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.
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.”