ISHMAEL ישׁמעאל as a God? the Divine and Ancestral Background of the Name
The name Ishmael (ישׁמעאל) is most familiar to readers of Scripture as the son of Abraham and Hagar, and as the eponymous ancestor of the Ishmaelite tribes who appear throughout the biblical narrative. Yet the name Ishmael is also attested in the ancient Near East as a divine name. This raises the question: Was Ishmael ever worshiped as a god? And if so, is there any connection between the biblical figure and the deity bearing the same name?
The evidence shows that while divine beings with names resembling Ishmael are known from Mesopotamia and surrounding cultures, there is no demonstrable connection between the biblical Ishmael and these deities. The presence of Ishmael as a god in external sources reflects a broader Semitic naming tradition in which personal names often resemble divine or theophoric names. Understanding this background helps clarify the cultural setting of Genesis and the world in which names like Išme-ilu functioned.
The Name Ishmael: Meaning and Distribution in the Ancient Near East
The name Ishmael (yišmaʿēl) is ancient, widespread, and thoroughly Semitic. It appears in:
Early Mesopotamian records (3rd millennium BCE)
Middle Bronze Age Hazor: Iš-me-ìl(dingir)
Possibly Late Bronze Sinai inscriptions
Old Babylonian Larsa: a toponym Iš-me-ìl(dingir)
Names of tribes such as Iš-nu-lu-um at Mari
The explanation of the biblical name in Genesis aligns with this widespread use:
Genesis 16:11: “The Lord has listened to your affliction.”
Genesis 21:17: God “heard the voice of the boy.”
The meaning is consistent: “God hears” or “May God hear.”
Such names were not unique to Israel or to Abraham’s family. They reflect a naming pattern found across Semitic cultures, where expressions like “God has heard,” “God has blessed,” or “God has judged” appear frequently in personal and place names.
Ishmael in the Bible: Son of Abraham and Ancestor of the Ishmaelites
Scripture’s account of Ishmael presents him as:
the son of Abraham and Hagar (Genesis 16),
a natural heir proposed for Sarah (Genesis 16:2),
the ancestor of a confederation of tribes (Genesis 25:12–18),
blessed by God (Genesis 17:20),
buried near Abraham (Genesis 25:9).
This tradition acknowledges Ishmael as part of the wider Abrahamic story, though not the recipient of the covenant promised to Isaac. His descendants, the Ishmaelites, later appear throughout the land “from Havilah to Shur … opposite Egypt” (Genesis 25:18), a region stretching from the Sinai to northern Arabia.
By the 8th century BCE, Assyrian records refer to the same confederation under the term Šumuʾil, plausibly a standardized version of a Western South Semitic name related to Ishmael. The connection is linguistically possible and historically plausible, though not certain in every detail.
Ishmael as a God: dIš-me-la-a and Related Divine Names
Distinct from the biblical figure, the name Ishmael also appears in several contexts as a divine name or theophoric element. These forms include:
dIš-me-la-a / dŠa-me-la-a – one of the ten divine judges of the temple of Assur in Nineveh
dIš-me-lúm – known from an Old Assyrian inscription of Erishum I
A related name, Samāʿ, in Sabaean texts, likely an epithet of the moon god
Similar patterns such as Yakrub-El and Ikrub-El, known from Mari and elsewhere
These names belong to a well-attested category in which ancient Semitic deities bore names of the type “God hears” or “May God hear,” indicating petition, divine response, or judicial function.
Was this deity related to the biblical Ishmael?
The evidence says no.
The divine name dIš-me-la-a is:
connected to Assur’s temple,
one of several divine judges,
attested centuries before or in parallel with the patriarchal period,
part of a naming pattern common throughout the region.
There is no historical, geographical, or literary evidence linking this deity with the Ishmaelite tribes or with the figure of Ishmael in Genesis. The similarity in name reflects a widespread linguistic tradition, not a genealogical or cultic relationship.
Could Ishmael Have Been a Deified Ancestor?
Some scholars have suggested that dIšme-ilu may have been an early Semitic deified ancestor, similar to those listed in:
the ten deified ancestor-kings in the Assyrian Kinglist,
the deified kings of Ebla,
personal names venerated in Ugarit (ydbil, yaršil).
In these societies, revered ancestors or legendary kings could become minor deities, receiving offerings or performing protective roles. It is conceivable that a figure named Išme-ilu existed as such an ancestral figure.
However, even if this is true, it does not mean he is the same as the biblical Ishmael. The Ishmael of Genesis shows:
no cult,
no shrine,
no burial veneration,
no evidence of deification.
Genesis 25:17 simply mentions his death. Unlike Abraham, Jacob, or Moses, no later tradition identifies a tomb, no pilgrimage site is preserved in Scripture, and no Israelite or Judahite text treats Ishmael as a figure worthy of worship.
Later Islamic tradition preserves stories about Ishmael’s later life, burial, and association with Mecca, but these do not derive from ancient Israel and do not indicate that Ishmael was considered divine in biblical times.
Ishmaelites, Hagarites, and Later Confusions
Some attempts have been made to connect Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, with the Hagarites mentioned in 1 Chronicles 5:10, 18–22. Psalm 83:7 also lists Hagarites and Ishmaelites together. This may reflect:
later alliances,
regional affiliations,
or evolving tribal relationships.
But these late biblical references do not suggest an original identity between Ishmael and the divine names like dIš-me-la-a. The merging of names and groups in later texts reflects historical circumstances rather than early theological claims.
The Biblical Perspective: Ishmael as Human, Not Divine
From a biblical standpoint, Ishmael is important but not divine. His role highlights:
God’s faithfulness to Abraham’s broader family (Genesis 17:20),
the recognition of his descendants as significant regional peoples,
but the clear distinction between covenant lineage (through Isaac) and broader Abrahamic blessing.
The biblical narrative strongly resists any hint of ancestor worship or deification. It places Ishmael in the category of blessed human ancestor, not a god. The Lord alone is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No ancestor, patriarch, or tribal founder is ever elevated to divine status in Scripture.
This stands in contrast with ancient Near Eastern cultures where:
ancestors became divine judges,
legendary kings were worshiped,
tribal founders could be elevated in cult.
The Bible decisively rejects these patterns, insisting that all such figures remain human (Deuteronomy 18:9–14). The appearance of a divine name similar to Ishmael in neighboring cultures underscores how different the biblical worldview is from its environment.
Conclusion
Ishmael as a god is a real phenomenon in the ancient Near East, but it has no proven connection to the biblical Ishmael. The name appears among deities such as dIš-me-la-a and dIš-me-lúm, likely functioning as divine judges or ancestral protectors. These divine names reflect common Semitic linguistic patterns rather than direct historical ties.
The Ishmael of Genesis remains a human ancestor, a significant figure in Abraham’s story, and the progenitor of important tribes. The Bible shows no interest in venerating him, deifying him, or associating him with cultic practices. In contrast to the ancient Near Eastern world, Scripture places all ancestors firmly under the one true God’s authority, refusing to elevate any human being—including Ishmael—into the divine realm.
Bible verses about God’s uniqueness and human ancestors
“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
“The Lord is God; there is no other besides him.” (Deuteronomy 4:35)
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:5)
“God is not man, that he should lie.” (Numbers 23:19)
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.” (Psalm 41:13)
“The idols of the nations are silver and gold.” (Psalm 135:15)
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers.” (Leviticus 19:31)
“Before the mountains were brought forth… from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalm 90:2)
“The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.” (Psalm 115:16)
“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” (Psalm 95:3)
