One of the earlier Scriptures indicated that Ishmael's family spread "from Havilah unto Shur" (Genesis 25:18) so it is with great necessity that we must isolate this area to at least a rough geographic consideration based on all that has been covered thus far.
"And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that [is] before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: [and] he died in the presence of all his brethren." Genesis 25:18
Havilah is one of the most intriguingly complex regions because it tells us without hesitation that Ishmael was able to inhabit quite a vast region by contrast to Joshua. As most Bible students are aware, Joshua's entrance into the Promised Land began when he crossed over the Jordan River and approached Jericho. Thus, his land mass was to be from the Jordan to the Meditteranean Sea. Remember, they had been wandering "the desert" for many years prior to their attack on Jericho.
If you look at the present day map of the land, you can see that our natural understanding of Israel is based on a fairly small plot of land by contrast to other areas. Yet, Ishmael and his family were established "from Havilah unto Shur." Where, then, did the child of the handmaid settle?
From the very beginning of biblical history, Havilah was one of the areas surrounded by an Eden River known as Pison.
"And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first [is] Pison: that [is] it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where [there is] gold;" Genesis 2:8-11
Pison was a river that circled around the entire land of Havilah. Biblical scholars and archaeologists who study the region have debated on an important school of thought. Since Moses tends to be understood as the human author of Genesis, was his mention of Havilah in Genesis 2 a reference to water that was only in existence before the flood or was Havilah potentially recognized by readers of Moses' day who would be able to acknowledge its location? That is, could Havilah have been purely a pre-flood region or was it relevant to post-flood understanding?
My suggestion is that it was named for what the Hebrews would later understand. Reason being, we learn of Havilah after the events of the flood as noted here:
"And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan." Genesis 10:7
"And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah [until] thou comest to Shur, that [is] over against Egypt." I Samuel 15:7
It seems only fair that we do a brief study on the rivers of Eden in conjunction with our geographic study of Ishmael (considering that one of the rivers is listed as a geographic underpinning of Ishmael's residence), but for now let us consider that Havilah was of great importance in assessing the region by which a group had resided.
Havilah is considered, in theory, to be located from the base of Assyria (in the north) to the lowest borders of Arabia (in the south). And if not the lowest borders, it is likely a deep area of Arabia where gold most certainly existed. Gold, throughout Scripture, is found in a variety of places, not the least of which would have been Arabia. The first person known to have gold in his possession was Abram...
"And Abram [was] very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold." Genesis 13:2
Persians (geographically where Abram first lived) were eventually known for their gold, the Romans for theirs, the Greeks and Egyptians for theirs.
"Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me..." II Chronicles 36:23
General history would show us that this has been true for all mankind's existence. Where there is a profitable element of the world (like gold, oil, etc), a dominant imperialism will usually take place. England, France, and Denmark have done this to Africa where ivory and slave trade become most prevalent. England, France, and Spain have done this to the western hemisphere of the Americas where cotton, rum, and other such elements were useful to the mother country. Arabia is vast indeed, but it has usually been dominated by other nations who were more powerful.
But keeping in mind that Havilah is likely to BE the very land of Arabia, where, then, is Shur?
"So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water." Exodus 15:22
After crossing the Red Sea, Moses led the children of Israel into the wilderness of Shur where there was no water.
The Wilderness of Shur is located just above dead center in the map above.
We should now be able to conclude that Ishmael's descendants did not inhabit Africa or the far reaches of Asia. Their borders were from Shur (at the edge of Egypt) to Havilah (at the borders of Syria and no further). How far south this group established themselves is debatable, but by any scope of the imagination, Arabia itself is greater in land mass than any single nation otherwise inhabited in the region.
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