וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֶל־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים ל֥וּ יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל יִחְיֶ֥ה לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃
און אבֿרהם האָט געזאָגט צו גאָט: הלװאַי זאָל יִשמָעֵאל לעבן פֿאַר דיר!
The Midrash of Philo
Why did Abraham say to God, O may this my son Ishmael live before thee? (Genesis 17:18).-
On the Change of Names
[201] So when he understood the promise and spoke “according to his mind” these words, so full of reverence and pious awe, the man of worth was moved by a twofold feeling, faith towards God, distrust of the creature. It is natural then that he should pray in these words, “Let this Ishmael live before thee” (Gen. 17:18), and each of the phrases here included, namely, “this,” “live,” “before Thee,” are applied by him appropriately. I say appropriately because many are deceived by the application of the same terms to denote different things.