Genesis 26:35
in Genesis 26And they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and they were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
KJV
Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
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This verse in Genesis 26
Commentary
7 notes on this verseWhich were a grief of mind - Not the marriage, though that was improper, but the persons; they, by their perverse and evil ways, brought bitterness into the hearts of Isaac and Rebekah. The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel, and that of Jerusalem, say they were addicted to idol worship, and rebelled against and would not hearken to the instructions either of Isaac or Rebekah. From Canaanites a different conduct could not be reasonably expected. Esau was far from being spiritual, and his wives were wholly carnal.
This site's exposition
Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives
on Genesis 26:34-35
Esau marries two Hittite women at forty, daughters of the land his grandfather barred at 24:3. The chapter ends on one line about the cost: they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah. That grief is the hinge into chapter 27, and Rebekah moves there to keep the blessing from him.
This site's exposition
they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah
The grief Isaac and Rebekah felt, Adam Clarke says, came from the wives themselves more than from the marriage. The Targums he cites say these Hittite women served idols and would not listen to Isaac or Rebekah. Rebekah raises the grief again at 27:46.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
See how much can be learned from these few words. I mean, why did it indicate to us Esau's age? Not idly, but for us to learn from it Isaac's advanced years and the fact that he was now well beyond his prime. You see, if we recall what was said before, that at the time he married Rebekah he was in fact forty years old, whereas when the children were born he was sixty, we will realize that now at a hundred he had reached the height of old age. Since, in fact, it is next about to recount to us that because of his age he had poor eyesight, accordingly it indicates his age to us so that we might be in a position to know precisely Isaac's time of life. So it said, "Now, Esau was forty."Then for us to learn the boy's indiscretion in taking brides from races he should not have, it revealed to us that one was from the race of the Hittites, the other from the Hivites. Yet knowing as Esau did the pains taken by the patriarch in giving express orders to his servant to select a bride for Isaac from his own tribe and the fact that their mother Rebekah came from Haran, he should not have set his mind on any such thing. In order, however, to show from the outset the undisciplined character of Esau's behavior, he took those wives before seeking advice. And for us to learn their intractable nature Scripture says, "They were at odds with Isaac and Rebekah." What could be more galling than this antipathy when they were due to show complete respect and not only did not do this but were even prepared for hostility?
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Removal of Isaac to Gerar. 1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:89%@v1-2
Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac, and to Rebekah.
Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac, and to Rebekah.
The words behind it
5 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתִּהְיֶ֖יןָ | vatihyeina | and they were | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| מֹ֣רַת | morat | bitterness of | H4786 → | |
| ר֑וּחַ | ruach | spirit | H7307 → | 378 times |
| לְיִצְחָ֖ק | leyitzchak | to Isaac | H3327 → | 108 times |
| וּלְרִבְקָֽה׃ ס | ulerivkah | and to Rebekah | H7259 → | 30 times |
וַתִּהְיֶ֖יןָand they were
vatihyeinaH1961 →3559 times
מֹ֣רַתbitterness of
moratH4786 →
ר֑וּחַspirit
ruachH7307 →378 times
לְיִצְחָ֖קto Isaac
leyitzchakH3327 →108 times
וּלְרִבְקָֽה׃ סand to Rebekah
ulerivkahH7259 →30 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 28:8And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,
it leads to
- 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…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 24:3
Through
Genesis 6:2the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they took as wives whomever they chose.
it leads to
- Psalms 82:6–7
I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’
- 1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
- Romans 9:7–8
Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. On the contrary, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.”
- 2 Samuel 11:2
One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
- 2 Peter 2:14
Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
- Psalms 82:6–7
Through
Genesis 27:46Then 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?”
it leads to
- Genesis 26:34–35
When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 28:8
And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women,
- Genesis 26:34–35
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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On this verse
On this chapter
About Genesis
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 53.1-2; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.