Genesis 26:34-35
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Esau chose wives from the Hittites, who were Canaanites, a people explicitly warned against by God's promises to Abraham. This choice, made when he was the same age as Isaac when Isaac married Rebekah, immediately sets Esau apart from the covenant lineage and foreshadows his rejection.
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)
This verse marks a significant moment for Esau, happening right after Isaac has experienced God's blessing and covenant faithfulness in Gerar. While Isaac is solidifying his relationship with the Philistines and securing his wells, Esau, at forty, chooses to marry two Hittite women. This decision directly contrasts with the family's lineage and God's promises, setting up future conflict and sorrow for Isaac and Rebekah.
Esau was nearing middle age, a pivotal time for establishing his legacy. But the path he chose for marriage led him away from his family's heritage.
A Deliberate Departure
Esau, at forty years old, chose wives from the Hittites. These were Canaanites, the very people Abraham had strictly warned his descendants to avoid.
Marriage is often a time of joy for families. But for Isaac and Rebekah, Esau's choices brought deep sorrow and alienation.
The Pain of Disobedience
Esau's marriages weren't just a personal choice; they had a profound emotional impact on his parents, Isaac and Rebekah.
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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 choice to marry Canaanite women, specifically Hittites, at age forty was a direct violation of his grandfather Abraham's charge and a significant departure from the family's commitment to God's covenant people, causing deep distress to his parents.
~1800 BC
Abraham in Canaan
Abraham, Esau's grandfather, lived in Canaan and was instructed by God to separate his lineage from the local Canaanites, exemplified by his charge concerning Isaac's wife.
~1760 BC
Isaac and Rebekah marry
Isaac married Rebekah, who was from Abraham's extended family, not a Canaanite, at the age of forty.
~1720 BC
Isaac's Sojourn in Gerar
During a famine, Isaac sojourned in Gerar and encountered Abimelech, king of the Philistines, mirroring his father's earlier experiences.
c. 1720 BC— this verse
Esau marries Hittite women
At the age of forty, Esau married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite, both Canaanites.
~1715 BC
Jacob receives the patriarchal blessing
Jacob, through deception, received the patriarchal blessing intended for Esau, leading to further estrangement between the brothers.
~1715 BC
Esau's later marriages and lineage
Esau later married Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, and other wives, and his lineage (Edom) is detailed in Genesis 36.
This passage directly contrasts Esau's choices with Jacob's, highlighting that Esau's marriages to Canaanite women were seen as displeasing and a departure from the covenant lineage.
Deuteronomy 7:3-4This law given later to Israel explicitly forbids intermarriage with the surrounding nations, including the Hittites, showing that Esau's choice was a direct violation of God's future commands for His people.
Genesis 24:3-4This passage shows Abraham's strong instruction to his servant *not* to take a wife for Isaac from the daughters of Canaan, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the purity of the covenant line which Esau disregarded.
Hebrews 12:16This New Testament passage directly refers to Esau as a 'godless' or 'immoral' person who sold his birthright, framing his life choices, including his marriages, as indicative of a deep spiritual disregard.
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.
Esau chose wives from the Hittites, who were Canaanites, a people explicitly warned against by God's promises to Abraham. This choice, made when he was the same age as Isaac when Isaac married Rebekah, immediately sets Esau apart from the covenant lineage and foreshadows his rejection.
This verse marks a significant moment for Esau, happening right after Isaac has experienced God's blessing and covenant faithfulness in Gerar. While Isaac is solidifying his relationship with the Philistines and securing his wells, Esau, at forty, chooses to marry two Hittite women. This decision directly contrasts with the family's lineage and God's promises, setting up future conflict and sorrow for Isaac and Rebekah.
This verse marks a significant moment for Esau, happening right after Isaac has experienced God's blessing and covenant faithfulness in Gerar. While Isaac is solidifying his relationship with the Philistines and securing his wells, Esau, at forty, chooses to marry two Hittite women. This decision directly contrasts with the family's lineage and God's promises, setting up future conflict and sorrow for Isaac and Rebekah.
"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." — Esau chose wives from the Hittites, who were Canaanites, a people explicitly warned against by God's promises to Abraham. This choice, made when he was the same age as Isaac when Isaac married Rebeka…
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Last reviewed October 2026
