Genesis 28:9
in Genesis 28Esau 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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and Esau went unto Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Genesis 28
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThen went Esau unto Ishmael - Those who are apt to take every thing by the wrong handle, and who think it was utterly impossible for Esau to do any right action, have classed his taking a daughter of Ishmael among his crimes; whereas there is nothing more plain than that he did this with a sincere desire to obey and please his parents.
This site's exposition
his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women
on Genesis 28:8-9
Esau sees that his father disapproves of the Canaanite women, and he marries again. The new wife is Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, the son the covenant passed over at 17:21, and Esau keeps the wives he already had. Clarke takes the marriage as an attempt to please his parents.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Then went Esau unto Ishmael,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
But he only made bad worse, and though he did not marry a "wife of the daughters of Canaan," he married into a family which God had rejected. It showed a partial reformation, but no repentance, for he gave no proofs of abating his vindictive purposes against his brother, nor cherishing that pious spirit that would have gratified his father--he was like Micah (see Jud 17:13).
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ | vaiyelekh | and he went | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| עֵשָׂ֖ו | ʾesav | Esau | H6215 → | 97 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יִשְׁמָעֵ֑אל | yishmael | Ishmael | H3458 → | 48 times |
| וַיִּקַּ֡ח | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מָחֲלַ֣ת׀ | machalat | Mahalath | H4258 → | |
| בַּת־ | bat- | [the] daughter of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| יִשְׁמָעֵ֨אל | yishmael | Ishmael | H3458 → | 48 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אַבְרָהָ֜ם | ʾavraham | Abraham | H85 → | 175 times |
| אֲח֧וֹת | ʾachot | [the] sister of | H269 → | 114 times |
| נְבָי֛וֹת | nevayot | Nebaioth | H5032 → | 5 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | to | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| נָשָׁ֖יו | nashav | wives his | H802 → | 781 times |
| ל֥וֹ | lo | for <the> himself | ||
| לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ ס | leishah | to a wife | H802 → | 781 times |
וַיֵּ֥לֶךְand he went
vaiyelekhH1980 →1546 times
עֵשָׂ֖וEsau
ʾesavH6215 →97 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יִשְׁמָעֵ֑אלIshmael
yishmaelH3458 →48 times
וַיִּקַּ֡חand he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מָחֲלַ֣ת׀Mahalath
machalatH4258 →
בַּת־[the] daughter of
bat-H1323 →588 times
יִשְׁמָעֵ֨אלIshmael
yishmaelH3458 →48 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
אַבְרָהָ֜םAbraham
ʾavrahamH85 →175 times
אֲח֧וֹת[the] sister of
ʾachotH269 →114 times
נְבָי֛וֹתNebaioth
nevayotH5032 →5 times
עַל־to
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
נָשָׁ֖יוwives his
nashavH802 →781 times
ל֥וֹfor <the> himself
lo
לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ סto a wife
leishahH802 →781 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 26:34When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
it leads to
- Genesis 36:2
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,
- Genesis 36:5
and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 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.
- Genesis 36:13
These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
- 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…
- Genesis 36:2
Through
Genesis 36:18These 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.
it leads to
- Genesis 36:14
These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon) whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
- 1 Chronicles 1:35
The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
- Genesis 36:14
Through
Genesis 36:3and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
it leads to
- 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 25:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
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; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).