Genesis 25:16

Easy-to-Read Version

These were the names of Ishmael's sons. Each son had his own camp that became a small town. The twelve sons were leaders over their own people.

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes.

Update Bible Version
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments. Twelve princes according to their nations.

New Century Version
These were Ishmael's sons, and these are the names of the tribal leaders listed according to their settlements and camps.

New English Translation
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps—twelve princes according to their clans.

Webster's Bible Translation
These [are] the sons of Ishmael, and these [are] their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

World English Bible
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments: twelve princes, according to their nations.

Amplified Bible
These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their settlements, and by their encampments (sheepfolds); twelve princes (sheiks) according to their tribes.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
These weren the sones of Ismael, and these weren names by castels and townes of hem, twelue princes of her lynagis.

Young's Literal Translation
these are sons of Ishmael, and these their names, by their villages, and by their towers; twelve princes according to their peoples.

Berean Standard Bible
These were the sons of Ishmael, and these were their names by their villages and encampments-twelve princes of their tribes.

Contemporary English Version
Each of Ishmael's sons was a tribal chief, and a village was named after each of them.

Complete Jewish Bible
(Maftir) These are the sons of Yishma‘el, and these are their names, according to their settlements and camps, twelve tribal rulers.

American Standard Version
these are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their nations.

Bible in Basic English
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names in their towns and their tent-circles; twelve chiefs with their peoples.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
These are the sonnes of Ismael, and these are their names by theyr townes and castles, twelue princes of their housholdes.

Darby Translation
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, in their hamlets and their encampments—twelve princes of their peoples.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
these are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their nations.

King James Version (1611)
These are the sonnes of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their townes and by their castels; twelue princes according to their nations.

King James Version
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.

New Life Bible
These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their towns and by their groups of tents, twelve rulers and their families.

New Revised Standard
These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
these, same, are the sons of Ishmael and these, their names, by their villages and by their encampments, - twelve princes, after their tribes.

Geneva Bible (1587)
These are the sonnes of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their townes and by their castles: to wit, twelue princes of their nations.

George Lamsa Translation
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their sheepfolds, twelve princes according to their nations.

Good News Translation
They were the ancestors of twelve tribes, and their names were given to their villages and camping places.

Douay-Rheims Bible
These are the sons of Ismael: and these are their names by their castles and towns, twelve princes of their tribes.

Revised Standard Version
These are the sons of Ish'mael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
These are the sons of Ismael, and these are their names in their tents and in their dwellings, twelve princes according to their nations.

English Revised Version
these are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their nations.

Christian Standard Bible®
These are Ishmael’s sons, and these are their names by their settlements and encampments: twelve leaders of their clans.

Hebrew Names Version
These are the sons of Yishma'el, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments: twelve princes, according to their nations.

Lexham English Bible
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their encampments—12 leaders according to their tribes.

Literal Translation
These were the sons of Ishmael, and these their names in their settlements and in their camps, twelve chiefs according to their nations.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
These are the childre of Ismael with their names in their courtes and cities twolue londeprynces.

New American Standard Bible
These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages, and by their camps; twelve princes according to their tribes.

New King James Version
These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations.

New Living Translation
These twelve sons of Ishmael became the founders of twelve tribes named after them, listed according to the places they settled and camped.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages, and by their camps; twelve princes according to their tribes.

Legacy Standard Bible
These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages, and by their camps; twelve princes according to their tribes.

Contextual Overview

¹¹ After Abraham died, God blessed Isaac. Isaac was living at Beer Lahai Roi. ¹² This is the list of Ishmael's family. Ishmael was Abraham and Hagar's son. (Hagar was Sarah's Egyptian maid.) ¹³ These are the names of Ishmael's sons: The first son was Nebaioth; then Kedar was born, then Adbeel, Mibsam, ¹⁴ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ¹⁵ Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. ¹⁶ These were the names of Ishmael's sons. Each son had his own camp that became a small town. The twelve sons were leaders over their own people. ¹⁷ Ishmael lived to be 137 years old. Then he died and went to be with his people. ¹⁸ His descendants settled throughout the desert area from Havilah to Shur. This area begins near Egypt and goes toward Assyria. Ishmael's people were often at war with the other descendants of Abraham.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

castles: The word tiroth, rendered "castles," is supposed by some to denote here "towers," fortified rocks, or mountain-tops, and fastnesses of various kinds in woods and hilly countries; but it rather means, "shepherds' cots," surrounded by sufficient enclosures to prevent the cattle from straying, as the cognate Syriac word teyaro, and Arabic tawar, signify "a sheep-fold."

twelve: Genesis 17:20, Genesis 17:23

Reciprocal: Genesis 37:25 - Ishmeelites 1 Chronicles 6:54 - castles

Cross-References

Genesis 17:20
"You mentioned Ishmael, and I heard you. I will bless him, and he will have many children. He will be the father of twelve great leaders. His family will become a great nation.

