Race Relations In The Bible: Ishmael To Esau – Part 4
Who was Ishmael married to and where did she come from? What ethnicity was Rebekah? What ethnicity were Rachel and Leah? Why didn’t Isaac approve of Esau’s wife? We have lots of stuff to cover, so let’s get this party started.
The Lineage of Ishmael
After Hagar fled with teenage Ishmael, the Angel of the Lord found them and blessed Ishmael. This blessing is going to become very important down the line. Just as Abraham was given the promise to become a great nation, so was Ishmael. In fact, God promised that Ishmael would have 12 sons, similar to Jacob.
According to scripture, Ishmael was raised in the wilderness of Paran (Genesis 21:20), and became an archer. Depending on the source, the wilderness of Paran was located on the Western most part of the Arabian Peninsula