Genesis 28:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father,

NIV: Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;

NASB: So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac;

CSB: Esau realized that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,

NLT: It was now very clear to Esau that his father did not like the local Canaanite women.

KJV: And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;

NKJV: Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac.

Here begins a thought that will be completed in verse 9. Esau, apparently, had not realized that his choice to marry two Canaanite women did not please his father. This is in spite of Genesis 26:34 indicating that these women made life bitter for Rebekah and Isaac. Later, Rebekah told Isaac that they caused her to hate her life (Genesis 27:46). Some of this might have been exaggeration on Rebekah's part, since she seems mostly concerned that Jacob flee from his jealous brother's murderous rage (Genesis 27:41).

We don't know whether or not Isaac failed to communicate to Esau that he should not marry Canaanite women. Perhaps he had, and Esau simply rebelled against that direction from his parents. Scripture does not say for sure. In any case, the light seems to dawn for Esau when he hears of Isaac's command to Jacob not to do as Esau had done. One way or another, Esau seems not to have known just how burdensome his parents found his wives. Or, he had not been sensitive enough to pick up on the clues. Given his rash nature (Genesis 27:29–34), this would not be surprising.

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.