Genesis 26:34
New International Version
When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

New Living Translation
At the age of forty, Esau married two Hittite wives: Judith, the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon.

English Standard Version
When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite,

Berean Standard Bible
When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

King James Bible
And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

New King James Version
When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

New American Standard Bible
When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;

NASB 1995
When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;

NASB 1977
And when Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;

Legacy Standard Bible
And Esau was forty years old, and he took as a wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;

Amplified Bible
When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite as his wives;

Christian Standard Bible
When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hethite.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When Esau was 40 years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

American Standard Version
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:

Contemporary English Version
When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

English Revised Version
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:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite. He also married Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite.

Good News Translation
When Esau was forty years old, he married two Hittites, Judith the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath the daughter of Elon.

International Standard Version
When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

Majority Standard Bible
When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

NET Bible
When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.

New Heart English Bible
When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hethite.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Esau was forty years old when he took for a wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

World English Bible
When Esau was forty years old, he took as wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Esau is a son of forty years, and he takes a wife, Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite,

Young's Literal Translation
And Esau is a son of forty years, and he taketh a wife, Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite,

Smith's Literal Translation
And Esau will be the son of forty years, and he will take a wife, Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemah, daughter of Elon the Hittite.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Esau being forty years old, married wives, Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon of the same place.

Catholic Public Domain Version
In truth, at forty years of age, Esau took wives: Judith, the daughter of Beeri, the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon, of the same place.

New American Bible
When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hivite.

New Revised Standard Version
When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bismath the daughter of Elon the Hivite;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Esau was a son of forty years, and he took a woman Yehudith, daughter of Beeri the Khethite, and Besmath, daughter of Elwan the Khivite:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
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.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Esau was forty years old; and he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beoch the Chettite, and Basemath, daughter of Helon the Chettite.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Esau's Wives
34When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.…

Cross References
Genesis 27:46
Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a Hittite wife from among them, what good is my life?”

Genesis 28:8-9
And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women, / Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.

Genesis 36:2-3
Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite, / and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

Genesis 24:3
and I will have you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I am dwelling,

Genesis 24:37
My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell,

Genesis 34:1-2
Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. / When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.

Exodus 34:16
And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.

Deuteronomy 7:3-4
Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, / because they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.

Judges 14:1-3
One day Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a young Philistine woman. / So he returned and told his father and mother, “I have seen a daughter of the Philistines in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.” / But his father and mother replied, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me, for she is pleasing to my eyes.”

1 Kings 11:1-2
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. / These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love.

Nehemiah 13:25-27
I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves! / Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin. / Must we now hear that you too are doing all this terrible evil and acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women?”

Malachi 2:11
Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.

Matthew 10:35-36
For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. / A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

Luke 12:51-53
Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. / From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. / They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

2 Corinthians 6:14-15
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? / What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?


Treasury of Scripture

And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

A.

Genesis 36:2,5,13
Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; …

the daughter.

Genesis 24:3
And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

Exodus 34:16
And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

1 Corinthians 7:2
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

Bashemath.

Genesis 36:2
Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

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Basemath Bas'emath Bashemath Basmath Beeri Be-E'ri Daughter Elon Esau Forty Hittite Married Wife Wives
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Basemath Bas'emath Bashemath Basmath Beeri Be-E'ri Daughter Elon Esau Forty Hittite Married Wife Wives
Genesis 26
1. Isaac, because of famine, sojourns in Gerar, and the Lord blesses him.
7. He is reproved by Abimelech for denying his wife.
12. He grows rich, and the Philistines envy his prosperity.
18. He digs wells.
23. God appears to him at Beersheba, and blesses him;
26. and Abimelech makes a covenant with him.
34. Esau's wives.














When Esau was forty years old
The age of forty in biblical times often signifies maturity and readiness for significant life changes. In Hebrew culture, reaching forty could symbolize a period of testing or preparation, as seen with Moses and the Israelites. Esau's decision to marry at this age suggests a readiness to establish his own household, yet it also foreshadows the tension between his choices and his family's expectations.

he married
Marriage in the ancient Near East was not merely a personal decision but a familial and communal one. The Hebrew word for marriage here implies a covenantal relationship, which was expected to align with familial and cultural values. Esau's marriages, however, reflect a departure from the covenantal expectations of his family, particularly in terms of maintaining the purity of the Abrahamic lineage.

Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite
The Hittites were one of the Canaanite tribes living in the land promised to Abraham's descendants. Marrying a Hittite woman, Judith, indicates Esau's disregard for the covenantal promise to Abraham to keep the lineage distinct from the surrounding nations. The name "Judith" means "praised" or "woman of Judea," which is ironic given the grief she brings to Isaac and Rebekah.

and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite
Basemath, meaning "fragrance" or "perfume," is another Hittite woman Esau marries. The repetition of "Hittite" underscores the significance of Esau's choice to align himself with the Canaanite peoples, contrary to the desires of his parents and the covenantal promises. This decision highlights Esau's impulsive nature and foreshadows the spiritual and familial discord it would cause.

ESAU'S MARRIAGE WITH CANAANITISH WOMEN.

(34) Esau was forty years old.--He was there fore of exactly the same age as Isaac was when, sixty years before, he married Rebekah. But by thus inter marrying with idolaters Esau violated the great principle laid down by Abraham (Genesis 24:3), forfeited thereby his birthright, and, as such marriages were illegal, is even called a fornicator in Hebrews 12:16. As his conduct was regarded by his parents with "grief of mind"--Heb., bitterness of spirit: that is, with mingled anger and sorrow--Esau partially repented, and took as a third wife a daughter of Ishmael (Genesis 28:9). In the Toldoth Esau (Genesis 36:2-3) the names are different, and a fourth wife, of the inhabitants of Seir, takes the place of Judith.

Judith.--The names are remarkable, as showing that the Hittites spoke a Semitic tongue. Judith is the feminine form of Judah, and means praised. Beeri can scarcely be the original name of her father, as it means well-finder, but was probably gained by his skill in discovering water. We find it, however, in the genealogy of Hosea (Hosea 1:1). Bashemath or Basmath, the fragrant, was the name also of a daughter of Solomon (1 King 4:15); and Elon, oak-grove, was the name of a judge (Judges 12:11). . . .

Verse 34. - And Esau was forty years old - literally, a son of forty years; the age of Isaac when he married Rebekah (Genesis 25:20) - when he took to wife Judith (Jehu-dith, "Celebrated," "Praised," if Shemitic; but the name is probably Phoenician) the daughter of Beeri - ("of a well"? "The Well-finder," vide Genesis 36:24) - the Hittits, and Bashemath ("Sweet-smelling," "Fragrant") the daughter of Elon the Hittite) - adding to them afterwards Maha-lath the daughter of Ishmael, and sister of Nebajoth (Genesis 28:9). On Esau's wives vide Genesis 36:2, 3.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When Esau
עֵשָׂו֙ (‘ê·śāw)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6215: Esau -- oldest son of Isaac

was
וַיְהִ֤י (way·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

forty
אַרְבָּעִ֣ים (’ar·bā·‘îm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 705: Forty

years old,
בֶּן־ (ben-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1121: A son

he took
וַיִּקַּ֤ח (way·yiq·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

as his wives
אִשָּׁה֙ (’iš·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

Judith
יְהוּדִ֔ית (yə·hū·ḏîṯ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3067: Jehudith -- Esau's wife

daughter
בַּת־ (baṯ-)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1323: A daughter

of Beeri
בְּאֵרִ֖י (bə·’ê·rî)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 882: Beeri -- 'my well', the name of a Hittite, also of Hosea's father

the Hittite
הַֽחִתִּ֑י (ha·ḥit·tî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2850: Hittite -- a Chittite

and Basemath
בָּ֣שְׂמַ֔ת (bā·śə·maṯ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1315: Basemath -- 'perfume', a wife of Esau, also a daughter of Solomon

daughter
בַּת־ (baṯ-)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1323: A daughter

of Elon
אֵילֹ֖ן (’ê·lōn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 356: Elon -- 'terebinth', an Israelite name, also a Hittite, also a city in Dan

the Hittite.
הַֽחִתִּֽי׃ (ha·ḥit·tî)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 2850: Hittite -- a Chittite


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OT Law: Genesis 26:34 When Esau was forty years old he (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 26:33
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