbers 25:15 = “a father’s house.”

Ge 25:12-18. Descendants of Ishmael. Before passing to the line of the promised seed, the historian gives a brief notice of Ishmael, to show that the promises respecting that son of Abraham were fulfilled—first, in the greatness of his posterity (compare Ge 17:20); and, secondly, in their independence.

Verse 16. - These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns , - unwalled encampments, from hatzar , to surround; used of the movable villages of nomadic tribes (cf. Isaiah 42:11 ) - and by their castles; - fortified keeps (Murphy); tent villages (Keil); nomadic camps (Kalisch). Cf. Numbers 31:10 ; 1 Chronicles 6:39 ; Psalm 69:26 ; Ezekiel 25:4 ) - twelve princes - this does not imply that Ishmael had only twelve sons, like Israel - a very suspicious circumstance (De Wette); but only that these twelve became phylarchs (Havernick). The Egyptian dedecarchy rested on a like earlier division of names. Homer mentions a similar case among the Phoenicians (Odyss., 8. 390); Thucydides another in ancient Attica (2. 15); vide Havernick's 'Introch,' § 18 - according to their nations (or tribe divisions). Genesis 25:16

Nebaioth - Isaiah 60:7 is preserved in the Nabataei inhabiting Arabia Petraea, and extending far toward the East. "Kedar" Isaiah 21:17 appears in the Cedrei of Pliny (H. N. 5, 12) who dwell east of Petraea. "Adbeel Mibsam," and "Mishma are otherwise unknown. The last is connected with the Μαισαιμενεῖς Maisaimeneis of Ptol. (v. 7, 21). "Dumah" Isaiah 21:11 is probably Δούμεθα Doumetha (Ptol. vi. 19, 7) and Domata (Plin. H. N. 6, 32) and Dumat el-Jendel in Nejd and the Syrian desert. "Massa" may be preserved in the Μασανοὶ Masanoi of Ptolemy (v. 19, 2), northeast of Duma. "Hadar" is Hadad in 1 Chronicles 1:30 , the Samaritan Pentateuch, Onkelos, perhaps the Septuagint, and many codices. It is supposed to be Χαττηνία Chatteenia (Polyb.), Attene, and to lie between Oman and Bahrein. "Tema" Job 6:19 ; Isaiah 21:14 ; Jeremiah 25:23 lay on the borders of Nejd and the Syrian desert. "Jetur" remains in Ituraea, Jedur, northeast of the sea of Galilee. Some suppose the Druses descended from him. "Naphish" 1 Chronicles 6:19 , 1 Chronicles 6:22 lay in the same quarter. "Kedemah" is otherwise unknown. "In their towns and in their castles." The former are unwalled collections of houses or perhaps tents; the latter, fortified keeps or encampments. "Twelve princes," one for each tribe, descended from his twelve sons.

These are the Ishmaelites "in their villages and encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes." חצר: premises hedged round, then a village without a wall in contrast with a walled town ( Leviticus 25:31 ). טירה: a circular encampment of tents, the tent village of the Dur of the Bedouins. אמּות, here and Numbers 25:15 , is not used of nations, but of the tribe-divisions or single tribes of the Ishmaelites and Midianites, for which the word had apparently become a technical term among them.

[Bible] 25:8. And decaying he died in a good old age, and having lived a long time, and being full of days: and was gathered to his people. 25:9. And Isaac and Ismael his sons buried him in the double cave, which was situated in the field of Ephron the son of Seor the Hethite, over against Mambre, 25:10. Which he had bought of the children of Heth: there was he buried, and Sara his wife. 25:11. And after his death, God blessed Isaac his son, who dwelt by the well named Of the living and seeing. 25:12. These are the generations of Ismael the son of Abraham, whom Agar the Egyptian, Sara's servant, bore unto him: 25:13. And these are the names of his children according to their calling and generations. The firstborn of Ismael was Nabajoth, then Cedar, and Adbeel, and Mabsam, 25:14. And Masma, and Duma, and Massa, 25:15. Hadar, and Thema, and Jethur, and Naphis, and Cedma. 25:16. These are the sons of Ismael: and these are their names by their castles and towns, twelve princes of their tribes. 25:17. And the years of Ismael's life were a hundred and thirty-seven, and decaying he died, and was gathered unto his people. 25:18. And he dwelt from Hevila as far as Sur, which looketh towards Egypt, to them that go towards the Assyrians. He died in the presence of all his brethren. 25:19. These also are the generations of Isaac the son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac: 25:20. Who when he was forty years old, took to wife Rebecca the daughter of Bathuel the Syrian of Mesopotamia, sister to Laban. 25:21. And Isaac besought the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and he heard him, and made Rebecca to conceive. 25:22. But the children struggled in her womb, and she said: If it were to be so with me, what need was there to conceive? And she went to consult the Lord. 25:23. And he answering, said: Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be divided out of thy womb, and one people shall overcome the other, and the elder shall serve the younger.

Genesis 25:11-12. God blessed Isaac — For the blessing of Abraham did not die with him, but was perpetuated to his posterity, and especially to the children of the promise. The generations of Ishmael — God had made some promises concerning him, and this account of his posterity is given that we may know the accomplishment of them. He had twelve sons, the names of whom are here recorded; two of them, Midian and Kedan, we often read of in Scripture. They are termed twelve princes, Genesis 25:16 , or heads of families, which, in process of time, became nations, numerous, and very considerable. And his posterity had not only tents in fields, wherein they grew rich in time of peace, but they had towns and castles, wherein they fortified themselves in times of war. Their number and strength were the fruit of the promise made to Hagar, concerning Ishmael, Genesis 16:10 ; and to Abraham, Genesis 17:20 ; Genesis 21:13 .