CHAPTER XXX THE TRIALS OF ABRAHAM (continued) THE ninth trial (was as follows): Ishmael was born with (the prophecy of the) bow, [ Perhaps the version should be, “Ishmael was born under (the constellation) Sagittarius.” The word “Ḳêshêth” sometimes means this constellation, or it might indicate “harshness.”] and he grew up with the bow, [ Jalḳuṭ, Gen. § 94 reads: “Ishmael was born and grew up with the bow.” Cf. Isa. 21:15.] as it is said, "And God was with the lad, and he grew … [ The quotation ends here in the MS.; the first editions quote the latter part of the verse only.] and he became an archer" (Gen. 21:20). He took bow and arrows and began to shoot at the birds. [ See Tosephta Soṭah vi. p. 308; Jalḳuṭ, loc. cit., and Gen. Rab. 53:15. The MS. reads “Pugoth.” This agrees with the Oxford MS. “Puga” is identified with “Suga,” the name of a bird. See T.B. Baba Bathra, 90b.] He saw Isaac sitting by himself, and he shot an arrow [ MS. O.A. 167 reads: “the arrows.” See Gen. Rab. 53:11.] at him to slay him. [ See Leḳach Ṭob, Gen. p. 47, note 20, for other parallels.] Sarah saw (this), and told Abraham. She said to him: Thus and thus has Ishmael done to Isaac, but (now) arise and write (a will in favour) of Isaac, (giving him) all that the Holy One has sworn to give || to thee and to thy seed. [ Cf. Gen. 15:5 and xvii. 7. The first editions add: “By thy life.” Luria would read: “In thy life time” and connects it with the preceding sentence: “Write in thy life time.”] The son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son, with Isaac, as it is said, "And she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son" (ibid. 10).
Ben Tema [ This is missing in the printed editions and in Jalḳuṭ, Gen., loc. cit., but it occurs in MS. O.A. 167. Ben Tema was an Amora.] said: Sarah said to Abraham, Write [ MS. O.A. 167 reads: “Arise and write,”] a bill of divorce, [ See Pal. Targum, Gen. 21:10.] and send away this handmaid and her son from me and from Isaac my son, in this world and from the world to come. More than all the misfortunes which overtook Abraham, this matter was exceedingly evil in his eyes, as it is said, "And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son" (ibid. 11). [ The Pal. Targum, Gen., loc. cit., explains that this was due to the evil deeds of Ishmael in the future. The inference in our Midrash is derived from the quotation, and it was only in this instance that Scripture refers to the sorrow of Abraham. See Midrash Haggadol, c. 308.]
Rabbi Jehudah [ MS. O.A. 167 adds: “the Prince.”] said: In that night the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed unto him. He said to him: Abraham ! Dost thou not know that Sarah was appointed to thee for a wife [ The Venice edition adds: “from her birth.”] from her mother's womb? She is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant; [ i.e. the first wife. See Mal. 2:14; and Targum, in loc., and cf. Rashi on Mal. 2:14.] Sarah is not called thy handmaid, but thy wife; [ MS. O.A. 167 adds: “as it is said: ‘And God said, But Sarah thy wife’” (Gen. 17:19). This verse is also given by the first editions.] neither is Hagar called thy wife, but thy handmaid; and all that Sarah has spoken [ MS. O.A. 167 adds: “to thee.”] she has uttered truthfully. Let it not be grievous in thine eyes, as it is said, "And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight" (ibid. 12).
Abraham rose up early, [ MS. O.A. 167 adds: “in the morning.” See Midrash Haggadol, c. 309.] and wrote a bill of divorce, and gave it to Hagar, and he sent her and her son away from himself, and from Isaac his son, from this world and from the world to come, as it is said, "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took [ In the MS. the quotation ends here, but “etc.” is added. The first editions and MS. O.A. 167 continue the verse. Luria adds: “And the child.”] bread and a bottle of water" (ibid. 14). He sent her away || with a bill of divorcement, and he took the veil, [ See Jalḳuṭ, Gen. § 95, according to Jastrow, T.D. 1452b, for a variant reading. Cf. Gen. Rab. 53:13. The Venice edition reads “water-barrel”; cf. Siphrê, Num. § 115, and Jalḳuṭ, Num. § 750, which reads “water-barrel.” Our MS. agrees with the text in the 1st ed.] and he bound it around her waist, so that it should drag behind her to disclose (the fact) that she was a bondwoman. [ See T.B. Baba Mezi’a, 87a.] Not only this, but also because Abraham desired to see Ishmael, his son, and to see the way whereon they went.
