Genesis 16:11-12 (King James Version)11And 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.

12And 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.

The prophecy in question deals specifically with only one person, Ishmael. There is no indication that the characteristics evident in Ishmael were necessarily to be a distinguishing feature of his descendants.

AnswerAll of this trouble re Israel today comes back to Abraham's descendants. Abraham's son by Sarah was Isaac, and Isaac's two sons were Esau and Jacob. Abraham's son by Hagar was Ishmael:-

Gen 16:10-12 (AKJV)

(v.10) And the angel of the LORD said to her [Hagar] , I will multiply your seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.(v.11) And the angel of the LORD said to her [Hagar], Behold, you are with child and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Ishmael; because the LORD has heard your affliction.(v.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 brothers.

Some of this is explained by the Notes in the NET Bible:-

Genesis 16:11 [NET Bible] Then the Lord's angel said to her,

"You are now pregnant

and are about to give birth to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael,http://wiki.answers.com/gen16_notes.htm#note34

for the Lord has heard your painful groans.

16:12 He will be a wild donkeyhttp://wiki.answers.com/gen16_notes.htm#note36 of a man.

He will be hostile to everyone,http://wiki.answers.com/gen16_notes.htm#note37

and everyone will be hostile to him.http://wiki.answers.com/gen16_notes.htm#note38

He will live away fromhttp://wiki.answers.com/gen16_notes.htm#note39 his brothers."

34sn The name Ishmael ...means "God hears" or "may God hear."

36sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.

[Note: in the Middle-East calling someone an "ass" was not derogatory as it represented strength and power.]

37tn Heb "His hand will be against everyone." The "hand" by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would ...[be]... friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.

38tn Heb "And the hand of everyone will be against him."

39tn Heb "opposite, across from." Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB "to the east of"). Some take this as an idiom meaning "be at odds with" (cf. NRSV, NLT) or "live in hostility toward" (cf. NIV).

One of Ishmael's daughters married Esau:-

Gen 28:9 then Esau went to Ishmael, and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to the wives which he had for his wife.

Esau was cheated out of receiving his father's blessing by his brother Jacob (later called Israel):-

Gen 27:34-41 (NET)

(v.34) When Esau heard his father's words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. He said to his father, "Bless me too, my father!"(v.35) But Isaac replied, "Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away your blessing."(v.36) Esau exclaimed, "'Jacob' is the right name for him! He has tripped me up two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!" Then he asked, "Have you not kept back a blessing for me?" (v.37) Isaac replied to Esau, "Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?"(v.38) Esau said to his father, "Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!" Then Esau wept loudly. (v.39) So his father Isaac said to him, "Indeed, your home will be away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the sky above. (v.40) You will live by your sword but you will serve your brother. When you grow restless, you will tear off his yoke from your neck." (v.41) So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. Esau said privately, "The time of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill my brother Jacob!"

As a result, Esau hated Jacob.

All of the descendants of Esau [one of Isaac's sons], Ishmael [Abraham's son by Hagar], and Abraham's sons through Keturah are usually called 'Arabs':-

1Ch 1:28-34 MKJV The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. (v.29) These are their generations. The first-born of Ishmael was Nebaioth, and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, (v.30) Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema, (v.31) Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.[ie seen today as the 12 founding Arab chieftans] (v.32) And the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: She bore Zimran, and Jokshan , and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan[These two are ancestors of Saudi Arabians today].(v.33) And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah [these 5 are the Beduoins of today] All these are the sons of Keturah. (v.34) And Abraham fathered Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel.

However, they all have their differences (see article 'Who is an Arab?' website below). The only thing uniting them all is their common hatred of Israel. Generally what is happening today is the consequence of this prophecy

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