Text -- Genesis 25:18 (NET)

25:18 His descendants settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next to Egypt all the way to Asshur. They settled away from all their relatives.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Gen 25:18

¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

³ tn Heb “as you go.”

⁴ sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

⁵ tn Heb “he fell.”

⁶ tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.