By the merit of our father Abraham the water did not fail in the bottle, but when she reached the entrance to the wilderness, she began to go astray after the idolatry of her father's house; [ The first editions read: “the house of Pharaoh her father”; according to Rabbinic legend Hagar was the daughter of Pharaoh. See supra, p. 190, Gen. Rab. 45:2, and the Book of Jashar xv. 31.] and forthwith the water in the bottle was spent, as it is said, "And she departed and wandered" (ibid.), Ishmael was seventeen [ The Venice edition gives twenty-seven years for Ishmael’s age.] years old (when) he went forth from the house of Abraham, and Isaac was forty [ The first editions read: “ten years.” The “forty years” may refer to Isaac’s age when he married Rebecca and left his father’s house to dwell in Sarah’s tent. It seems very probable that the MS. reading is based on a copy which read “four” years. This was altered by the writer of our MS. into “forty.” Ishmael was thirteen years older than Isaac, and as the former was seventeen years old when he left Abraham’s house Isaac must have been four years old. See infra, p. 225. See Gen. Rab. 53:13, according to which Ishmael was twenty-seven years old; see also the Book of Jashar xxi. 14, Jalḳuṭ, Gen., loc. cit., and Midrash Haggadol, loc. cit.] years old. By the merit of our father Abraham the water did not fail in the bottle, but when she reached the entrance to the wilderness, she began to go astray after the idolatry of her father's house; the water in the bottle was spent, [ The whole of this sentence thus far is an exact repetition of a few lines above. See also Midrash Haggadol, loc. cit., for the same circumstance.] and the soul of Ishmael was faint with thirst.
"And she departed and wandered" (ibid.). The meaning of "and she wandered" is merely idolatry, because it is written, concerning (this root), [ Cf. Isa. 19:13.] "They are vanity, a work of delusion" [ The root of this word (וחתע) is connected apparently with the Hebrew “to err” or “to wander” (ךעה); see Ẓohar, Gen. 118b.] (Jer. 10:15). [ The previous verse refers to the images.] He went and cast himself beneath the thorns of the wilderness, [ Cf. Jalḳuṭ, Gen., loc. cit. The phraseology is based on Job 30:7. This chapter is applied to Ishmael by the Midrash. The next few words (up to “upon him”) are wanting in the printed texts.] so that the moisture might be upon him, and he said: O God of my father Abraham ! [ Cf. the version of the prayer in Jalḳuṭ, Gen., loc. cit. The printed editions of our book differ here from our MS. The first editions read thus: “Sovereign of the Worlds ! If it be Thy pleasure to give me water to drink, give me to drink and let not my soul depart because of thirst; for death by thirst is unnatural, and it is harder than all other (kinds of) death. The Holy One, blessed be He, heard his prayer.”] Thine are the issues of death; take away from me my soul, for I would not die of thirst. And He was entreated of him, as it is said, "For God hath heard the || voice of the lad where he is" (Gen. 21:17). The well [ See infra, p. 263.] which was created at twilight [ Of the eve of the first Sabbath in the week of Creation. See supra, p. 124.] was opened for them there, and they went and drank and filled the bottle with water, as it is said, "And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water" (ibid. 19). And there [ In the wilderness of Beer-Sheba.] they left the well, [ See infra, pp. 268, 323.] and thence they started on their way, [ Lit. “they lifted up their feet.”] and went through all the wilderness until they came to the wilderness of Paran, and they found there streams of water, and they dwelt there, as it is said, "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran" (ibid. 21). Ishmael sent for a wife from among the daughters [ The first editions read: “fords.” The reading in our MS. is the correct text.] of Moab, and 'Ayeshah [ In later editions other readings of this name are found namely, “’Essah” and “’Ephah.” See Grünbaum, op. cit. p. 125.] was her name. After three years [ Cf. the narrative in the Book of Jashar xxi. 22 ff.; Jalḳuṭ, Gen., loc. cit., and Midrash Haggadol, c. 310.] Abraham went to see Ishmael his son, having sworn to Sarah that he would not descend from the camel in the place where Ishmael dwelt. He arrived there at midday and found there the wife of Ishmael. He said [ The scribe has made a little mistake here by writing “She said.”] to her: Where is Ishmael? She said to him: He has gone with his mother to fetch the fruit of the palms [ Luria objects to the text, and prefers to read, “fruit of the broom-tree”; cf. Job 30:4. See Jalḳuṭ, loc. cit.; T.B. Baba Bathra, 75b; perhaps the text should read: “fruit and broom-trees.”] from the wilderness. He said to her: Give me a little bread and a little water, [ The first editions read: “a little bread and dainties.” The Prague edition reads: “a little water and bread and dainties.”] for my soul is faint after the journey in the desert. She said to him: I have neither bread nor water. He said to her: When Ishmael comes (home) tell him this || story, and say to him: A certain old man came from the land of Canaan to see thee, and he said, Exchange [ The first editions read: “That the door-sill of the house is not good.” See the Book of Jashar xxi. 31, and Jalḳuṭ, loc. cit.] the threshold of thy house, for it is not good for thee. When Ishmael came (home) his wife told him the story. A son of a wise man is like half a wise man. Ishmael understood. His mother sent and took for him a wife from her father's house, [ From Pharaoh’s house. See supra, p. 190, and cf. the Book of Jashar xxi. 17.] and her name was Fatimah. [ See Pal. Targum, Gen. 21:21, and Jalḳuṭ, loc. cit. These names Fatimah and ‘Ayeshah point to Arabian influence, and give us another terminus a quo to fix the date and locality of its redaction. ‘Ephah, mentioned above (p. 218, note 7), occurs as a woman’s name in 1 Chron. 2:46.]
