Why is there conflict between Jews and Arabs? Does it go back to the Bible?
The tension traces to Abraham's two sons, Ishmael (father of many Arab peoples) and Isaac (father of Israel), and God's promise given through Isaac (Gen 21:12). Scripture records the enmity early: Ishmael "will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man" (Gen 16:12).
What the text states
Abraham had Ishmael by Hagar and Isaac by Sarah, and God confirmed the covenant line through Isaac (Gen 17:19-21, 21:12), though He also blessed Ishmael (21:13). The angel foretold Ishmael's contentious future (Gen 16:12). Much of the long conflict is rooted here, in the question of the promise and the land, and Scripture holds a future for both: Israel restored to her Messiah (Rom 11), and Gentiles of every nation, including Ishmael's descendants, welcomed through the gospel. The gospel is for the son of the bondwoman and the son of the free alike.
Go deeper
Checked 2026-09-29 by Darren. 62 Scripture citations verified against the KJV rows. Wave 5. 62 quoted fragments table-passed against the verses table, splitting at every ellipsis. FOUR CORRECTIONS, each to the KJV row: Acts 4:12 "in none other" is not contiguous, replaced with "none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved"; Deut 1:39 "have no knowledge" corrected to "had no knowledge"; Eph 3:2 "dispensation of grace" corrected to "dispensation of the grace of God"; Rom 11:23 "shall be graffed in again" corrected to "shall be graffed in" (the KJV runs "shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again").