And these [are] the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
13. and these are the names ] Cf. the genealogy in 1Ch 1:29-31.
Nebaioth ] Mentioned also in Gen 28:9, Gen 36:3, and in Isa 60:7, where the name is associated also with Kedar. Probably Nebaioth is to be identified with the Nabajti of the inscriptions of Assurbanipal. The identification with the Nabataeans, of the Christian era, is now generally abandoned.
Kedar ] Cf. Isa 60:7. Probably the Assyrian idri, a region on the Syro-Arabian frontier, mentioned as a hostile people in Psa 120:5, dwelling in black tents (Son 1:5) and in open villages (Isa 42:11; Jer 49:28-31).
Possibly the Cedraei mentioned together with Nabataei by Pliny are to be identified with these tribes.
Dumah ] Possibly the same as in Isa 21:11.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 13. Nebajoth] From whom came the Nabatheans, whose capital was Petra, or, according to Strabo, Nabathea. They dwelt in Arabia Petraea, and extended themselves on the east towards Arabia Deserta.
Kedar] The founder of the Cedreans, who dwelt near to the Nabatheans. The descendants of Kedar form a part of the Saracens.
Adbeel, and Mibsam] Where these were situated is not known.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Nebajoth; of whom see Isa 60:7. From whom part of Arabia was called Nabathaea.
Of
Kedar, see Psa 120:5; Isa 21:16; Jer 49:28; the father of those called Cedraei, or Cedareni, in Arabia.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And these [are] the names of the sons of Ishmael,…. After mentioned: by their names, according to their generations; which were imposed upon them at their birth, and are recited according to the order in which they were born, as follows:
the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth: mentioned in Isa 60:7; and from whence a people of the Arabs are called Nabathaeans, and their country Nabathaea. Josephus i says, that all the country from Euphrates to the Red sea is called the Nabatene country. The posterity of this man inhabited part of Arabia Deserta and of Arabia Petraea, even to the entrance of Arabia Felix. Strabo k reckons the Nabataeans among the Arabians, and calls Petra the metropolis of Arabia Petraea, Petra Nabataea, and Petra of the Arabian Nabataeans, who he says dwelt about Syria, and often made excursions into it; and observes, that their country is populous and abounds with pastures; hence the rams of Nebaioth, mentioned in Isa 60:7; Pliny also l places them in Arabia, and says they inhabit the town called Petra, and that they border upon Syria.
And Kedar is the second son of Ishmael; and the posterity of this man and their country are reckoned in Arabia by Isaiah, Isa 21:13; and they are so well known to be Arabians, that the Arabic language is most frequently, in Jewish writings, called the language of Kedar. These are the people whom Pliny m names Cedrei, and mentions them along with the Nabathaeans, as near unto them, and indeed they dwelt in the same country, Arabia Petraea, and in tents, living by pasturage, hence they are sometimes called Scenites; and mention is made of the tents of Kedar in So 1:5; these are the Scenite Arabs, called Saracens by Ammianus Marcellinus n. Two other sons of Ishmael follow:
and Adbeel and Mibsam; of whom no mention is made elsewhere, nor are there any traces of their names, unless the Agubeni, placed by Ptolemy o near Arabia Felix.
i Antiqu. l. 1. c. 12. sect. 4. k Geograph. l. 16. p. 528, 534, 536. l Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 11. & l. 6. c. 28. & l. 12. c. 17. m lbid. l. 5. c. 11. n L. 22. p. 228. l. 23. p. 250. Ed. Vales. o Geograph. l. 5. c. 19.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1 3-15 .
The names We find scattered notices of these names in later books . Thus, Nebajoth in Isa 60:7, probably the Nabataeans of later history; Kedar in Isa 21:17; Isa 42:11; Isa 60:7; Jer 2:10; Jer 49:28; Eze 27:21; Psa 120:5; Son 1:5; Dumah in Isa 21:11; Tema in Job 6:19; Isa 21:14; Jer 25:23; Jetur and Naphish in 1Ch 5:19. From Jetur probably sprung the Ituraeans of later history . Many of these, no doubt, became intermingled with the sons of Keturah . See on Gen 25:2-4.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Death of Ishmael ( Gen 25:13-19 .a).
This section ends with ‘this is the family history of Isaac’ (Gen 25:19), and its purpose is to record the death of Ishmael and outline his connections and the twelve sub-tribes that came from him. It is only the second record (the first was Gen 11:10-27 a) not to be connected to a covenant and like that passage demonstrates descent, which would be seen as sufficient reason for its preservation.
Gen 25:13 a
‘And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their family histories.’
The purpose of the narrative is to record Ishmael’s descendants and their tribal connections.
Gen 25:13 b
‘The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, and Kedar, and Abdeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa. Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their nations.’
It is immediately clear that the twelve tribe grouping here is much more closely connected than that of the sons of Keturah and appears to be on a similar basis to the twelve tribes of Israel. Each son is ‘prince’ of his sub-tribe. This title ‘prince’ (nasi’ (plural nesi’im) is that used also of the tribal leaders of Israel (Exo 22:27; Num 1:16; Num 1:44; Num 7:2-84; Num 34:18-28; compare 10:14-26; 13:4-15), each the head of his tribe on the amphictyonic council.
An amphictyony is an inter-tribal grouping of associated tribes for common welfare, often united around a central sanctuary. This would appear to be the pattern of the Ishmaelite tribes, although whether they had a central sanctuary we do not know.
