Genesis 25:18
18His descendants ▼▼tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next to ▼▼tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
Egypt all the way ▼▼tn Heb “as you go.”
to Asshur. ▼▼sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
They settled ▼▼tn Heb “he fell.”
away from all their relatives. ▼▼tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.
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