Ishmael

Ishmael was born when Abraham was eighty-six years old, the son of Hagar the Egyptian. For thirteen years he was Abraham's only son, and Abraham loved him deeply. When God announced that Sarah would bear a son, Abraham pleaded, "O that Ishmael might live before thee!" God promised that while the covenant would pass through Isaac, Ishmael would also be blessed.

Ishmael was circumcised with Abraham when the covenant of circumcision was instituted, at age thirteen. His name means "God hears," given because God heard Hagar's affliction. God prophesied that Ishmael would be "a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."

When Isaac was weaned, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking, and she demanded his expulsion. Abraham reluctantly sent Hagar and Ishmael away with bread and water. In the wilderness, when their water ran out, God heard the boy's cry and provided a well. The angel reaffirmed God's promise to make Ishmael a great nation.

Ishmael grew up in the wilderness of Paran, becoming an archer. Hagar found him a wife from Egypt. He fathered twelve sons who became princes of twelve tribes, fulfilling God's promise to Abraham. Despite the separation, Ishmael joined Isaac to bury their father Abraham in the cave of Machpelah. Ishmael died at 137 years old. Arab tradition considers him the ancestor of many Arab peoples.