Albert Barnes Commentary Genesis 25:12-18

"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham`s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah`s handmaid, bare unto Abraham. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the first-born of Ishmael, Nebaioth, and Kedar, and Adbeel, 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. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years. And he gave up the ghost and died, and was gathered unto his people. And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria. He abode over against all his brethren." — Genesis 25:12-18 (ASV)

Verse 13: נבית n^ebāyot — Nebajoth, “heights”; קדר qēdār — Qedar, “black”; אדבאל 'adb^e'ēl — Adbeel, “miracle of God?”; מבשׂם mı̂bśām — Mibsam, “sweet odor.”

Verse 14: משׁמע mı̂shma‛ — Mishma‘, “hearing”; דוּמה dûmâh — Dumah, “silence”; משׂא maśā' — Massa, “burden.”

Verse 15: חדר chădar — Chadar, “chamber,” or חדד chădad — Chadad, “sharpness”; תימא tēymā' — Tema; יטוּר y^eṭûr — Jetur, “enclosure,” akin to טוּר ṭûr, “a wall,” and טירה ṭı̂yrâh, “a wall”; נפישׁ nāpı̂ysh — Naphish, “breathing”; קדמה qēd^emâh — Qedemah, “before, eastward.”

Verse 16 refers to חצר chātsēr — “court, village, town.”

According to custom, before the history of the principal line is taken up, that of the collateral branch is briefly given. Thus, Cain’s history is closed before Sheth’s is commenced; Japheth and Ham are before Shem; Haran and Nahor before Abram. And so the sons of Keturah are first dismissed from the pages of history, and then Ishmael.

(Genesis 25:12)

The present passage begins with the formula, “and these are the generations,” and forms the eighth document so commencing. The appearance of a document consisting of seven verses is clearly against the supposition that each of these documents is due to a different author. The phrase points to a change of subject, not of author.

(Genesis 25:13–16)

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 (Natural History 5.12) who dwell east of Petraea. “Adbeel,” “Mibsam,” and “Mishma” are otherwise unknown. The last is connected with the Μαισαιμενεῖς (Maisaimeneis) of Ptolemy (5.7.21).

“Dumah” (Isaiah 21:11) is probably Δούμεθα (Doumetha) of Ptolemy (6.19.7) and Domata of Pliny (Natural History 6.32), and Dumat el-Jendel in Nejd and the Syrian desert. “Massa” may be preserved in the Μασανοὶ (Masanoi) of Ptolemy (5.19.2), northeast of Duma. “Hadar” is given as Hadad in 1 Chronicles 1:30, a reading also found in the Samaritan Pentateuch, Onkelos, perhaps the Septuagint, and many codices.

This Hadar is supposed to be Χαττηνία (Chatteenia) of Polybius, 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 area. “Kedemah” is otherwise unknown.

The phrases “In their towns and in their castles” (Genesis 25:16) refer to the former as unwalled collections of houses or perhaps tents, and the latter as fortified keeps or encampments. They were “twelve princes” (Genesis 25:16), one for each tribe, descended from his twelve sons.

(Genesis 25:17–18)

Ishmael dies at the age of a hundred and thirty-seven. His descendants dwelt “From Havilah,” on the borders of Arabia Petraea and Felix, “unto Shur,” on the borders of Arabia and Egypt. This was the original seat of the Ishmaelites, from which they wandered far into Arabia. “He had fallen” into the lot of his inheritance “in the presence of all his brethren”—the descendants of Abraham by Sarah and Keturah, those of Lot, and the Egyptians who were his brethren or near kindred by his mother and wife. Thus was fulfilled the prediction uttered before his birth (Genesis 16:12).