Beneath the surface, however, the sages heard a counter-narrative telling the opposite story: the birth of Isaac does not displace Ishmael. To be sure, he will have a different destiny. But he too is a beloved son of Abraham, blessed by his father and by God. He becomes a great nation. God is ‘with him’ as he grows up. God stays with him to ensure that his children flourish and become ‘twelve rulers’.
