Genesis 28:9
Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Esau's choice to marry Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter, isn't just about finding a wife; it's a clumsy attempt to align himself with his grandfather Abraham's lineage, showing he understood the importance of his heritage, even if his methods were misguided and driven by a desire to regain favor rather than genuine spiritual seeking.
After Jacob receives his father Isaac's blessing and a charge to marry within their extended family, Esau, seeing Jacob sent away to find a wife, realizes his own previous marriages to Canaanite women displeased his parents. In an attempt to gain favor and perhaps a better blessing, Esau goes to the family of his uncle Ishmael and takes Mahalath as his third wife, adding her to his existing wives.
Esau saw Jacob blessed and sent away to find a wife from a specific family. He decided to act too, but was his motivation truly pleasing to God?
Esau's decision to marry Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, reveals a heart more concerned with appeasing his parents and securing favor than with truly obeying God's deeper purposes.
A Superficial Fix
Esau looked for a wife among Abraham's descendants, but chose a line that was set aside from God's primary covenant promise. What does this reveal about his spiritual discernment?
While Ishmael was a son of Abraham, his line was distinct from the covenant lineage that God had chosen through Isaac. Esau's choice to marry into Ishmael's family, even though it was Abraham's lineage, shows a lack of understanding or disregard for the specific path God had laid out.
The Covenantal Line
Esau's marriage to Mahalath highlights his attempt to align himself with the patriarchal family line through Abraham's descendants, contrasting sharply with Jacob's divinely ordained path and the true covenant lineage.
c. 1898 BC
Abraham's death
Abraham, the grandfather of Esau and Jacob, dies. His sons Ishmael and Isaac are present at his burial, signifying their continued, albeit distinct, presence in the patriarchal lineage.
c. 1885 BC
Isaac's blessing to Jacob
Isaac, believing he is near death, blesses Jacob, bestowing upon him the covenant promises intended for the firstborn son. This act is done deceitfully by Jacob and Rebekah.
c. 1878 BC
Esau learns of Jacob's deception
Upon discovering Jacob has received the patriarchal blessing, Esau is consumed with grief and rage. Isaac, realizing his error, blesses Esau but with a lesser blessing, indicating his service would be fulfilled through Jacob.
c. 1877 BC
Jacob flees to Haran
Rebekah, fearing Esau's wrath, sends Jacob to Padan-aram to her brother Laban's house to find a wife. This marks Jacob's departure from his homeland and the beginning of his exile.
This passage highlights Esau's initial marriages to Canaanite women, which deeply displeased his parents. Genesis 28:9 shows Esau's attempt to rectify this by marrying into Abraham's lineage, but still within Ishmael's line, suggesting a continued pattern of seeking favor without fully understanding God's covenant.
Genesis 36:2-3This verse identifies Mahalath as Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth, confirming the lineage Esau married into. It underscores the complexity of family lines and the choices made within them, paralleling Jacob's chosen marriage to Rebekah's kin.
Deuteronomy 7:1-4This passage explicitly commands Israel not to intermarry with the Canaanite nations, emphasizing the danger of religious and cultural assimilation. Esau's marriage choices, including this one to Ishmael's daughter (though not Canaanite, still not Abraham's direct line for the covenant), contrast sharply with this divine directive for maintaining covenant purity.
Romans 9:6-13Paul uses the contrasting stories of Jacob and Esau to illustrate God's sovereign choice. Esau's actions, including his marriages, are presented as examples of those who, despite physical descent from Abraham, were not part of God's chosen line for the covenant promises, highlighting the spiritual distinction over ethnic lineage.
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…
cambridgeGenesis 28:9: "Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife."
9 . unto the wives ] i.e. in addition to Judith and Basemath ( Genesis 26:34 ). Mahalath … the sister of Nebaioth ] Nebaioth was the firstborn son of Ishmael ( Genesis 25:13 ). In Genesis 36:3 , the name of Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth, appears as Basemath. Here she is called Mahalath; while Basemath, in Genesis 26:34…
Esau's choice to marry Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter, isn't just about finding a wife; it's a clumsy attempt to align himself with his grandfather Abraham's lineage, showing he understood the importance of his heritage, even if his methods were misguided and driven by a desire to regain favor rather than genuine spiritual seeking.
After Jacob receives his father Isaac's blessing and a charge to marry within their extended family, Esau, seeing Jacob sent away to find a wife, realizes his own previous marriages to Canaanite women displeased his parents. In an attempt to gain favor and perhaps a better blessing, Esau goes to the family of his uncle Ishmael and takes Mahalath as his third wife, adding her to his existing wives.
After Jacob receives his father Isaac's blessing and a charge to marry within their extended family, Esau, seeing Jacob sent away to find a wife, realizes his own previous marriages to Canaanite women displeased his parents. In an attempt to gain favor and perhaps a better blessing, Esau goes to the family of his uncle Ishmael and takes Mahalath as his third wife, adding her to his existing wives.
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c. 1877 BC— this verse
Esau marries Mahalath
Seeking to please his father Isaac and perhaps regain favor, Esau marries Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael and granddaughter of Abraham. This is in addition to his previous wives, who were Canaanites.
c. 1877 BC
Jacob's dream at Bethel
While fleeing to Haran, Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending. God appears to him, reaffirming the covenant promises made to Abraham and Isaac and assuring Jacob of His presence and protection.
"Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth." — Esau's choice to marry Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter, isn't just about finding a wife; it's a clumsy attempt to align himself with his grandfather Abraham's lineage, showing he understood the importan…
