All Nations: God & Abraham’s “Other” Sons

God promised Abraham that He would make him the father of many nations (Gen. 17:5) and Abraham believed Him. The significance of his belief is that he was an old man at the time of this promise, already 100 years old with a wife who was well past the age of childbearing. His belief makes him the spiritual father of those who have faith (Rom. 4:11), for it was through Abraham’s seed with Sarah (the child born through faith) that the entire world was blessed (Gen. 12:3; 18:18). 

Though Issac was the one through whom his descendants were counted (the Israelites), Abraham had other sons. Ishmael, who was his first child and born through surrogacy, also became a great nation, and the additional sons he had with another wife, Keturah, also became nations. Therefore God kept His promise to Abraham, though the Bible text focuses on Israel. They, therefore, were blessed because Abraham was their father. 

ISHMAEL 

Ishmael’s mother was Hager, Sarah’s Egyptian handmaid. Sarah gave her to Abraham as a handmaid in order to produce an heir, though this was her plan and not God’s, who had already promised her a child. The repercussions of this act yielded tension between Abraham and Sarah, and Sarah and Hagar. Hagar began to treat Sarah with contempt once she realized she was pregnant, and in response, Sarah became overly cruel, which forced Hagar to run away. While in the wilderness she encountered one of God’s angels, (possibly Michael), who told her of the child’s (Ishmael) future. In addition, he also promised her, an Egyptian slavewoman, more descendants than she could count (Gen. 16:10). 

Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born, and Abraham treated him as a son and circumcised him (Gen. 17:26). When the child was 13, God again promised Abraham a child with Sarah. Abraham initially laughed (Gen. 17:17) and asked God to bless Ishmael. God reaffirmed the blessing would be through Issac, but promised to bless Ishmael as well because Abraham had asked. He would become the father of 12 princes and a great nation (Gen. 17:20). 

After Issac was born, Sarah banished Hagar and Ishmael to the wilderness, adamant that he would not receive a part of Abraham’s inheritance (Gen. 21:10). They soon ran out of resources and Hagar thought they would die. But God keeps His promises. An angel of the Lord reassured her that Ishmael would indeed become a great nation (Gen. 21:17-18). The two survived in the wilderness. God never abandoned him, but remained with him as he grew up and became a skillful archer. He eventually settled in Paran and married an Egyptian woman. 

THE ISHMAELITES

Ishmael’s sons are listed as Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah (Gen. 25:13-15). These divinely promised 12 sons (Gen. 16:10; 17:20) became the 12 tribes of the Ishmaelites. The Ishmaelites and the Israelites shared a friendly relationship, though at one point things became hostile (Judges 6-8). It should be noted that Ishmael helped Issac bury their father (Gen. 25:9), and Issac’s son, Esau, married one of Ishmael’s daughters (Gen. 28:9). Furthermore, one of David’s sisters married an Ishmaelite (1 Chron. 2:17), and an Ishmaelite was one of his property managers (1 Chron. 27:30). 

The Ishmaelite population became too numerous to count, as they populated the Syro Arabian desert and controlled the north Arabian incense trade (Maalouf, 2016), (consider Gen. 37:25). Thus they became very wealthy and powerful. Though targeted by many kings, no surrounding countries were able to subdue them long-term. As a nation they initially worshiped Yahweh, but later fell into moon and Venus worship (Maalouf, 2016). 

KETURAH’S SONS

Abraham had another wife whose name was Keturah, though scholars debate when this additional marriage actually took place (Wenham, 1994). Through her, whose name means “veiled in incense smoke” (consider Sir. 24:15), Abraham was granted six additional sons. Their were names were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. From Jokshan, their second son, came the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. From Midian, their fourth son, came the Midianites. At times Ishmaelite, Arab, and Midianite are used interchangeably. The Midianites (from Abraham’s union with Keturah), however, played a part in Israel’s history, as Moses lived in their land and married the daughter of a Midianite priest (Ex. 2:15-21), Jethro, who supported Moses in the Lord and gave him great leadership advice (Ex. 18:13-27). 

In conclusion, Abraham was the father of many nations, just as God promised (Gen. 17:5). These nations were birthed through Hagar, Sarah, and Keturah, though the nation God kept for Himself was the one delivered through Sarah. These nations were blessed because they came from Abraham. 

REFERENCES 

Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 16–50, vol. 2, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1994), 158. 

Tony Maalouf, “Ishmaelites,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).