Genesis 26:34-35
When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights Esau's deliberate choice to marry Hittite women, a people God had warned Isaac's family to avoid. This union, taken at the same age Isaac married Rebekah, underscores Esau's divergence from the covenant promises, signaling his spiritual separation from the lineage of faith.
This verse marks Esau's first marriages, occurring just after Isaac and Rebekah had experienced God's blessing and confirmation of their covenant promises. These unions with Hittite women, who were part of the cursed Canaanite nations, immediately cause grief and distress to Isaac and Rebekah, highlighting Esau's disregard for the covenant lineage.
Esau was forty, the same age his father Isaac was when he married. But unlike Isaac's choice, Esau's marriages were to women from the very land his family was meant to be separate from.
Esau's decision to marry Hittite women (Judith and Basemath) stands in stark contrast to the instructions given to Abraham and his descendants. The Hittites were part of the Canaanite population, a people God had designated for judgment and separation.
These marriages weren't just a personal choice for Esau; they had a profound emotional impact on his parents, Isaac and Rebekah.
The verse explicitly states that Esau's marriages were 'a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.' This wasn't just mild disapproval; it was a deep sorrow.
Understand the original words
chitti · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
An inhabitant of the land of Heth (Canaan). In the patriarchal narratives, the Hittites represent the surrounding pagan culture with which God’s people were forbidden to intermarry to preserve their spiritual and covenantal distinctness.
marah · Hebrew Adjective
Causing grief, sorrow, or vexation. It describes a state of deep emotional distress or spiritual pain caused by the actions or character of others within a family or community.
Esau's marriages to Hittite women at age forty highlight a significant departure from the covenant path established by Abraham and Isaac. These unions with the indigenous people of Canaan, whom God had designated for eventual displacement, directly contrasted with the careful instructions given to Isaac and the example set by his own marriage to Rebekah. This choice caused deep distress to Isaac and Rebekah, foreshadowing Esau's eventual rejection from the line of covenant inheritance.
c. 2000 BC
Hittite Expansion into Canaan
Hittite groups, originating from Anatolia, began migrating and settling in Canaan, establishing a presence alongside other Canaanite peoples.
~1800 BC
Abraham's Sojourn in Canaan
Abraham, a key patriarch of the Israelites, lived in Canaan and received promises from God concerning the land and his descendants. He was warned against his descendants intermarrying with the local Canaanite peoples, including the Hittites.
~1770 BC
Isaac Born
Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah, was born, destined to carry on the covenant promises made to Abraham.
~1740 BC
Isaac Marries Rebekah
Isaac married Rebekah, a woman from Abraham's extended family, not from the Canaanite population, following Abraham's specific instructions.
This passage directly contrasts Esau's choices with Jacob's, highlighting that Esau's marriages to Canaanite women were not just a personal preference but a rejection of the covenant path his family was on, showing the negative spiritual consequences of such unions.
Exodus 34:15-16This passage warns against making covenants and intermarrying with the inhabitants of the land, echoing the concern for Isaac and Rebekah regarding Esau's marriage to Hittite women, and showing the broader implications for Israel's spiritual purity.
Deuteronomy 7:3-4This law further clarifies why Esau's marriages were problematic, as it strictly forbids intermarriage with surrounding nations for fear of them turning the Israelites' hearts away from God, a concern that clearly troubled Isaac and Rebekah.
Genesis 24:3-4This earlier passage reveals Abraham's explicit instructions to his servant *not* to take a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites, setting a clear precedent and highlighting how Esau's actions directly defied his grandfather's deeply held convictions and God's plan.
clarkeGenesis 26:34: "And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:"
He took to wife - the daughter, etc. - It is very likely that the wives taken by Esau were daughters of chiefs among the Hittites, and by this union he sought to increase and strengthen his secular power and influence.
ellicottGenesis 26:34: "And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:"
ESAU’S MARRIAGE WITH CANAANITISH WOMEN.
This verse highlights Esau's deliberate choice to marry Hittite women, a people God had warned Isaac's family to avoid. This union, taken at the same age Isaac married Rebekah, underscores Esau's divergence from the covenant promises, signaling his spiritual separation from the lineage of faith.
This verse marks Esau's first marriages, occurring just after Isaac and Rebekah had experienced God's blessing and confirmation of their covenant promises. These unions with Hittite women, who were part of the cursed Canaanite nations, immediately cause grief and distress to Isaac and Rebekah, highlighting Esau's disregard for the covenant lineage.
This verse marks Esau's first marriages, occurring just after Isaac and Rebekah had experienced God's blessing and confirmation of their covenant promises. These unions with Hittite women, who were part of the cursed Canaanite nations, immediately cause grief and distress to Isaac and Rebekah, highlighting Esau's disregard for the covenant lineage.
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c. 1724 BC
Esau and Jacob Born
Esau and Jacob, twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah, were born. Esau was the elder and thus initially heir to the patriarchal promises.
~1684 BC— this verse
Esau Sells His Birthright
When forty years old, Esau, in a moment of recklessness, sold his birthright to his brother Jacob for a meal, forfeiting his primary claim to the patriarchal blessing.
~1670 BC
Isaac Deceives Abimelech
During a famine, Isaac sojourned in Gerar and, fearing for his life, falsely claimed his wife Rebekah was his sister, mirroring an earlier event with his father Abraham. This led to a confrontation with the king.
"When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah." — This verse highlights Esau's deliberate choice to marry Hittite women, a people God had warned Isaac's family to avoid. This union, taken at the same age Isaac married Rebekah, underscores Esau's div…
