The Son of Ishmael and Desert Chieftain
The first individual named Mishma was the fifth son of Ishmael, making him a grandson of Abraham through Hagar.
He is introduced in the patriarchal records of Genesis during the mapping of the non-covenant lines stemming from Abraham’s household. Genesis 25:13–14 documents his place among his brethren: “And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations… And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa.” This exact lineage is repeated in 1 Chronicles 1:30.
Mishma became the founding patriarch of a distinct Arabian clan. In accordance with the divine promise given to Abraham that Ishmael would father twelve princes and develop into a great nation (Genesis 17:20), Mishma’s descendants established fortified settlements and nomadic camps across the arid frontiers east of Israel. Genesis 25:16 concludes their profile: “These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.”
The Simeonit Patriarch of the Royal Lineage
The second individual named Mishma belonged to the covenant line within the tribe of Simeon, the second son of Jacob.
His lineage is preserved in the detailed tribal registers of 1 Chronicles 4. Mishma was the son of Mibsam and the father of Hamuel.
The King James Version traces his direct line in 1 Chronicles 4:25–26: “Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. And the sons of Mishma; Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, Shimei his son.”
Though no individual exploits are recorded for this Mishma, his placement in the genealogy carries immense structural importance for the tribe of Simeon. The text notes that while many families within Simeon did not multiply like the children of Judah, Mishma’s immediate descendants broke that trend. His grandson Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, providing a massive surge of physical numbers that allowed the clan to launch successful military expeditions. They reclaimed pasturelands, destroyed the remnants of the Amalekites, and secured the southern borders of Israel’s inheritance until the reign of King David. Mishma served as the vital ancestral link that made this tribal preservation possible.