Genesis 17:23
Then Abraham gathered together Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house. He also gathered all the slaves he had bought. Every man and boy in Abraham's house was gathered together, and they were all circumcised. Abraham circumcised them that day, just as God had told him to do.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

These [are] the sons of Ishmael,.... The twelve before mentioned, Genesis 25:13:

these [are] their names, by their towns and by their castles; their towns and their castles being called after their names, some of which we are able to trace at this distance, as the above notes show:

twelve princes according to their nations; these were princes, or heads of tribes, and there were twelve of them, and continued so, see

Genesis 17:20; where is the prophecy, and here an accomplishment of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- Section XI. - Isaac

- LII. History of Ishmael

13. נבית n^ebāyot, Nebajoth, “heights.” קדר qēdār, Qedar, “black.” אדבאל 'adb^e'ēl, Adbeel, “miracle of God?” מבשׂם mı̂bśām Mibsam, “sweet odor.”

14. משׁמע mı̂shma‛, Mishma‘, “hearing.” דוּמה dûmâh, Dumah, “silence.” משׂא maśā', Massa, “burden.”

15. חדר chădar, Chadar, “chamber;” or חדד chădad, Chadad, “sharpness;” תימא tēymā', Tema. יטוּר y^eṭûr, Jetur, “enclosure,” akin to טוּר ṭûr, “a wall,” and טירה ṭı̂yrâh, “a wall.” נפישׁ nāpı̂ysh, Naphish, “breathing.” קדמה qēd^emâh, Qedemah, “before, eastward.”

16. חצר chātsēr, “court, village, town.”

According to custom, before the history of the principal line is taken up, that of the collateral branch is briefly given. Thus, Cain’s history is closed before Sheth’s is commenced; Japheth and Ham are before Shem; Haran and Nahor before Abram. And so the sons of Keturah are first dismissed from the pages of history, and then Ishmael.

Genesis 25:12

The present passage begins with the formula, “and these are the generations,” and forms the eighth document so commencing. The appearance of a document consisting of seven verses is clearly against the supposition that each of these documents is due to a different author. The phrase points to a change of subject, not of author.

Genesis 25:13-16

Nebaioth - Isaiah 60:7 is preserved in the Nabataei inhabiting Arabia Petraea, and extending far toward the East. “Kedar” Isaiah 21:17 appears in the Cedrei of Pliny (H. N. 5, 12) who dwell east of Petraea. “Adbeel Mibsam,” and “Mishma are otherwise unknown. The last is connected with the Μαισαιμενεῖς Maisaimeneis of Ptol. (v. 7, 21). “Dumah” Isaiah 21:11 is probably Δούμεθα Doumetha (Ptol. vi. 19, 7) and Domata (Plin. H. N. 6, 32) and Dumat el-Jendel in Nejd and the Syrian desert. “Massa” may be preserved in the Μασανοὶ Masanoi of Ptolemy (v. 19, 2), northeast of Duma. “Hadar” is Hadad in 1 Chronicles 1:30, the Samaritan Pentateuch, Onkelos, perhaps the Septuagint, and many codices. It is supposed to be Χαττηνία Chatteenia (Polyb.), Attene, and to lie between Oman and Bahrein. “Tema” Job 6:19; Isaiah 21:14; Jeremiah 25:23 lay on the borders of Nejd and the Syrian desert. “Jetur” remains in Ituraea, Jedur, northeast of the sea of Galilee. Some suppose the Druses descended from him. “Naphish” 1 Chronicles 6:19, 1 Chronicles 6:22 lay in the same quarter. “Kedemah” is otherwise unknown. “In their towns and in their castles.” The former are unwalled collections of houses or perhaps tents; the latter, fortified keeps or encampments. “Twelve princes,” one for each tribe, descended from his twelve sons.

Genesis 25:17-18

Ishmael dies at the age of a hundred and thirty-seven. “From Havilah,” on the borders of Arabia Petraea and Felix. “Unto Shur,” on the borders of Arabia and Egypt. This was the original seat of the Ishmaelites, from which they wandered far into Arabia. “In the presence of all his brethren” - the descendants of Abraham by Sarah and Keturah, those of Lot, and the Egyptians who were his brethren or near kindred by his mother and wife. “He had fallen” into the lot of his inheritance. Thus was fulfilled the prediction uttered before his birth Genesis 16:12.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Genesis 25:16. These are their names — By which their descendants were called. Their towns - places of encampment in the wilderness, such as have been used by the Arabs from the remotest times. Their castles, טירתם tirotham, their towers, probably mountain tops, fortified rocks, and fastnesses of various kinds in woods and hilly countries.