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Show l! j Short Stories From The Bible BY C. V. HANriEN i . ISHMAEL Ishmacl, was the son of Abraham Abra-ham and Hngar, and was born A. D. 1910. Ishmacl was the first born to Abraham, who was at this time eighty-six years old. (Gen. 16:15, 16). He was born in Abraham's Abra-ham's house when he dwelt in the plain of Mamre; and on the institution insti-tution of the covenant of the circumcision, cir-cumcision, was circumcized when thirteen years of age. (Gen. 17:25). With the institution of the cov-I cov-I enant, God renewed his promise respecting Isnmael. He does not again appear in narrative until the weaning of Isaac. At the great feast made in celebration of the weaning, "Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking," mock-ing," and urged Abraham to cast him and his mother out. Comforted by the renewal of God's promise to make of lshmael a great nation, na-tion, Abraham sent them away, and they departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. lshmael became an expert in archery, arch-ery, and his mother married him to an Egyptian woman. By this wife he had twelve sons: viz. Nabajoth, Kedar, Abdeel, Mibsam, Mishnah, Dumah, Massa, Hader, or Hadad, Tema, Petur, Naphish, Kedemah. He had also a daughter named Mahalath, or Bashemath, who married Esau. From the 12 sons of lshmael are derived the twelve tribes of the Arabians, still subsisting; and Jerome says that in his time they called the districts of Arabia by the names of their several tribes. The descendants de-scendants of lshmael inhabited from Havilah to Shur, i. e. from the Persian gulf to the border of Egypt; and are usually mentioned in history under the general names of Arabians and Ishmael-itcs. Ishmael-itcs. They are now mostly all Mo-hamedans, Mo-hamedans, who look to him as their spiritual father, as the Jews look to Abraham. Their language, which is generally acknowledged to have been Arabic commonly so called, has been adopted with insignificant in-significant exceptions throughout Arabia. lshmael was present at the burial bur-ial of his father Abraham. He died at the age of 137 years. The term "Ishmaelite" occurs on three occasions: Gen. 37:25. 27, 28; 39:1; Judges 5:24. |