So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Esau's decision to marry a daughter of Ishmael reveals his superficial understanding of God's covenant; he wrongly assumes that merely marrying into Abraham's lineage, even one God had set aside, would suffice, failing to grasp that true favor stemmed from God's specific, chosen line. This highlights a common human tendency to seek external religious conformity rather than genuine spiritual transformation to appease divine displeasure.
So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Esau realizes his Canaanite wives are a major offense to his father, Isaac. Seeing Isaac bless and send Jacob away to find a wife from their relatives, Esau decides to marry again, this time taking a daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, into his collection of wives. This action, while seemingly an attempt to please Isaac, highlights Esau's continued spiritual blindness.
Esau's choice of a new wife seems like a good idea on the surface. But what was his real motivation?
The text tells us that Esau's decision to marry Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter, was a direct response to seeing that his father Isaac was displeased with the Canaanite women.
Esau tried to solve a problem, but did his solution honor the divine promises?
Esau's marriage to Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, reveals a critical misunderstanding of spiritual inheritance and God's covenant.
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Understand the original words
ra'a' · Hebrew Verb
A term used in a moral or religious sense to describe that which is acceptable, good, or pleasing in the sight of God or His authorized representative.
Esau's decision to marry Canaanite women, which displeased his father Isaac, reveals his disregard for the covenant lineage and God's chosen path, contrasting sharply with Jacob's subsequent obedience and the divine affirmation he received.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham leaves Ur
Abraham, the progenitor of Isaac and Jacob, is called by God to leave his homeland in Ur of the Chaldeans and journey to the land of Canaan.
c. 1750 BC
Isaac marries Rebekah
Rebekah is brought from Mesopotamia to marry Isaac, a member of Abraham's lineage chosen by God, highlighting the importance of their lineage and chosen status.
c. 1720 BC— this verse
Esau marries Canaanite women
Esau, Isaac's son, marries two Canaanite women, which is a source of deep grief and displeasure to both Isaac and Rebekah due to their cultural and religious differences.
c. 1720 BC
Isaac blesses Jacob
Isaac, deceived by Jacob and Rebekah, bestows the patriarchal blessing and the covenant promises upon Jacob, charging him not to marry a Canaanite woman.
c. 1720 BC
Jacob flees to Haran
Jacob leaves Beersheba to travel to Padan-aram (Haran) to find a wife among his mother Rebekah's relatives, escaping Esau's wrath and obeying his father's charge.
c. 1720 BC
Jacob's dream at Bethel
While fleeing, Jacob has a profound dream of a ladder connecting earth and heaven, where God reaffirms the covenant promises to him.
c. 1713 BC
Esau marries Ishmael's daughter
In an attempt to appease his parents, Esau takes a wife from the lineage of Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar, but this union still displeases Isaac.
This passage directly sets up the problem Esau faces here, showing his parents' deep dissatisfaction with his previous marriage choices which Esau now observes.
Genesis 36:2-3This verse confirms Esau's later actions, showing he *did* indeed marry a daughter of Ishmael, attempting to appease his parents, but ultimately continuing a pattern of mixed marriages.
Deuteronomy 7:3-4This passage from the Law explains the underlying principle of why Isaac was concerned about Esau's wives; intermarriage with surrounding nations was forbidden to maintain the purity of Israel's faith.
2 Corinthians 6:14Paul echoes this principle of caution against unequal yokes, warning believers not to be yoked together with unbelievers, mirroring Isaac's concern for his son's spiritual well-being.
calvinGenesis 28:1-22: "And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan."
When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
Et vidit Esau quod benedixisset Ishac Iahacob, et misisset eum in Padan Aram, ut caperet sibi inde uxorem: et benedicendo…
gillGenesis 28:8: "And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;"
And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father. Who he perceived was displeased with the daughters of Canaan, or that they were "evil in his eyes" (i), offensive to him, and disapproved of by him, because of their ill manners: Rebekah is not mentioned, whose displeasure he cared not for. (i) "malae in oculis", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Schmidt.
Esau's decision to marry a daughter of Ishmael reveals his superficial understanding of God's covenant; he wrongly assumes that merely marrying into Abraham's lineage, even one God had set aside, would suffice, failing to grasp that true favor stemmed from God's specific, chosen line. This highlights a common human tendency to seek external religious conformity rather than genuine spiritual transformation to appease divine displeasure.
Esau realizes his Canaanite wives are a major offense to his father, Isaac. Seeing Isaac bless and send Jacob away to find a wife from their relatives, Esau decides to marry again, this time taking a daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, into his collection of wives. This action, while seemingly an attempt to please Isaac, highlights Esau's continued spiritual blindness.
Esau realizes his Canaanite wives are a major offense to his father, Isaac. Seeing Isaac bless and send Jacob away to find a wife from their relatives, Esau decides to marry again, this time taking a daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, into his collection of wives. This action, while seemingly an attempt to please Isaac, highlights Esau's continued spiritual blindness.
"So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father," — Esau's decision to marry a daughter of Ishmael reveals his superficial understanding of God's covenant; he wrongly assumes that merely marrying into Abraham's lineage, even one God had set aside, wou…
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Last reviewed October 2026