(11) The angel of the LORD said to her further, “Behold, you are with child And shall bear a son; You shall call him Ishmael, For the LORD has paid heed to your suffering. (12) He shall be a wild donkey of a man; His hand against everyone, And everyone’s hand against him; He shall dwell alongside of all his kinsmen.” (13) And she called the LORD who spoke to her, “You Are El-roi,” by which she meant, “Have I not gone on seeing after He saw me!” (14) Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it is between Kadesh and Bered.— (15) Hagar bore a son to Abram, and Abram gave the son that Hagar bore him the name Ishmael. (16) Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
(יא) אמר בלעם, משבעים לשונות שברא הב"ה בעולמו לא שם שמו לאחד מהם אלא לישראל הואיל והשוה הב"ה שמו של ישמעאל לשמו של ישראל אוי מי יחיה בימיו, שנ' אוי מי יחיה משומו אל.
(11) 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; 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?" (ibid. 23).
(ב) יהודה בן תימא אומר, אמרה שרה לאברהם כתוב גט גרושין לאמה ושלח את האמה הזאת מעלי ומעל יצחק בני מן העולם הזה ומן העולם הבא. ומכל הרעות שבאו על אברהם הרע בעיניו הדבר הזה מאד, שנאמר (בראשית כא, יא) וַיֵּרַע הַדָּבָר מְאֹד בְּעֵינֵי אַבְרָהָם עַל אוֹדֹת בְּנוֹ.
(2) Ben Tema said: Sarah said to Abraham, Write a bill of divorce, 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).
(ד) רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ פָּתַר קְרָיָא בַּגָּלֻיּוֹת, וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ, זֶה גָּלוּת בָּבֶל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה ד, כט): רָאִיתִי אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה תֹהוּ. וָבֹהוּ, זֶה גָּלוּת מָדַי (אסתר ו, יד): וַיַּבְהִלוּ לְהָבִיא אֶת הָמָן. וְחשֶׁךְ, זֶה גָּלוּת יָוָן, שֶׁהֶחֱשִׁיכָה עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּגְזֵרוֹתֵיהֶן, שֶׁהָיְתָה אוֹמֶרֶת לָהֶם, כִּתְבוּ עַל קֶרֶן הַשּׁוֹר שֶׁאֵין לָכֶם חֵלֶק בֵּאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם, זֶה גָּלוּת מַמְלֶכֶת הָרְשָׁעָה, שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם חֵקֶר כְּמוֹ הַתְּהוֹם, מַה הַתְּהוֹם הַזֶּה אֵין לוֹ חֵקֶר, אַף הָרְשָׁעִים כֵּן. וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת, זֶה רוּחוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ, הֵיאַךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (ישעיה יא, ב): וְנָחָה עָלָיו רוּחַ ה',
(4) Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish interpreted the verse to be about the exiles: "And the earth was null" - this is [a reference to] the exile of Babylonia, as it is stated (Jeremiah 4:23), I have seen the earth and it is null;" "and void (bohu)" - this is [a reference to] the exile of Media (Esther 6:14), "And they hurried (yavhilu) to bring Haman;" "and darkness" - this is [a reference to] the exile of Greece, who darkened the eyes of Israel with their decrees, as it said to them, "Write on the horn of a bull that you have no share in the God of Israel;""on the face of the depths"- this is [a reference to] the exile of the evil kingdom that has no comparison, just like the depths - just like the depths has no comparison, so too these evildoers; "and the spirit of God was floating" - this is [a reference to] the spirit of the king, messiah, as you would say (Isaiah 11:2), "And the spirit of the Lord rested upon him."
(ט) עמד אברהם והיה מתפלל לפני הב"ה כדי שלא ישתעבדו בניו בארבע מלכיות הללו ונפלה עליו שנת תרדמה ויישן לו שנאמר ותרדמה נפלה על אברם וכי יש לך אדם שהוא יושב וישן ויוכל להתפלל אלא ללמדך שהיה אברם שוכב וישן מכח תפלה כדי שישתעבדו ארבע' מלכיות הללו שנאמר והנה אימה חשכה גדולה נופלת עליו אימה זו מלכות אדום שנאמר דחילא ואימתני ותקיפא חשכה זו מלכות יון שהחשיכה עיניהם של ישראל מכל מצות התורה גדולה זו מלכות פרס ומדי שגדלה למכור את ישראל חנם נופלת זו מלכות בבל שנפלה בידם ישראל עליו אלו ישמעאלים שעליהם בן דוד יצמח שנאמר אויביו אלביש בושת.
(9) Abraham arose and prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, that his children should not be enslaved by these four kingdoms. A deep sleep fell upon him, and he slept, as it is said, "A deep sleep fell upon Abram" (Gen. xv. 12). Does then a man lie down and sleep, and yet be able to pray? But this teaches thee that Abraham was lying down and sleeping because of the intensity of his prayer that his children might enslave || these four kingdoms, as it is said, "And, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him" (ibid.). "Horror" refers to the kingdom of Edom, as it is written, "And behold a fourth beast, terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly" (Dan. vii. 7). "Darkness" is the kingdom of those who darken the eyes of Israel (by preventing the observance of) all the precepts which are in the Torah. "Great" (Gen. xv. 12) refers to the kingdom of Media and Persia, which was great (enough to be able to afford) to sell Israel for nought. "Fell" (ibid.) refers to the kingdom of Babylon, because in their hand fell the crown of Israel, as it is said, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen" (Isa. xxi. 9). "Upon him" (Gen. xv. 12) refers to the Ishmaelites, upon whom the Son of David will flourish, as it is said, "His enemies will I clothe with shame: but upon him shall his crown flourish" (Ps. cxxxii. 18).
(ג) ישמעאל מנין, שנאמר וקראת שמו ישמעאל. ולמה נקרא שמו ישמעאל, שעתיד הקב״ה לשמוע נאקת העם ממה שעתידין בני ישמעאל לעשות בארץ באחרית הימים, לפיכך נקרא שמו ישמעאל, שנאמר ישמע אל ויענם.
(2) Whence do we know about Ishmael? Because it is said, "And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child,… and thou shalt call his name Ishmael" (Gen. xvi. 11). Why was his name || called Ishmael? Because in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will hearken to the cry of the people arising from (the oppression) which the children of Ishmael will bring about in the land in the last (days); therefore was his name called Ishmael.