Ishmael (I)

I. ISHMAEL, the son of Abraham and Hagar. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, seeing Gen. xvi. 1, 2, 3, &c.God had given her no children, desired her husband to take her handmaid Hagar, that by her means at least she might have children¹. This was a sort of adoption, whereof we see examples in the conduct of Rachel and Leah, who likewise gave their maid servants to be wives to Jacob their husband, that they might have children Gen. xxx. 3, & 9.from them. Hagar therefore having conceived, began to despise her mistress. Sarah, who thereupon made her complaints to Abraham, and Abraham told her, that she might treat her servant as she pleased. Sarah therefore using her ill, she fled from her. The Angel of the Lord appeared to her in the wilderness, and said to her, return to thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hand; thou hast conceived and shalt bring forth a Son and call his name Ishmael, that is to say, the Lord hath hearkened; because the Lord hath heard thee in thy affliction. He shall be a fierce savage man, whose hand shall be lifted up against all men, and the hands of all men against him. He shall pitch his tents over against his brethren, and he shall occupy the country near to theirs. Hagar returned therefore to Abraham’s house, and brought forth a Son, who was named Ishmael².

Fourteen years after³ the Lord having visited Sarah, and Isaac being born to Abraham, Ishmael, who till then had been looked upon as Abraham’s sole heir, saw his hopes disappointed. One day, Isaac being about five or six years old⁴, Ishmael jested with him in a manner which was displeasing to Sarah; who therefore addressed herself to Abraham, and said; drive away this servant with her son; for Ishmael shall not inherit with my son Isaac. Abraham thought this hard. But the Lord commanding him to hearken to Sarah, he sent away Hagar with her son, giving them some provisions for their journey. Hagar departing with Ishmael, wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, and the water which she carried with her in a vessel failing, she placed her son under a tree hard by, and went to the distance of a bowshot from him, saying, I will not see my child dye. While she was here she heard a voice from heaven, which said to her, fear not, the Lord hath heard the child’s voice from the place where he now is. Rise, and take him; for I will make him the father of a great people. She rose, and God having shewn her a well, she drew water out of it, gave some to her son, and carried him farther into the wilderness of Paran, where he abode. He became expert in shooting with his bow, and his mother married him to an Egyptian woman, of whom he had twelve sons; viz. 1. Nabajoth; 2. Kedar; 3. Adbeel; 4. Mibsam; 5. Mishma; 6. Dumah; 7. Massa; 8. Hader or Hadad; 9. Tema; 10. Jetur; 11. Naphish; 12. Kedemah. He had likewise a daughter whose name was Mabeleth or Bashemath, Gen. xxxvi. 3. who married Esau, Gen. xxviii. 9. We have said something of all Ishmael’s sons under their particular articles. From the twelve sons of Ishmael are derived the twelve tribes of the Arabians, which are still subsisting. S. Jerom says, that in his time the Arabians called the cantons of Arabia by the names of the several tribes which dwelt in them: The Gentiles call the Heads of the Arabian tribes Phylarchs, and the Arabians Scheich-Elkebir. The descendants of Ishmael Hieronym. qu. Hebr. in Genes.inhabited the land which lies from Havilah to Shur. Havilah lies towards the place where the Tigris and Euphrates join; and Shur borders on the Isthmus, which separates Egypt from Arabia. The descendants of Ishmael are mentioned in History under the general See Thevenot, l. ii. c. 32. part 1.name of Arabians and Ishmaelites. Particular notice is taken of the Nabathæans, Kedarens, Hagarens, &c. Since the seventh age they have almost all embraced the Religion of Mahomet, and we call them Turks or Musselmen. Ishmael died in the presence of all his brethren, says the vulgate, or according to Gen. xxv. 18.another translation, his inheritance lay opposite to that of all his brethren. See Gen. xvi. 12. The year of his death is not known to us.

The Mahometans will have it, that Ishmael was the favourite son of Abraham, and he in whose behalf God made such magnificent promises to this Patriarch. They believe, that Abraham intending to sacrifice Ishmael, the Angel Gabriel, by God’s order prevented him, and substituted in his room a ram, which the father and son sacrificed to the Lord in the very place where afterwards they built the Temple of Mecca. This Temple was not built till after the death of Hagar; it went at first by the name of Caabah; or the square house, by reason of its form, and afterwards by that of Beith-allah, or house of God. The Arabians of Abraham’s time fastned the horns belonging to the ram, which had been sacrificed by Abraham, to the gutter on the top of the Temple, from whence Mahomet afterwards removed them, to take away all occasion of Idolatry from these people.

