Movatterモバイル変換

Genesis 36:2,5,13
Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; …

the daughter.

Genesis 24:3
And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

Exodus 34:16
And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

1 Corinthians 7:2
Nevertheless,to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

Bashemath.

Genesis 36:2
Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

he took as his wives
Polygamy was a common practice in the ancient Near East, including among the patriarchs. However, it often led to familial strife, as seen in the lives of Abraham, Jacob, and others. Esau's choice to take multiple wives reflects the customs of his time but also foreshadows potential discord, as later events in Genesis reveal.

Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite
The Hittites were a significant group in the land of Canaan, known for their advanced culture and influence. Marrying a Hittite woman indicates Esau's integration into the local Canaanite society, which was contrary to the desires of his parents, Isaac and Rebekah, who preferred marriages within their own kin to preserve the covenantal line. This decision highlights Esau's disregard for the spiritual heritage of his family.

and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite
The repetition of Esau marrying another Hittite woman underscores his departure from the covenantal expectations. The name Basemath, meaning "fragrance" or "perfume," might suggest her attractiveness or social standing. This choice further alienates Esau from his family's values and foreshadows the tension between Esau and his parents, as well as the eventual separation of his descendants from the covenantal promises given to Abraham and Isaac.

• The phrasing “When Esau was forty years old” signals a deliberate life-stage marker. At forty, Isaac had taken Rebekah as wife (Genesis 25:20), so Esau is consciously mirroring his father’s timeline—but not his father’s faith.

• Forty in Scripture often marks completion or testing (e.g.,Genesis 7:4;Exodus 24:18). Esau’s test is whether he will honor the covenant line; his choice reveals his heart (Hebrews 12:16-17).

• His age also means full personal responsibility; he is no impulsive youth. The grief his marriage choices cause (Genesis 26:35) cannot be blamed on immaturity.

• The verb “took” underscores Esau’s initiative; he acts without seeking Isaac and Rebekah’s counsel, unlike Abraham’s careful arrangement for Isaac (Genesis 24:3-4).

• By taking two wives he embraces early polygamy, a practice first modeled by Lamech (Genesis 4:19) and always portrayed as complicating family dynamics (Genesis 30;1 Samuel 1).

• Esau’s disregard for spiritual compatibility foreshadows Israel’s later warnings: “You must not intermarry with them… for they will turn your sons away” (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). His later attempt to “fix” the problem by marrying an Ishmaelite (Genesis 28:6-9) shows he eventually realizes his error but misunderstands its root.

• The Hittites are Canaanites, people God would later command Israel to dispossess (Genesis 15:18-21;Deuteronomy 20:17). Abraham had refused a Canaanite bride for Isaac (Genesis 24:3-4), highlighting Esau’s spiritual insensitivity.

• Judith’s name appears only here and inGenesis 26:35, where both wives are called “a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.” Their influence likely promotes idolatry, echoing later patterns such as Solomon’s foreign wives turning his heart (1 Kings 11:1-4).

• The mention of her father “Beeri” roots the narrative in real history and underscores that this union binds Esau to Hittite clan alliances rather than covenant promises.

• A second Hittite wife compounds the problem—Esau isn’t merely careless; he is consistent. Two witnesses confirm the seriousness (Deuteronomy 19:15).

• Esau’s line will be fully absorbed into Edom (Genesis 36:2), contrasting sharply with Jacob’s line, which remains within the covenant community (Genesis 28:13-15).

• The repetition of “Hittite” stresses ethnic and spiritual incompatibility. Isaac and Rebekah’s later lament—“If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth… what good will my life be to me?” (Genesis 27:46)—springs directly from Esau’s precedent.

Esau, at a mature and accountable age, chooses multiple wives from the pagan Hittites, ignoring the covenant priorities modeled by his grandfather Abraham and father Isaac. His marriages reveal a heart indifferent to spiritual lineage, set in contrast to God’s unfolding plan through Jacob. The verse introduces a pattern that brings immediate grief to his parents and long-term divergence between the lines of promise and unbelief.

(34)Esau was forty years old.--He was there fore of exactly the same age as Isaac was when, sixty years before, he married Rebekah. But by thus inter marrying with idolaters Esau violated the great principle laid down by Abraham (Genesis 24:3), forfeited thereby his birthright, and, as such marriages were illegal, is even called a fornicator inHebrews 12:16. As his conduct was regarded by his parents with "grief of mind"--Heb.,bitterness of spirit:that is, with mingled anger and sorrow--Esau partially repented, and took as a third wife a daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9). In theToldoth Esau(Genesis 36:2-3) the names are different, and a fourth wife, of the inhabitants of Seir, takes the place of Judith.

Judith.--The names are remarkable, as showing that the Hittites spoke a Semitic tongue. Judith is the feminine form of Judah, and meanspraised.Beeri can scarcely be the original name of her father, as it meanswell-finder,but was probably gained by his skill in discovering water. We find it, however, in the genealogy of Hosea (Hosea 1:1). Bashemath or Basmath, thefragrant,was the name also of a daughter of Solomon (1 King 4:15); and Elon,oak-grove,was the name of a judge (Judges 12:11). . . .