Genesis 25:13

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 τλημων αρετν: 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} Dογος ορ ησθα αλλως εγω δε σε ως εργον ησκουν ου δ απ εδουλευες τυχη. - Dio Cassius.

{b} Aνδρα ορωντες θεοφιλη, ουδενος επεικεστερα τυχη χρησθαι των κακιστως. - Thucyd.

{c} Menach. on Levit. x.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hebrew, firstborn.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

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.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

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 Nabajâti 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 Ḳidri, 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.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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 Sol 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.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

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.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

13-15.

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.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; Heights;" the Nabathaeans, a people of Northern Arabia, possessed of abundant flocks, (Isa_9:7) and, according to Diodorus, living by merchandise and rapine (Gesenius). From Petraea they subsequently extended as far as Babylon (Keil)and Kedar, Skin;" the Cedrei of Pliny (Gesenius, Keil, Rosen-mailer); characterized as good bowmen, (Isa_21:17) and dwelling between Arabia Petraea and Babylonand Adbeel, of God" (Gesenius); of whom nothing is knownand Mibsam, Odor" (Gesenius); equally uncertain.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

See How to Translate Names.

These were Ishmael's sons, and these were their names, by their villages, and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their tribes

This can be stated as two sentences. "These were the names of Ishmael's twelve sons. They led tribes that were named after them, and they each had their own villages and campsites"

twelve

"12" (See: Numbers)

princes

Here the word "princes" means that the men were leaders or rules of the tribes; it does not mean that they were the sons of a king.

translationWords

Ishmael

prince

tribe

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

בשמתם לתולדתם BY THEIR NAMES ACCORDING TO THEIR PROGENY — by the order in which they were born one after the other.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ואלה...לתולדותם, in the chronological order of their birth. The firstborn of them all was Nevayot.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.