And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
The first-born of Ishmael, Nebajoth. His descendants were called Nabathaeans, who rose to great eminence and wealth by their enterprising traffic between the Persian and Mediterranean seas, and of whom interesting traces are still to be found among the rocky ruins of Petra. Their settlement in that region, according to Quatremere, was not prior to the invasion of Palestine by Nebuchadnezzar. Josephus says, that the name of Nabathaeans was given to all the descendants of Ishmael who inhabited the country from the Euphrates to the Red Sea. But by far the greatest portion of this tribe preferred to lead a Bedouin life; and Diodorus, quoted by Winer ('Realworterbuch'), shows how fully the character of Ishmael's first-born, even in commercial prosperity, continued to be that of "a wild man" (Genesis 16:12). The Nabathaeans are the Beni Nabat of Mohammedan writers; and in the Arabic town of Nabt, or Nabte, on the coast, about thirty miles south of Hauran, may perhaps be found another vestige of the descendants of Nebajoth.
Kedar - dark skin (Gesenius), the second son of Ishmael, and founder of a large tribe located in the northeast of the peninsula, and near the eastern confines of Palestine. The Arabian tradition is, that the second son of Ishmael originally settled in Hejjas (Isaiah 52:11-12), but no trace of his name is to be found there now-a circumstance, however, not very wonderful, as Arab tribes, besides their proper Gentile name, often assume that of their sheikh, or are designated from some special circumstances. Foster finds Kedar in the Arabic town El Khedeyre, on the coast of Hejjas.
Adbeel - miracle of God (Gesenius) [Septuagint, Nabdeeel] - Abdilla, the name of a tribe and district in Yemen.
Mibsam - [Septuagint, .]