Esau married the sister of Nebaioth (Gen 28:9). The rams of Nebaioth are mentioned in Isa 60:7 along with the flocks of Kedar, and both tribes are named together in Assyrian inscriptions. Kedar are also seen as the guardians of the land route from Palestine to Egypt by the Persians.
Kedar and Tema are connected in Arabia in Isa 21:13-17, where Tema brought food and water to travelling Dedanites. Tema and Dedan are mentioned together in Jer 25:23, and the caravans of Tema are mentioned along with Sheba in Job 6:19. Massa may be mentioned with Tema (as Mas’a) as paying tribute to Tiglath Pileser III.
Thus we have confirmation of long term interrelationship between Ishmaelites and the sons of Keturah, and of their close connection with Arabia and the desert.
Gen 25:17
‘And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty seven year. And he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people. And they dwelt from Havilah to Shur, which is before Egypt as you go towards Assyria. And he fell in the presence of (or in front of ) all his brothers.’
Like Sarah, a woman, and Jacob who died outside the land of promise, Ishmael’s age ends in seven. He too died outside the land of promise. The significance of this numbering now escapes us, but he was clearly of good age.
Like Abraham he ‘breathed his last’ and was ‘gathered to his people’. He died and was buried and went into the grave where his ancestors were.
“They dwelt from Havilah (probably in North West Arabia) to Shur.” Desert tribes, ever on the move, they inhabited the very extensive desert land south of Canaan and in North West Arabia, possibly with connections with Southern Arabia. Havilah is connected with the Amalekites (1Sa 15:7) and is elsewhere connected with Northern and Southern Arabia (see Gen 10:7; Gen 10:29) but it simply mean ‘district’ and may therefore refer to a number of places. This would confirm Ishmael’s close connections with the sons of Keturah. Shur is on the direct road to Egypt from Southern Palestine (1Sa 15:7; 1Sa 27:8 compare Gen 16:7).
“And he fell in the presence of all his brothers.” This possibly refers to his death in warfare, or while engaging in some other activity with his brothers, but certainly indicates further his close association with his brothers. If Isaac was now also on good terms with his brother we can see why he moved his own family tribe to an area where he had contact with him and did not fear the bedouin tribes in the desert.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gen 25:13 And these [are] the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
Ver. 13. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael. ] When Isaac was twenty years married, and had no child; and afterwards, no so many as Ishmael, nor so great in the world. This is God’s usual way of dealing forth his favours: saints suffer; wicked prosper. This made Pompey deny Divine Providence; Brutus cry out, W : Oh miserable virtue, slave of fortune, &c. a The Athenians, in Thucydides, b when they had lost Nicias their good general, who, together with his whole army perished in Sicily, were at a great stand, and much offended; seeing so pious a person fare nothing better than those that were far worse. And what wonder, when Jeremiah and David stumbled at the same stone, ran upon the same rock, and were well-nigh shipwrecked? Jer 12:1 Psa 73:3-4 Neither they only, but many other of God’s dear servants, as it is in the same Psalm Psa 73:10 , “Therefore his people return hither”; that is, are every whit as wise (or rather, as foolish) as I have been, to miscensure and misconstrue God’s dealings on this manner; to repent me of my repentance, and to condemn the generation of the just, “because waters of a full cup are wrung out to the wicked.” When David went into God’s sanctuary, and there consulted his Word, he was better resolved: then he saw that the sunshine of prosperity doth but ripen the sin of the wicked, and so fits them for destruction: Hos 14:9 as fatted ware are but fitted for the slaughter. What good is there in having a fine suit with the plague in it? Poison in wine works more seriously than in water. Had Haman known the danger of Esther’s banquet, he would not have been so brag of it. The prosperity of the wicked hath ever plus deceptionis, quam delectortonis, saith one; more deceit than delight; able to entice, and ready to kill the entangled. As cunning to do that, as the spirit that seduced Ahab; and as willing to do the other, as the ghost that met Brutus at the battle of Philippi. In which respect, David having spoken of these “men of God’s hand, that have their portion in this life,” Psa 17:14 &c., wishes them make them merry with it, and subjoins, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psa 17:15 As who should say, I neither envy nor covet their happiness, but long after a glorious resurrection, and have, in the meanwhile, that which is sufficient to sustain me; “I shall behold thy face in righteousness,” that is, Beshechinah, in Christ, as Rabbi Menachem c expounds it. And one good look of God is worth all the world. It is better to feel his favour one hour, than to sit whole ages, as these Ishmaelites did, under the world’s warmest sunshine.
a D . – Dio Cassius.
b A , . – Thucyd.
c Menach. on Levit. x.
the names: 1Ch 1:29-31
Nebajoth: From Nebajoth sprang the Nabatheans, who inhabited Arabia Petraea; from Kedar, the Cedreans, who dwelt near the Nabatheans; and from Jetur, the Itureans, who inhabited a small tract of country east of Jordan, which afterwards belonged to Manasseh. Gen 36:3, Isa 60:7
Kedar: Psa 120:5, Son 1:5, Isa 21:16, Isa 21:17, Isa 42:11
Reciprocal: Gen 28:9 – unto Ishmael Jdg 8:6 – General Jdg 8:24 – because Isa 60:6 – Midian Jer 2:10 – Kedar Jer 49:28 – Kedar Eze 27:21 – Kedar
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge