25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 2 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 3 25:18 His descendants 4 settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next 5 to Egypt all the way 6 to Asshur. 7 They settled 8 away from all their relatives. 9
1 tn Or “tribal chieftains.”
2 tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”
3 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
3 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
5 tn Heb “as you go.”
6 sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
7 tn Heb “he fell.”
8 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.