Genesis 16:12 - Exposition

And he will be a wild man . Literally, a wild ass ( of a ) man ; the פֶּרֶא , snarler, being so called from its swiftness of foot (cf. Job 39:5-8 ), and aptly depicting "the Bedouin's boundless love of freedom as he rides about in the desert, spear in hand, upon his camel or his horse, hardy, frugal, reveling in the varied beauty of nature, and despising town life in every form" (Keil). As Ishmael and his offspring are here called "wild ass men," so Israel is designated by the prophet "sheep men" ( Ezekiel 36:37 , Ezekiel 36:38 ). His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him. Exemplified in the turbulent and lawless character of the Bedouin Arabs and Saracens for upwards of thirty centuries. "The Bedouins are the outlaws among the nations. Plunder is legitimate gain, and daring robbery is praised as valor (Kalisch). And he shall dwell in the presence of —literally, before the face of, L e . to the east of (Rosenmüller, Gesenius, Tuch, Knobel, Delitzsch); or, " everywhere before the eyes of" (Kalisch, Wordsworth); or, independently of (Calvin, Keil, Lunge, Murphy)— all his brethren . The Arabs of today are "just as they were described by the spirit of prophecy nearly 4000 years ago".