ISCAH
book
of
which
the
English
student
can
avail
himself.
Of
commentaries
in
English,
Skinner's
(on
the
AV)
and
Whitehouse's
(on
the
RV)
are
convenient
and
good.
The
larger
commentary
by
Cheyne
has
been
to
some
considerable
extent
antiquated,
particularly
by
his
own
edition
of
the
book
in
the
Polychrome
Bible,
and
his
invaluable
Introduction
to
the
Book
of
Isaiah.
In
these
works,
and
in,
e.g..
Driver's
Isaiah,
his
Life
and
Times,
and
his
LOT,
and
G.
A.
Smith's
'Isaiah'
(.Expositor's
Bible),
the
student
will
find
sufficient
guidance
to
the
extensive
literature
which
has
gathered
round
the
Book
of
Isaiah.
G.
B.
Gray.
ISCAH.
—
A
daughter
of
Haran
and
sister
ot
Milcah,
Gn
11"
(J).
ISCABIOT.—
See
Judas
Isoaeiot.
ISDAEL
(1
Es
53s)
=
Ezr
2"
and
Neh
7"
Giddel.
ISHBAH.—
A
Judahite
(1
Ch
4").
ISHBAK.—
A
son
of
Abraham
by
Keturah
(Gn
25'
=
1
Ch
1»).
The
tribe
of
which
he
is
the
eponym
is
somewhat
uncertain.
ISHBI-BENOB.—
One
of
the
four
Philistines
of
the
giant
stock
who
were
slain
by
the
mighty
men
of
David
(2
S
21«-").
ISHBOSHETH.—
1.
The
fourth
son
of
Saul;
on
the
death
of
his
father
and
three
brothers
on
Mt.
Gilboa,
he
contested
the
throne
of
Israel
with
David
for
seven
years.
Driven
by
David
over
the
Jordan,
he
took
up
his
headquarters
at
Mahanaim,
where,
after
having
been
deserted
by
Abner,
he
was
murdered
by
two
of
his
captains.
His
name
is
given
in
1
Ch
S'^
and
9^'
as
Esh-baal.
The
same
variation
meets
us
in
the
name
of
Jonathan's
son
—
Mephibosheth
or
Meribbaal
—
and
in
the
case
of
Jerubbaal
or
Jerubbesheth;
similarly,
we
have
Bediada
and
Eliada.
In
1
S
14''
Ishbaal
has
become
Ishvi,
which
in
its
turn
is
a
corruption
for
Ishiah,
or
'man
of
Jahweh.'
The
change
of
Ish-baal,
'man
of
Baal,'
into
Ishbosheth,
'man
of
the
shameful
thing,'
is
ordinarily
accounted
for
on
the
supposition
'
that
the
later
reUgion
wished
to
avoid
the
now
odious
term
Baal.'
The
theory,
however,
is
met
by
the
diffi-culty
that
it
is
in
the
Chronicler
that
the
form
com-pounded
with
Baal
occurs.
Hence
it
has
been
suggested
that
Bosheth
is
the
fossilized
name
of
a
Babylonian
deity
Bast,
for
which
theory,
however,
little
support
is
forthcoming.
2.
Ishbosheth
or
Ishbaal
is
probably
the
true
reading
for
Jashobeam
in
1
Ch
11"
etc.,
which
is
corrupted
to
Josheb-basshebeth
in
2
S
23'.
W.
F.
Cobb.
ISHHOD.—
A
Manassite
(1
Ch
7'«).
ISHI.—
1.
A
Jerahmeelite
(1
Ch
2si).
2.
A
Judahite
chief
(1
Ch
42«).
3.
A
chief
of
East
Manasseh
(1
Ch
5^).
4.
One
of
the
captains
of
the
600
men
of
the
tribe
of
Simeon
who
smote
the
Amalekites
at
Mt.
Seir
(1
Ch
4«).
ISHI
('my
husband').
—
The
name
which
Hosea
(2'")
recommends
Israel
to
apply
to
J"
Instead
of
Baali
('my
lord').
ISHMA.—
One
of
the
sons
of
Etam
(1
Ch
i').
ISHMAEL.—
1
.
The
son
of
Abraham
by
Hagar.
His
name,
which
means
'
May
God
hear,'
was
decided
upon
before
his
birth
(Gn
16").
As
in
the
case
of
the
history
of
his
mother,
three
documentary
sources
are
used
by
the
narrator.
J
supplied
Gn
16'-",
E
21«-2i,
whilst
P
adds
such
links
as
16i"-
IT's-"
2S'-ii'-
"-".
For
the
story
of
his
life
up
to
his
settlement
in
the
wilderness
of
Paran,
the
northern
part
of
the
Sinaitic
peninsula,
see
Haqae.
At
the
age
of
thirteen
he
was
circumcised
on
the
same
day
as
his
father
(Gn
17^').
In
Paran
he
married
an
Egyptian
wife,
and
became
famous
as
an
archer
(212»').
No
other
incident
is
recorded,
except
that
he
was
associated
with
his
step-brother
in
the
burial
of
their
father
(25»),
and
himself
died
at
the
age
of
137
(25").
