Bible Dictionary
ISHMAELITES
The Ishmaelites were descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar, but the name could also refer more broadly to desert tribes and nomadic peoples east of the Jordan. Scripture associates them at times with the Midianites.
Definition
The Ishmaelites were understood as descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar, whose twelve sons gave rise to twelve tribes. The term, however, had a broader use for desert tribes and nomadic peoples east of the Jordan, and could include the Midianites.
Biblical Usage
Scripture associates the Ishmaelites with Ishmael’s descendants and also uses the designation more broadly. Midianites are identified with Ishmaelites, and the term is applied to desert peoples generally, comparable to “the children of the east.”
Historical Background
The description of Ishmael as living in conflict with others fits the habits attributed to Bedouin of the desert region east of the Jordan. Thus the name was not restricted to one narrowly defined lineage.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ish'-ma-el-its (yishme`e'lim): The supposed descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar, whom Abraham sent away from him after the birth of Isaac (Ge 21:14-21). The sons of Ishmael are given in Ge 25:13,14; they were twelve in number and gave rise to as many tribes, but the term Ishmaelite has a broader signification, as appears from Ge 37:28. 36, where it is identified with Midianite. From Ge 16:12 it may be inferred that it was applied to the Bedouin of the desert region East of the Jordan generally, for the character there assigned to Ishmael, "His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him," fits the habits of Bedouin in all ages. Such was the character of the Midianites as described in Jud 7, who are again identified with the Ishmaelites (8:24). These references show that the Ishmaelites were not confined to the descendants of the son of Abraham and Hagar, but refer to the desert tribes in general, like "the children of the east" (Jud 7:12).</p><p>H. Porter</p>