Genesis 26:34

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 26:34 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And when Esau was forty years old he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And when Esau was forty years old he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.
Genesis 26:34 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 26

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
34And when Esau was forty years old he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Esau was forty years old, etc.] The same age his father was of when he married, (<012520>Genesis 25:20): when he took to wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite; Josephus f1427 makes her to be the same with Aholibamah; but her father’s name was Zibeon, and an Hivite, and must therefore be another person, not only the name being different, but the tribe, (<013602>Genesis 36:2): and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; whom Aben Ezra takes to be the same with Adah, and so does Josephus; and in this they may be right, since the name of her father, and his nation or tribe, agree, (<013602>Genesis 36:2). The fathers of these two women are represented by Josephus as men of great…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Esau . . . took to wife--If the pious feelings of Abraham recoiled from the idea of Isaac forming a matrimonial connection with a Canaanitish woman [Gen 24:3], that devout patriarch himself would be equally opposed to such a union on the part of his children; and we may easily imagine how much his pious heart was wounded, and the family peace destroyed, when his favorite but wayward son brought no less than two idolatrous wives among them--an additional proof that Esau neither desired the blessing nor dreaded the curse of God. These wives never gained the affections of his parents, and this estrangement was overruled by God for keeping the chosen family aloof from the dangers of heathen…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“26:34-35 Esau’s marriages illustrate how unfit he was to lead the covenant people into God’s blessings, and how foolish was Isaac’s later attempt to bless Esau (27:1-40). Esau later married a third wife in a vain attempt to do the right thing (28:6-9).”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification