IshmaèTs
expulsion.
His descendants
intermingle
with
other tribes.
The sons of
Keturah, &c.
Iscah or Sarah, Ishmael was sent forth to enjoy an inheritance
elsewhere. But even if this fact did not appear in the sequel,
it can scarcely be doubted that in the richly-figurative language
of the East, the bread and water provided for Hagar and her
son, denoted that an ample provision had been made for the
fugitive. Indeed, it can scarcely be imagined that a wealthy
prince could have banished his youthful son as a helpless wanderer,
instead of bestowing upon the future Arabian prince
some part of his ample flocks, and even a proportion of his
numerous followers to tend them. Ishmael, and those who
accompanied him, may therefore be considered as constituting
a new tribe in the valleys of Arabia Petraea, and by no means
an unimportant one, since the chief was of sufficient consequence
to fopm an alliance with the Cushites of Egypt;1 and subsequently,
a marriage with the daughter of Mozauz or Modhaudh,
the chief of the powerful tribe of Jorham, (Jurham) ; and, with
the twelve princes, his sons, commenced the grafted race, or
El Arab Mostearibe.2 Their territory must have been considerable,
for we are told that it extended from Havilah unto
Shur,3 as thou goest towards Assyria, or, as it is clearly implied
in another part of the same verse, from the confines of Egypt
to Havilah on the higher Euphrates; so that, in fact, it included
the whole of the upper or western part of Arabia Deserta.
No doubt Ishmael’s descendants had intermixed with the earlier
inhabitants, as he himself had done; and it is evident that they
gained the ascendancy to some extent, for the name is preserved,
sometimes separately, at other times in conjunction with that of
the Hagarenes, who, it is asserted by a Hebrew commentator
(Kimchi), were descended from Hagar by an Arab husband.
The death of Sarah, about 1944 B.C., and the alliance of
Abraham with a Canaanitish woman, Keturah or Tour,4 gave
rise to other inhabitants of Arabia. Subsequently to the death
of Abraham, some, or perhaps all of these sons, appear to have
settled near the Elanetic Gulf; in a tract of country which
1 Gen., chap. X X I., v. 21.
8 See Appendix to vol. I., Table I I I .
3 Gen., chap. X X V ., v. 18.
4 Price’s Essay towards the History of Arabia, p. 80.
probably took its name from Midian, and became afterwards so
remarkable for its wealth and civilization.
Reverting now to the Hebrew tribes, the principal branch The Hebrews ° # # 7 . . were numedescended
from the heir of promise, and considering that the rous from the
chief part of Abraham’s numerous followers, who accompanied Abraham,
him into Canaan, belonged to this race, it is evident that they
must have been a considerable people at the time they went
down into Egypt. In pursuance of the Divine purpose of
preserving the chief line of the Patriarch’s posterity,1 during
the coming years of famine, Jacob’s favourite son was conveyed
as a slave to a neighbouring empire, whose important position
among the nations of the world, became from henceforth better
known in consequence of this new link.
A concentrated territory, like the Valley of the Nile, the First govern-
upper portion especially, was admirably adapted for the pro-ment 0 Sipt’
gressive improvement of a fixed government. This government
appears to haye been commenced on the establishment
of the followers of Mizraim in the country, towards the middle
of the second century after the Deluge :2 and as the new settlement
was not liable to be weakened by extension and subdivision,
as in the case of tribes spreading into wider regions,
its advancement would necessarily be rapid. Accordingly it
will be remembered, that only 321 years after the commencement
of this kingdom, Abraham found it an established monarchy,
with those gradations in rank and office on which its
successful maintenance depends at home; and from the knowledge
which the Patriarch had of the country previous to going
down to Egypt, it may be inferred that the necessary commercial
and political relations already existed, for drawing
wealth and prosperity from abroad.
The state of the country at this period is very briefly and
generally noticed; but at the time now under consideration,
namely, about 201 years later, Joseph found there a learned B. c. ism.
caste, consisting of priests, physicians or embalmers, called social state of
Healers; also distinct classes of husbandmen, watermen, andEgypt
1 Gen., chap. XLV., v. 7.
8 Manes began to reign, says Shuckforth, p.d. 116, or, according to
Galterer, 153 f .d .