Paran

Paran is the name of a desert south of Beersheba in the land of Canaan (now Israel ). It was in the direction of today's Negev and, according to the Bible (Gen 21: 8-21), was the place of refuge for Hagar and Ishmael .

According to this portrayal, Hagar was an Egyptian and the maid of Sarah , the chief wife of Abraham and archmother of the people of Israel. Abraham fathered her son Ishmael before his half-brother Isaac , the son of Sarah. Accordingly, Ishmael would have had the right of inheritance as the firstborn. But Hagar and Ishmael were driven into this desert at the request of Sarah, who wanted to get rid of her son's competitor. When Hagar could no longer protect Ishmael from dying of thirst, she gave up on him and herself. But in doing so she experienced God's wonderful salvation and unexpectedly found a water well. Like Abraham before, she received the promise of numerous offspring. Ishmael is said to have become a good archer who stayed in the Paran desert and married an Egyptian woman.

This biblical story plays an important role in the Middle East conflict between Israelis and Palestinians , as Arabs trace back to Ishmael and Jews to Isaac. Abraham is considered to be their common ancestor .

Paran

See also