When Esau was 40-years-old he took as wives Judith and Basemath, both Hitite women. He chose to marry pagan women who had no regard for the God of his family. Genesis 26:34 tells us they were a “grief of mind” to Isaac and Rebekah.
Later, after Rebekah and Jacob deceived Isaac and Esau, Rebekah claimed she was weary of her life because of Esau’s wives. She dramatically claimed that if Jacob married a local woman as well, that her life would be no good to her. So they sent Jacob to Padan Aram to find a suitable wife.
When Esau heard what his parents had done and realized that they didn’t like his Canaanite wives, he sought out another wife from the family of Ishmael. He married Mahalath in addition to his previous wives.
Esau lived life impulsively. He saw a beautiful woman, he married her. He saw another one, he married her, too. He didn’t take into account what kind of wife they might be or whether they were right for him. When he got offended, he rashly married another woman, again, putting no real thought into it.
What kind of life did Esau’s wives live? We have no indication that he loved them. We know they weren’t happy in their marriage as they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Esau failed to live a godly life. These women probably had no clue that he worshiped a different god than them because they didn’t witness him following God at all. On the other hand, they influenced him towards their worship.
As wives and daughters we need to make sure that we are following God and setting an example for those around us. We want to draw our loved ones closer to God rather than leading them astray.
Esau’s Wives in the Bible: Genesis 26:34, 27:46, 28:9
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