Genesis 25:17
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
Genesis 25:17 records that Ishmael lived 137 years, died, and was gathered to his people. The phrase about giving up the ghost means that he died or expired, and being gathered to his people means leaving the living and being numbered among the silent dead. The verse stands in a chapter of genealogies, which also records Abraham's death, the probable last meeting of Isaac and Ishmael, and the characters of Esau and Jacob.
It is part of the account of providential dealings with Abraham's family, the chosen line through which the promised Seed would come. It belongs to the continuing story of Abraham and his family, showing gradual development of faith and carrying forward to Isaac and his two sons in their defects and finally to Jacob's victory by which he became Israel, prevailer with God. The surrounding passage identifies Ishmael's descendants, with his twelve sons each becoming the head of a tribe, settled across the region from Havilah to Shur.
Descendants of the oldest son united with the Edomites in building up the Idumean kingdom and its marvelous rock-hewn capital city Petra, while other Ishmaelites also lived a settled life but the great majority were nomads with encampments or movable villages of tents found in all the desert region from the Euphrates westward, doing a large carrying trade across the desert and ravaging and plundering whenever opportunity presented itself. The surrounding genealogy identifies Ishmael as Abraham's son and ancestor, supporting the stated descent of the Abyssinians from Abraham through Ishmael. The 137-year lifespan shows that the 120 years in Genesis 6:3 did not set the maximum length of human life, since people in Noah's later generations, including Ishmael, lived far longer.