Genesis 25:18

25:18 His descendants ¹  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ²  to Egypt all the way ³  to Asshur. ⁴  They settled ⁵  away from all their relatives. ⁶ 

[25:18]  ¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ² tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ³ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ⁴ sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  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.