Genesis 25:16-18

25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes ¹  according to their clans.

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 

[25:16]  ¹ tn Or “tribal chieftains.”

[25:17]  ² tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”

[25:17]  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.

[25:18]  ³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ⁶ sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  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.