Genesis 16:12

16:12 He will be a wild donkey ¹  of a man.

He will be hostile to everyone, ² 

and everyone will be hostile to him. ³ 

He will live away from ⁴  his brothers.”

Genesis 37:28

37:28 So when the Midianite ⁵  merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled ⁶  him ⁷  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites ⁸  then took Joseph to Egypt.

[16:12]  ¹ sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.

[16:12]  ² tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.

[16:12]  ³ tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”

[16:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).

[37:28]  ⁵ sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.

[37:28]  ⁶ tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).

[37:28]  ⁷ tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:28]  ⁸ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.