ISHMAEL
Ishmael
had
been
resolved
into
a
conjectural
personi-fication
of
the
founder
of
a
group
of
tribes;
but
the
narrative
is
too
vivid
in
its
portrayal
of
incident
and
character,
and
too
true
in
its
psychological
treatment,
to
support
that
view.
That
there
is
some
idealization
in
the
particulars
is
possible.
Tribal
rivalry
may
have
undesignedly
coloured
the
presentment
of
Sarah's
jealousy.
The
little
discrepancies
between
the
docu-ments
point
to
a
variety
of
human
standpoints,
and
are
as
explicable
upon
the
implication
of
historicity
as
upon
the
theory
of
personification.
The
note
of
all
the
recorded
passions
and
promptings
is
naturalness;
and
the
obvious
intention
of
the
narrative,
with
the
impression
produced
upon
an
uncommitted
reader,
is
that
of
an
attempt
at
actual
biography
rather
than
at
the
construction
of
an
artificial
explanation
of
certain
relationships
of
race.
In
regard
to
the
so-called
Ishmaelites,
the
case
is
not
so
clearA^Ishmael
is
represented
as
the
father
of
twelve
sons
(Gn
25'^-",
1
Ch
l^-'i),
and
the
phrase
'twelve
princes
according
to
their
nations
'
(cf
.
Gn
17^")
almost
suggests
an
attempt
on
the
part
of
the
writer
at
an
exhibition
of
his
view
of
racial
origins.
A
further
complication
arises
from
the
confusion
of
Ishmaelites
and
Midianites
(37288-,
jg
g^.
m),
though
the
two
are
distinguished
in
the
genealogies
of
Gn
25'-
<■
".
Branches
of
the
descendants
of
the
two
step-brothers
may
have
combined
through
similarity
of
habit
and
location,
and
been
known
sometimes
by
the
one
name,
and
some-times
by
the
other;
but
there
was
clearly
no
per-manent
fusion
of
the
two
families.
Nor
is
it
possible
to
say
whether
at
any
time
a
religious
confederation
of
twelve
tribes
was
formed
under
the
name
of
Ishmael,
or
if
the
name
was
adopted,
because
of
its
prominence,
for
the
protection
of
some
weaker
tribes.
The
scheme
may
have
even
less
basis
in
history,
and
be
but
part
of
an
ethnic
theory
by
which
the
Hebrew
genealogists
sought
to
explain
the
relationships
of
their
neighbours
to
one
another,
and
to
the
Hebrews
themselves.
A
dozen
tribes,
scattered
over
the
Sinaitic
peninsula
and
the
districts
east
of
the
Jordan,
because
of
some
simi-larity
in
civilization
or
language,
or
in
some
cases
possibly
under
the
influence
of
correct
tradition,
are
grouped
as
kinsmen,
being
sons
of
Abraham,
but
of
inferior
status,
as
being
descended
from
the
son
of
a
handmaid.
That
the
differences
from
the
pure
Hebrew
were
thought
to
be
strongly
Egyptian
in
their
character
or
source,
is'
indicated
by
the
statement
thai;
Ishmael's
mother
and
his
wife
were
both
Egyptians.
NThe
IshmaeUtes
soon
disappear
from
Scripture.
There
are
a
few
individuals
described
as
of
that
nationality
(1
Ch
2"
27»i');
but
in
later
times
the
word
could
be
used
metaphorically
of
any
hostile
people
(Ps
83»).
2
.
A
son
of
Azel,
a
descendant
of
Saul
through
Jonathan
(1
Ch
8»8
9").
3.
Ancestor
of
the
Zebadiah
who
was
one
of
Jehoshaphat's
judicial
officers
(2
Ch
19").
4.
A
miUtary
officer
associated
with
Jehoiada
in
the
revolution
in
favour
of
Joash
(2
Ch
23").
6.
A
member
of
the
royal
house
of
David
who
took
the
principal
part
in
the
murder
of
GedaUah
(Jer
41i-
2).
The
story
is
told
in
Jer
40»-41i6,
wUh
a
summary
in
2
K
25^-^.
It
is
probable
that
I^mael
resented
Nebuchadnezzar's
appointment
of
^Gedaliah
as
governor
of
Judsea
(Jer
405)
instead
of
some
member
of
the
ruling
family,
and
considered
him
as
unpatriotic
in
consenting
to
represent
an
aUen
power.
Further
instigation
was
supplied
by
Baalis,
king
ot
Ammon
(Jer
40»),
who
was
seeking
either
revenge
or
an
opportunity
to
extend
his
dominions.
GedaUah
and
his
retinue
were
killed
after
an
entertainment
given
to
Ishmael,
who
gained
possession
of
Mizpah,
the
seat
of
government.
Shortly
afterwards
he
set
out
with
his
captives
to
join
Baalis,
but
was
overtaken
by
a
body
of
Gedaliah's
soldiers
at
the
pool
of
Gibeon
(Jer
41>2),
and
defeated.
He
made
good
his
escape
(41")
with
the
majority
of
his
associates;
but
of
his
subsequent
life
nothing
is
known.
The
conspiracy
may
have
been
