The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

SYREN Ishmael and Esau in Jubilees and Targum Ps.-J. 311
Abraham's blessing in Jubilees 20 comes as a supplement to
Gen. 17.20 and 25.5-6. The recipients of the blessing are all his
children with their families and descendants. None of them is singled
out in any special way; all three are addressed under a collective
'you'. They are commanded to guard the way of the Lord, to act
justly toward their neighbour, and to fulfil the prescript of circumcision.
They are also warned against all sorts of pollution and wrongdoings.
In Jubilees 22 Ishmael returns to his father's house and celebrates
the Feast of Weeks. He is joyfully received by Abraham and Isaac.
Later in the same passage, Abraham prays that his sons (in the plural)
become 'an elect people for you' and 'an inheritance' from all the
nations of the earth.
Thus, the two passages (Jub. 20.1-10, and 22.1-9; cf. also 17.2)
integrate all sons of Abraham into one group. Ishmael is not separated
from the others. 3 The posture of Jubilees in these sections accordingly
seems to be to treat Ishmael and Isaac together, not separately, and on
an equal footing. I do not, however, subscribe to D. Mendels' appreciation
of Jubilees as projecting 'an extremely positive view' of
Ishmael. 4 A 'positive' projection would have to be deduced from
Jubilees e silentio only, as when it omits the whole passage of Hagar's
eviction from Sarah in Gen. 16.7-14. It is true that there is no conflict
between Hagar/Ishmael and Sarah until 17.4-5 (based on Genesis 21,
i.e., after Ishmael's birth) and that Ishmael is called 'son' of Abraham
and 'brother' of Isaac (22.4), but that does not go beyond the Hebrew
Bible itself. Actually, these are the only epithets of Ishmael, appreciative
or otherwise, in the whole Jubilees section covering his lifespan
(chs. 14-15). This fact should warn against any far-reaching conclusions.
Furthermore, Jubilees in other passages does attest to a more
censorious and segregative attitude, as in 15.30-32, rendering Genesis
17 (on circumcision). There Ishmael is put on a level with Esau, and a
line is drawn between them and Israel: 5
3. Except in Jub.20.11-12, which follow the biblical text more closely. In 23.6
Ishmael (who was apparently never absent) learns about Abraham's death and
mourns him together with his brothers and children.
4. Mendels, Land of Israel, p. 150. In a similar vein, M. Ghana, 'La polemique
jude"o-islamique et I'image d'Ismael dans Targum Pseudo-Jonathan...',
Augustinianum 15 (1975), p. 371.
5. Cf. Mendels, Land of Israel, pp. 73, 82, 150.