Ishmael

[ ish-mee-uhl, -mey- ]

noun

1. the son of Abraham and Hagar: both he and Hagar were cast out of Abraham's family by Sarah. Genesis 16:11, 12.
2. any outcast.
3. an Arab.

Ishmael

/ ˈɪʃmeɪəl /

noun

1. the son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's handmaid: the ancestor of 12 Arabian tribes (Genesis 21:8–21; 25:12–18)
2. a bandit chieftain, who defied the Babylonian conquerors of Judah and assassinated the governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar (II Kings 25:25; Jeremiah 40:13–41:18)
3. rare.
   an outcast

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ishmael¹

From Hebrew Yishmāʿēl “God will hear”

Example Sentences

In an interview with Poynter, Ishmael explained why she chose to quit her job at Texas Tribune and how news organizations need to take greater accountability for their working environments.

From Digiday

It is clear that while Ishmael and Isaac end up very different people, they bear one another no ill will.

From The Daily Beast

In this way, our fathers, Isaac and Ishmael, will both see their children thrive together.

From The Daily Beast

Finally, when Abraham dies, Isaac and Ishmael return to bury him.

From The Daily Beast

Ishmael Beah, former child soldier and author of A Long Way Gone, joined us to discuss KONY 2012 and his own experiences.

From The Daily Beast

Just over a week later, on July 9, a man named Ishmael “Hoody” Kourma received six fatal gunshot wounds in Steubenville, Ohio.

From The Daily Beast

They boast of having descended from Abraham through Ishmael, believing that this patriarch built Mecca and died there.

From Project Gutenberg

His principal children were Isaac, born of his wife by a miraculous favor of Providence, and Ishmael, born of his servant.

From Project Gutenberg

The fact is, that the race of Ishmael has been infinitely more favored by God than has that of Jacob.

From Project Gutenberg

The similitude is a calumny on the descendants of Ishmael; the fiercest Bedouin are refined and mild compared with the Apaches.

From Project Gutenberg

Ishmael would not rise in insurrection, even if his brother Isaac and father Abraham went to war.

From Project Gutenberg