Ishmael

Ishmael is listed among the priests who had married foreign women during the time of Ezra (Ezra 10:22). After the Babylonian exile, when the Israelites returned to Jerusalem, Ezra discovered that many of the people, including priests and Levites, had intermarried with the pagan peoples of the land (Ezra 9:1-2). Deeply grieved by this unfaithfulness, Ezra prayed and confessed the sins of the people (Ezra 9:3-15). The Israelites then made a covenant to put away their foreign wives and children (Ezra 10:3). Ishmael is mentioned among the priests who had taken foreign wives (Ezra 10:22). He, along with the others, pledged to send away his foreign wife as part of the reforms Ezra instituted to restore obedience to God's law. The text does not provide any other details about Ishmael's background or specific circumstances. His inclusion in this list highlights the widespread nature of the problem of intermarriage and the need for repentance and restoration among the religious leaders of Israel.