Genesis 28:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,”

NIV: Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, 'Do not marry a Canaanite woman,'

NASB: Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, saying, 'You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,'

CSB: Esau noticed that Isaac blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to get a wife there. When he blessed him, Isaac commanded Jacob, "Do not marry a Canaanite girl."

NLT: Esau knew that his father, Isaac, had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to find a wife, and that he had warned Jacob, 'You must not marry a Canaanite woman.'

KJV: 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;

NKJV: Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,”

The story returns briefly to Esau, who has become something of a pathetic figure. Esau has lost his birthright and the family blessing from Isaac. He has also not been given the blessing of Abraham's covenant with God. Those covenant promises will flow through Jacob instead. Some of this is absolutely Esau's own fault—he was willing to foolishly swear to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup (Genesis 27:29–34). At the same time, the blessing Isaac intended for Esau was stolen by Jacob, using a complex disguise arranged by their mother, Rebekah (Genesis 27:6–13).

In addition to losing his blessings, Esau is aware that his marriage to two Hittite women displeases his parents. He has heard about Isaac's direction to Jacob not to marry from the local Canaanite women and of Jacob's journey to Mesopotamia to marry one of their uncle's daughters. In what appears to be an attempt to regain his father's approval, Esau will take another wife.

Genesis 28:6–9 describes Esau's reaction to learning that Isaac instructed Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. It seems likely that Esau only now realizes how greatly his two Canaanite wives have displeased his father. Apparently to earn Isaac's approval, Esau marries one of the daughters of Isaac's step-brother Ishmael. Her name is Mahalath.

Isaac sends Jacob away from his household to find a wife in Mesopotamia, in Paddan-aram, where Rebekah's brother lives. First, though, he gives to Jacob the full blessing of the promises of Abraham. Esau marries one of the daughters of Ishmael to try to please Isaac. The Lord appears to Jacob in a dream, giving to him the promises of Abraham personally, along with the assurance that He will be with Jacob to Mesopotamia and back again. Jacob vows that if the Lord does this, he will make the Lord his God and will worship Him and tithe to Him.

The previous chapter concluded with Rebekah urging Jacob to run for his life to her brother's household in Mesopotamia to escape the wrath of Esau. Now Isaac, too, sends Jacob to Laban, except to find a non-Canaanite wife. Hearing this, Esau marries one of the daughters of Ishmael. On the road to Mesopotamia, the Lord appears to Jacob in a dream. God personally delivers the covenant promises of Abraham and assurances to be with Jacob. In awe and fear, Jacob renames the place Bethel, ''house of God,'' and vows to worship the Lord as his God. In the next chapter, Jacob will get a taste of his own deceptive medicine, as he seeks a wife.

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.