The Two Wives of Esau
Judith and Basemath only show up in one passage in the Bible. They are co-wives of Esau.
First Esau marries Judith. She’s the daughter of a Hittite man named Beeri.
Then Esau marries Basemath. She’s the daughter of another Hittite man, Elon.
These marriages are a source of grief to Esau’s parents, Isaac and Rebekah, but we don’t know why.
One explanation is that their son’s wives are Hittite women. The Hittites are descendants of Canaan, whom Esau’s ancestor Noah cursed. The Hittites present an ongoing opposition to God’s people throughout much of the Old Testament.
Another consideration is that Esau’s marriages to these two women may have been acts of rebellion against his parents. Marrying someone out of rebellion is never a wise idea. It will surely be a source of grief.
We should note that Esau’s parents send his brother, Jacob, to find a wife from their own clan. Yet they don’t do the same thing for Esau.
His only solution to find a wife is to marry a local woman, which he does—twice. (He also later marries his cousin Mahalath, perhaps trying to appease his parents.)
A final consideration is that their grief stems from the fact that he married multiple women instead of one. After seeing the misery dual wives caused Isaac’s father, Abraham, they may hope to spare their son that turmoil.
Regardless of their reasons, Esau’s parents grieved over what he did.
What things may we have done out of rebellion against our parents that caused them to grieve?
What things may we have done out of rebellion that caused God to grieve?
[Read about Judith and Basemath in Genesis 26:34–35. Discover more about grief in Proverbs 10:1.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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