Ishmeelites

Ishmeelites is the Authorized Version spelling of Ishmaelites — the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar. In Genesis 37:25–28 and 39:1 the caravan of traders who purchased Joseph from his brothers and brought him down to Egypt are called both Ishmeelites and Midianites in close proximity (Genesis 37:28, 36), a textual phenomenon that has generated considerable discussion: most interpreters understand the terms as overlapping designations for the nomadic trading peoples of the region, or take the Midianites as a separate group who purchased Joseph from the Ishmaelites.

The Ishmaelites appear again in Judges 8:24 in the narrative of Gideon's victory over Midian, where the Midianite warriors are said to have worn gold earrings "because they were Ishmaelites" — suggesting the terms were used interchangeably for related nomadic groups in the biblical period. Psalm 83:6 lists the Ishmaelites among the coalition of nations plotting against Israel. The trading role of the Ishmaelites in the Joseph narrative — carrying spices, balm, and myrrh to Egypt — reflects the well-attested caravan trade between Arabia and Egypt that passed through Canaan throughout the second millennium BC.