Ishmael after having lived some time at Jathrab, called at this day Medina, retired to Yemen, where he settled and married. Besides the twelve sons of Ishmael mentioned in Genesis; the Arabians say he had another called Thor, or Thour, who gave his name to mount Sinai, which they still call Thour, and Thour Sinai, as well as to the city which lies at the foot of this mountain upon the borders of the red sea.

Arabia was peopled by old Arabians, before the sons of Ishmael settled there, and it was not till after long disputes with the Giorhamides first possessors of this country, that they at last agreed about the Temple of Mecca. The race of the old Arabians is not extinct in this country. It subsists at present blended with that of the Ishmaelites. See above what we have said of the Arabians. These historys of the Mahometans are very disagreeable on the score of that little regard they have for the rules of history, and destroying the recitals of the old and new Testament, in order to substitute their own extravagancies and traditions in the room of them; which have no foundation in antiquity, and are owing only to the ignorance of their false Prophet. This man having heard some talk of the sacred histories of the Jews and Christians, has related them after his own way; his followers have added still new fables, and new circumstances to them; and when any would call them back to the ancient and authentick Scriptures, they treat them as spurious and corrupt.

The Religion of the Ishmaelites may be considered at four different times. 1. Under Ishmael and his immediate successors, who probably followed the religion which they had learned from Abraham and Ishmael. 2. Under the successors of these who mingling with the old Arabians, inhabitants of the country, imitated their idolatry, and corrupted the purity of worship which their fathers had preserved, by a mixture of strange ceremonies. 3. Many of the Arabians embraced Christianity in the first ages of the Church: we do not know through what channel Christianity was introduced into this country; but we are acquainted with some martyrs of Africk, and know that in 249, a council was held in this country against some Hereticks, who affirmed, that the soul and body dyed and revived together. 4. Lastly, Mahomet appearing in this country, seduced there an infinite number of persons, and made way for the reception of his errors, partly by force, and partly by cunning. The reader may look above in the article Arabians, for the religion of the old Arabians, whom I do not distinguish from the Ishmaelites, after these two people were mingled and confounded. As to the religion of the Mahometans, it has no relation to our subject, since it is so modern, and there is no mention of it in the Scripture.

Baruch iii. 23.The Prophet Baruch speaks of the learning and studies of the sons of Hagar; the Hagarens that seek wisdom upon earth. They piqued themselves upon their wisdom, and still at this day the Arabians affect a great composure, and abundance of gravity in their behaviour. The Queen of Sheba came to try whether the wisdom of Solomon was such as fame reported it. The Hagarens and Ishmaelites are named among the people, who made war with the IsraelitesPs. lxxxii. 7. Judg. vii. viii. 24. in the reign of Jehoshaphat, and under the Judges of Gideon’s time. In the reign of Saul the Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half Tribe of Manasseh made war against the Hagarens, and defeated them. 1 Chr. v. 10,19,20.These Hagarens dwelt in Arabia Deserta, eastward of the mountains of Gilead.

The Scripture describes likewise the Arabians by another character, and this is, Lev. xix. 27.that they cut their hair round; Moses forbids the Hebrews to copy after the Arabians in this particular, who practised it, Jer. ix. 25, 26. & xxv. 23. Herod. l. 3. c. 8. & l. 4. c. 175.they said, in honour of Bacchus, and in imitation of him, Ye shall not round the corners of their heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. Jeremiah threatens those with the wrath of God, who wore their hair cut round, I will punish all them which have the corners of their hair polled; and he mentions in particular Edom, Ammon, and Moab, Dedan, Tema, and Buz, all people of Arabia, among whom Tema was son to Ishmael. The Turks cut off the hair of their head, and leave only a tuft at the top. I cannot tell whether this practice is as ancient as Moses. The Septuagint called the way of managing the hair, mentioned 70. ὁ ποιήσετε σισόνην ἐκ τῆς κόμης τῆς κεφαλῆς ὑμῶν.in this place by Moses, Zizoe⁵. Now Zizoe is a tuft of hair left behind, or upon the top of the head, when all besides is cut round. See the articles Nabath, Kedar, Tema, Hagar, &c.

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