Bible Strands
Genesis 28:9
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Esau’s actions immediately after Isaac’s stated disapproval of Canaanite wives and just before Jacob’s departure for Haran. This moment sits at a narrative pivot where patriarchal decisions begin to diverge from explicit parental instruction.
The words — וַ/יֵּ֥לֶךְ (va/i.Ye.lekh) means "and he went," while מָחֲלַ֣ת (ma.cha.Lat) names the woman he marries. The verb וַ/יִּקַּ֡ח (va/i.yi.Kach) literally translates "and he took," denoting the formal act of acquiring a wife.
The thread — This marriage links Esau to Ishmael’s lineage, matching the genealogical lists in Genesis 25:13 and Genesis 36:3. The same sister of Nebaioth appears under the name Basemath in Genesis 26:34, tracking the family’s repeated intermarriage patterns.
Why it lands — The text states Esau added a wife from his grandfather’s line without resolving Isaac’s earlier objection to Canaanite women. It asks the reader to observe the gap between familial command and patriarchal action without supplying moral commentary.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Cross-references
- Genesis 36:3 and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
- Genesis 25:13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
- Genesis 26:34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
- Genesis 36:13 These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
- Genesis 36:18 These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. They are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.