[1] See already under iota 606. Apparently confused with the meaning of "Isaac". The Catholic Encyclopedia (web address 1) offers a lengthy entry on Ismael, including the following: "[t]he name 'Ismael', which occurs also in early Babylonian and in Minaean, was given to the child before its birth (Genesis 16:11), and means: 'may God hear'." See also Genesis 16:5 and Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 1.12.1 (web address 2): "now in a little time Abraham had a son by Sarah, as God had foretold to him, whom he named Isaac, which signifies Laughter. And indeed they so called him, because Sarah laughed when God said that she should bear a son, she not expecting such a thing, as being past the age of child-bearing, for she was ninety years old, and Abraham a hundred; so that this son was born to them both in the last year of each of those decimal numbers. And they circumcised him upon the eighth day and from that time the Jews continue the custom of circumcising their sons within that number of days. But as for the Arabians, they circumcise after the thirteenth year, because Ismael, the founder of their nation, who was born to Abraham of the concubine, was circumcised at that age."