Esau wedded two women from a people forbidden to him, revealing a conflict between familial duty and personal endeavor.
Esau, the eldest son of Isaac and Rebekah who lived around the early second millennium BC, made a significant life decision recorded in Genesis 26:34. Scripture says, “When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite” (v.34). In this passage, Esau’s age of forty mirrors that of his father Isaac when he took Rebekah as his wife (Genesis 25:20), suggesting a parallel moment of maturity and transition. However, while Isaac had sought God’s guidance regarding marriage, Esau appears to have chosen these Hittite wives on his own initiative.
The Hittites mentioned here were descendants of Heth, living near the region of Hebron, and known to be among the Canaanite peoples in the land (Genesis 23:10). Israelites were expressly warned not to intermarry with the Hittites, among other local nations (Genesis 26:34-35). Esau’s decision to marry Judith and Basemath, both Hittite women, brought grief to his parents and pointed to his tendency to focus on immediate desires rather than following the familial and covenantal expectations established by God. This tension would foreshadow Esau’s future choices—such as selling his birthright—and distinguish him from his younger twin, Jacob, who inherited the covenant promise.
Intermarriage with the Hittites eventually became a source of regret for Esau’s family (Genesis 27:46). By forming these alliances, Esau departed from the spiritual trajectory of God’s covenant line. His actions reflect the broader biblical theme of how pivotal decisions about marriage and family can set a course either in harmony with or diverging from God’s design.
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Genesis 26:34 meaning
Esau, the eldest son of Isaac and Rebekah who lived around the early second millennium BC, made a significant life decision recorded in Genesis 26:34. Scripture says, “When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite” (v.34). In this passage, Esau’s age of forty mirrors that of his father Isaac when he took Rebekah as his wife (Genesis 25:20), suggesting a parallel moment of maturity and transition. However, while Isaac had sought God’s guidance regarding marriage, Esau appears to have chosen these Hittite wives on his own initiative.
The Hittites mentioned here were descendants of Heth, living near the region of Hebron, and known to be among the Canaanite peoples in the land (Genesis 23:10). Israelites were expressly warned not to intermarry with the Hittites, among other local nations (Genesis 26:34-35). Esau’s decision to marry Judith and Basemath, both Hittite women, brought grief to his parents and pointed to his tendency to focus on immediate desires rather than following the familial and covenantal expectations established by God. This tension would foreshadow Esau’s future choices—such as selling his birthright—and distinguish him from his younger twin, Jacob, who inherited the covenant promise.
Intermarriage with the Hittites eventually became a source of regret for Esau’s family (Genesis 27:46). By forming these alliances, Esau departed from the spiritual trajectory of God’s covenant line. His actions reflect the broader biblical theme of how pivotal decisions about marriage and family can set a course either in harmony with or diverging from God’s design.