Again after three years Abraham went to see his son Ishmael, having sworn to Sarah as on the first occasion that he would not descend from the camel in the place where Ishmael dwelt. He came there at midday, and found there Ishmael's wife. He said to her: Where is Ishmael? She replied to him: He has gone with his mother to feed the camels in the desert. He said to her: Give me a little bread and water, for my soul is faint after the journey [ For this legend, see Rabbinic Philosophy and Ethics, pp. 66 f. with notes.] of the desert. She fetched it and gave it to him. Abraham arose and prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, for his son, and (thereupon) Ishmael's house was filled with all good things of the various blessings. [ Jalḳuṭ, loc. cit., reads “food and blessing.” See infra, p. 328, and cf. Midrash Haggadol, c. 311.] When Ishmael came (home) his wife told him what had happened, and Ishmael knew that his father's love was still extended to him, as it is said, || "Like as a father pitieth his sons" (Ps. 103:13). After the death of Sarah, Abraham again took (Hagar) his divorced (wife), as it is said, "And Abraham again [ In our MS. the quotation ends here; it is continued in the first editions as in our version. See Pal. Targum, Gen. 25:1, and Midrash Haggadol, c. 375, note 8, where the parallel passages are given.] took a wife, and her name was Keturah" (Gen. 25:1). Why does it say "And he again"? Because on the first occasion she was his wife, and he again betook himself to her. Her name was Keturah, because she was perfumed with all kinds of scents. [ The Ishmaelites in the wilderness were the buyers and sellers of precious spices. Cf. Cant. 3:6, and Ezek. 27:21.]
Another explanation of Keturah (is): because her actions were beautiful like incense, [ The Hebrew for “incense” (Ḳeṭoreth) suggests a connection with the name Ḳeṭurah.] and she bare him six sons, [ The first editions read here (instead of our context) the following: “Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan and Midian, and Ishbak and Shuah.”] and they were all called according to the name of Ishmael, [ The meaning is not quite evident; does it mean that the six names have some part of their spelling in common with the various letters of the name Ishmael? This is the case with the initial letter of five names, but Zimran is the exception.] as it is said, "And she bare him Zimran (ibid. 2).
Like a woman sent away from her husband, so likewise Abraham arose and sent them away from Isaac his son, from this world and from the world to come, as it is said, "But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, [ In the MS. the quotation ends here; it is continued in the first editions.] Abraham gave gifts, and he sent them [ The MS. reads: “‘and he sent them away’ by adeed of divorcement.”] away from Isaac his son" (ibid. 6), by a deed of divorcement.
Corresponding to the name of Ishmael's son [ The first editions read “sons.” The descendants of Ishmael intermarried with the children of Keturah.] Kedar, the sons of Kedar were so called, as it is said, "Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor" (Jer. 49:28). Corresponding to the name of Ishmael's son "Kedemah" [ In the MS. the word has been partly erased, only the letters קד are legible.] (Gen. 25:15), the "sons of Ḳedem" were so called. [ The first editions add: “as it is said: ‘The children of Ḳedem’” (Jer. 49:28).] Because they dwelt in the territory belonging to Cain, his children were called "sons of Cain," as it is said, "Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from Cain" (Judg. 4:11). Were not all the sons of Cain cut off [ Cf. Rabbi Bechai’s commentary on Num. 24:22, which reads: “Were not all the sons of Cain cut off?” according to our text. The later editions read: “separated at the generation of the flood.”] by the waters of the Flood? But because they dwelt in the territory of the children of Cain, his children were called "sons of Cain," as it is said, "Nevertheless || Cain shall be wasted, [ In the MS. the quotation ends here. Our translation of the Scripture text differs from the usual version.] as long as Asshur shall dwell in thy place" (Num. 24:22). "Nevertheless Cain shall be wasted away" by fire, through the seed of Ishmael, the latter shall cause the kingdom of Assyria to cease. [ The reference may be to the Moslem possession of Bagdad in Babylon. See infra, p. 350; and also Rashbam, in loc. (Num. 24:22).]
Balaam said: Of the seventy nations that the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He did not put His name on any one of them except on Israel; [ Some of the later editions add here: “And Ishmael, as it is said: ‘ And thou shalt call his name Ishmael’” (Gen. 16:11).] and since the Holy One, blessed be He, made the name of Ishmael similar to the name of Israel, woe to him who shall live in his days, as it is said, "Alas, who shall live when God establisheth him?" [ By giving him the name of El. “Alas, who shall live when he is appointed (with the name) El,” may be the meaning read into the verse in question, or probably there is a play on the name Ishmael and the last two words Missumô el. The usual rendering is, “Alas, who shall live when God doeth this.” See Midrash Haggadol, c. 383.] (ibid. 23).
Rabbi Ishmael said: In the future the children of Ishmael will do fifteen things in the land (of Israel) in the latter days, and they are: They will measure the land with ropes; [ To obtain exact dimension; cf. T.B. Baba Bathra, 103b.] they will change a cemetery into a resting-place for sheep (and) a dunghill; they will measure with them and from them upon the tops of the mountains; falsehood will multiply and truth will be hidden; the statutes will be removed far from Israel; sins will be multiplied in Israel; worm-crimson will be in the wool, and he will cover [ The root קמל means to be decayed. See Isa. 33:9: “Lebanon mouldereth”; or should we render “The paper will be decayed with the pen”? Literature will then perish. Krauss, Studien zur Byzantisch-Jüdischen Geschichte, p. 145, renders the preceding clause: “purple will be exceedingly dear.”] with insects paper and pen; he will hew down the rock of the kingdom, [ The tombs of the Kings of Judah. Krauss, op. cit., renders here: “the coinage will be withdrawn from circulation.”] and they will rebuild the desolated cities and sweep the ways; and they will plant gardens and parks, and fence in the broken walls of the Temple; and they will build a building in the Holy Place; and two brothers will arise over them, [ Or, “against them,” i.e. the two Caliphs, Mohammed Alemin and Abdallah Almamum (809–813 C.E.). See Graetz, Geschichte, v. pp. 197 f., and his article in Frankel’s Monatsschrift, 1859, p. 112. This gives us again a date for determining the period when our book was finally edited. Krauss, op. cit., points out that the reference in the preceding clause is to the Mosque of Omar, the foundation of which was laid by the Caliph Omar after his conquest of Jerusalem in 636 C.E. In the next line we have the expression, “the Branch, the son of David,” cf. supra, p. 201, note 3, and see also the Shemoneh ‘Esreh, p. 49 (Singer).] princes at the end; and in their days the Branch, the Son of David, will arise, as it is said, || "And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed" (Dan. 2:44).
Rabbi Ishmael also said: Three wars of trouble [ Or, “commotion.”] will the sons of Ishmael in the future wage on the earth in the latter days, as it is said, "For they fled away from the swords" (Isa. 21:15). "Swords" signify only wars, one in the forest of Arabia, as it is said, "From the drawn sword" (ibid.); another on the sea, as it is said, "From the bent bow" (ibid.); and one in the great city which is in Rome, [ The later editions read here “Aram,” owing to the Censor.] which will be more grievous than the other two, as it is said, "And from the grievousness of the war" (ibid.). From there the Son of David shall flourish and see the destruction of [ The Prague edition reads: “the idolaters.” See also Graetz, Geschichte, v. pp. 441 ff., especially p. 446, on the connection between our book and the Secrets of R. Simeon ben Jochai. The latter work, according to Graetz, was the source used by our author. The theory of Graetz was controverted by Steinschneider in Z.D.M.G. xxviii. pp. 645 f. The Secrets are printed in Jellinek’s B.H.M. iii. p. 78. A very interesting parallel to the latter part of this chapter of P.R.E. is to be found in the Book of the Bee, liii. (pp. 124 ff.).] these and these, and thence will He come to the land of Israel, as it is said, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, [ In the MS. the quotation ends here; it is continued in the first editions.] with crimsoned garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save" (ibid. lxiii. 1).