1 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
3 tn Heb “as you go.”
4 sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
5 tn Heb “he fell.”
6 tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.
