Adbeel
Who he was
Adbeel was one of the twelve sons of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar (Genesis 25:13; 1 Chronicles 1:29). He was born to Ishmael after Abraham had sent him and his mother away from the household (Genesis 21:14–21).
As a son of Ishmael, Adbeel would have been a grandson of Abraham and a member of the Ishmaelite tribes that settled in the Arabian Peninsula. The twelve sons of Ishmael are mentioned in the genealogical records of Genesis and 1 Chronicles, indicating their importance as the progenitors of various Arab tribes or clans.
The Bible does not provide any further details about Adbeel's life, his descendants, or the specific tribe or clan he may have founded. His mention in the genealogies serves to highlight the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that Ishmael would father twelve princes and become a great nation (Genesis 17:20).
The Ishmaelites, including the descendants of Adbeel, played a significant role in the ancient Near East as nomadic traders and were known for their involvement in the spice trade (Genesis 37:25–28). They also had interactions with the Israelites throughout history, sometimes as allies and other times as adversaries.
Family
Every mention
Genesis 1 mention
1 Chronicles 1 mention
What the dictionary says
Miracle of God, the third of the twelve sons of Ishmael, and head of an Arabian tribe (Gen. 25:13; 1 Chr. 1:29).
Sources
- STEPBible TIPNR · Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References · CC BY 4.0 · github.com/STEPBible/STEPBible-Data
- Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869) · Public domain