Genesis 16:12

But I have to tell you, Ishmael will be like a wild donkey. He will be against everybody and everybody will be against him. He will always fight with his brothers.”

Barkly (portions)

In The King James Version

And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

In Context

11You are going to have a baby boy. I want you to name him Ishmael, which means God listens. God has heard about your trouble.

13Hagar heard what the angel said, and she knew that the message came from the Lord. So she named him, You are the God who sees me. And she said to herself, “I have seen the back of God. He is the one who sees me.”

Read all of Genesis 16

Cross References

Genesis 21:20God kept Ishmael safe as he grew up in the dry country called Paran. He learned how to be a great hunter and later on Hagar got a wife for him from Egypt.

Genesis 27:40You will fight and steal from other people to get food all your life. Your brother will be your boss, but one day you will make up your mind to break free from him.”

Matthew Henry on Genesis 16:11-15

The Promise Concerning Ishmael. ( b. c. 1911.) 10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. 13 And she called… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 16:12