Genesis 26:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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,

NIV: When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

NASB: When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;

CSB: When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hethite.

NLT: At the age of forty, Esau married two Hittite wives: Judith, the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon.

KJV: 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:

NKJV: When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

This verse marks a sudden and possibly confusing change of subject. The story jumps suddenly forward to Esau at the age of 40. It is possible, if not likely, that everything up to this point in the chapter, including all of Isaac's dealings with the Philistines in Gerar, took place before Jacob and Esau were born. This is entirely plausible, since Isaac and Rebekah were childless for the first 20 years of their marriage (Genesis 25:20; 25:26). And, very early in their stay in Gerar, they were able to lie about Rebekah being married (Genesis 26:6–11).

Now we return to the stories of Jacob and Esau. As his father Isaac had done, Esau marries at the age of 40. He doesn't appear to have married nearly as well, however. We're told that Esau marries two Canaanite women—Hittites, specifically. His marriages to Judith and Basemath are said to have made life bitter for his parents (Genesis 26:35). This angst is an issue of faith, not of race; the godless practices of the Canaanites will eventually earn them harsh judgment from God (Deuteronomy 7:1–4; 18:9–14).

It's hard not to wonder if Isaac is partially responsible for this outcome. After all, he was aware the great lengths to which Abraham had gone to secure for him a wife from among Abraham's own people (Genesis 24). Surely Isaac understood how important it had been to Abraham that Isaac not marry a Canaanite woman. If Isaac imagined that the covenant promises and blessing of God would flow through Esau, had he failed to invest the time and energy needed to find him a non-Canaanite wife? Or had Esau refused to follow in his father's footsteps? We don't know.

Genesis 26:6–35 describes Isaac's interactions with the Philistines while living in and around the land of Gerar. After Isaac is caught in a lie about Rebekah being his sister, king Abimelech is angry. However, he protects Isaac and Rebekah. God blesses Isaac abundantly, and his wealth grows to the point where his power provokes the king to send him away. Following a series of disputes over water rights, the king and Isaac eventually make a treaty of peace. God appears to Isaac for a second time, telling him not to fear, and renewing His promises.

Genesis 26 focuses on God's assurances to Isaac to be with him and to bless him, mostly while Isaac and his household are settled in the land of the Philistines. Just as Abraham did, Isaac fearfully lies about his wife being his sister, nearly bringing disaster on Abimelech and his kingdom. Still, God blesses Isaac with greater and greater abundance to the point that Abimelech sends Isaac away because he has become too powerful. After continued disputes over water rights, Abimelech and Isaac eventually make a covenant of peace.

Genesis 26 seems to jump back in time to the season before Jacob and Esau were born, as described in the previous chapter. This is common in ancient literature. The Lord establishes and renews His covenant promises to Isaac, blessing him abundantly in the land of Philistines during a time of famine. Eventually, Abimelech sends Isaac away due to his growing power and disputes over water rights, but they end up forming a peace treaty. Esau's marriage to foreign women creates strife, adding more fuel to the controversy which is soon to occur. In the next chapter, Jacob will steal his older brother's rightful blessing.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.