These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages, and by their camps; twelve princes according to their tribes.God's promise to Ishmael to raise him up into a great nation happens sooner than Abraham's does. For Abraham, there was an extra generation before the twelve tribes of Israel come about.
Why is Ishmael made many sooner than Isaac? To get it over with? To show that it can happen for Isaac's descendants? Or is it a consolation for Ishmael, after having been driven away from his family as a child? It may not matter, but it may also give us a glimpse into the plans of God.
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