Genesis 25:17-18

25:17 Ishmael lived a total of ¹  137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. ²  25:18 His descendants ³  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ⁴  to Egypt all the way ⁵  to Asshur. ⁶  They settled ⁷  away from all their relatives. ⁸ 

[25:17]  ¹ tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”

[25:17]  ² 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.