First names in Hebrew

First name Ishmael: meaning, origin and its Hebrew spelling

ישמעאל

Gematria value: 451

Its spelling

In Hebrew, Ishmael is written ישמעאל

Ishmael is the English form of Yishmael, ישמעאל in Hebrew.

Meaning and origin

What does Ishmael mean?

Meaning: "God hears"
Origin: Hebrew

Ishmael comes from the Hebrew Yishmael, "God hears". It is the name the angel gives to Hagar's child before his birth: "you shall call him Ishmael, for God has heard your distress" (Genesis 16:11).

Gematria

Ishmael = 451

In Hebrew, every letter is also a number. Added together, the letters of the name give its value: this is gematria. ישמעאל has 6 letters:

• יthe letter Yod10
• שthe letter Shin300
• מthe letter Mem40
• עthe letter Ayin70
• אthe letter Aleph1
• לthe letter Lamed30
• Total451

The verse of the name

From the letter Yod to the letter Lamed

An ancient custom gives each person a verse: the one that begins with the first letter of their name and ends with the last. For Ishmael, from י to ל:

יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן־נוּן הָעֹמֵד לְפָנֶיךָ הוּא יָבֹא שָׁמָּה אֹתוֹ חַזֵּק כִּי־הוּא יַנְחִלֶנָּה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

“Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there. Strengthen him, for he will give it to Israel as an inheritance.”

Deuteronomy 1:38

The book of your first name

Ishmael, in nine pages

• Ishmael, in Hebrew
• Letter by letter
• The number of your name
• The verse of your name
• The portrait of Ishmael
• Ishmael, day to day
• What tradition says about names
• The sources

Frequently asked

Ishmael in three answers

How do you write Ishmael in Hebrew?
In Hebrew, Ishmael is written ישמעאל. Ishmael is the English form of Yishmael, ישמעאל in Hebrew.

What is the gematria value of Ishmael?
Written ישמעאל, Ishmael is worth 451: the letter Yod (10) + the letter Shin (300) + the letter Mem (40) + the letter Ayin (70) + the letter Aleph (1) + the letter Lamed (30).

What does Ishmael mean?
God hears (origin: Hebrew). Ishmael comes from the Hebrew Yishmael, "God hears". It is the name the angel gives to Hagar's child before his birth: "you shall call him Ishmael, for God has heard your distress" (Genesis 16:11).