And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee, &c, Took notice of his prayer for him, and accepted of and would answer him, and did, as follows:behold, I have blessed him; determined in his mind to bless him, promised to bless him, Ge 16:10; had blessings laid up and in reserve for him:and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; as he did, many of the Arabian nations, the Hagarenes, Saracens, and Turks, all springing from him:twelve princes shall he beget; whose names are given, Ge 25:13; and their number there exactly agrees with this prophecy.
Melo , the Heathen writer above mentioned, says, that Abraham, of his other wife, the Egyptian servant (that is, Hagar), begat twelve sons, which he mistakes for twelve sons of Ishmael, his son by Hagar; and, adds he, these going into Arabia, divided the country among them, and were the first that reigned over the inhabitants of it; hence down to our times the kings of the Arabians have twelve names like to those.
So the Saracens were divided into twelve tribes, of which there were so many "phylarchi", or governors; and the Turks also are divided into the same number of tribes . AndI will make him a great nation; as the nation of the Turks especially is; and the Turkish empire is frequently called in Jewish writings the kingdom of Ishmael, as the Arabic language is called the Ishmaelitish language.
Apud. Euseb. ut supra. (Evangel. Praepar. l. 9. c. 19. p. 421.) Vid. Vales. Not. in Ammian. Marcellin. l. 24. p.