Genesis 26:34 - Judith - A Woman of Great Substance | Speak His Word Only

Esau Took to Wife Judith and Bashemath 

“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:” — Genesis 26:34 KJV

Genesis 26:34 may appear to be a simple statement about Esau's marriages, but its placement at the end of Genesis 26 is significant. The verse introduces a growing distinction between Esau and the covenant household of Isaac and Rebekah.

Esau was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham. He had grown up within the family through whom God had promised that the covenant line would continue. Yet his choices repeatedly demonstrated that he did not value covenant matters in the same way that Abraham and Isaac had been taught to value them.

“And Esau Was Forty Years Old”

Scripture specifically tells us:

“Esau was forty years old…”

This detail is noteworthy because Isaac was also forty years old when he married Rebekah:

“And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife…” — Genesis 25:20 KJV

The similarity creates an interesting contrast.

Both Isaac and Esau married at forty, but the circumstances surrounding their marriages were very different.

When Abraham sought a wife for Isaac, he was deeply concerned that Isaac not marry one of the daughters of the Canaanites.

Abraham told his servant:

“thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:” — Genesis 24:3 KJV

Isaac's marriage was approached with covenant consciousness.

Esau's marriages would become a source of grief within that same covenant family.

“He Took to Wife Judith”

Esau married:

“Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite…”

The Hittites were among the peoples living in Canaan.

The primary concern in Genesis is not a modern racial distinction. The biblical narrative is concerned with covenant identity, worship, and the preservation of the family through whom God's promises were unfolding.

Abraham had deliberately sought a wife for Isaac from outside the Canaanite peoples among whom he lived.

Esau did differently.

“And Bashemath”

Esau also married:

“Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite.”

Genesis therefore records Esau taking two Hittite women as wives.

The following verse tells us immediately how these marriages affected Isaac and Rebekah:

“Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.” — Genesis 26:35 KJV

That statement helps explain why Genesis 26:34 is important.

The issue was not merely that Esau married.

His choices brought grief into the covenant household.

“A Grief of Mind”

The expression in Genesis 26:35 is strong:

“a grief of mind…”

Isaac and Rebekah were troubled by Esau's marriages.

Later, Rebekah says:

“I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth…” — Genesis 27:46 KJV

She then expresses concern that Jacob might also marry one of the daughters of the land.

This prepares the reader for Genesis 28, where Isaac specifically commands Jacob:

“Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.” — Genesis 28:1 KJV

Genesis therefore establishes a deliberate contrast between Esau's marital choices and the concern surrounding Jacob's marriage.

Esau and the Covenant

Genesis 26:34 should also be read in light of what Scripture has already told us about Esau.

In Genesis 25, Esau returned from the field hungry and sold his birthright to Jacob for food.

Genesis 25:34 concludes:

“thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Hebrews later uses Esau as a warning:

“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.” — Hebrews 12:16 KJV

A pattern begins to emerge.

Esau repeatedly placed immediate desires ahead of covenant privilege.

The birthright was treated lightly.

His marriages were entered into without the covenant concerns that had shaped Isaac's marriage.

Esau's problem was deeper than one isolated decision.

His choices revealed what he valued.

Marriage Is More Than Attraction

Genesis 26:34–35 reminds us that marriage is not merely a private decision based upon attraction.

Marriage affects:

faith, family, future generations, household worship, and spiritual direction.

This principle becomes explicit later in Scripture.

The New Testament teaches believers:

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers…” — 2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV

Marriage is one of life's deepest human covenants. Spiritual agreement therefore matters.

A person should not consider only:

“Do I love this person?”

There should also be consideration of spiritual direction:

Will this relationship help us honor God together?

Esau Later Recognized His Parents' Concern

Genesis 28 shows that Esau eventually realized that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac.

“And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;” — Genesis 28:8 KJV

Esau then took another wife from the family of Ishmael.

But the narrative still shows a man reacting to circumstances rather than consistently ordering his decisions around God's covenant purposes.

There is an important lesson here:

Spiritual wisdom should guide our decisions before consequences force us to reconsider them.

A Note About the Names of Esau's Wives

Readers may notice that Genesis 36 gives names and family relationships for Esau's wives that differ from the way they are presented in Genesis 26 and 28.

Genesis 36:2–3 names Adah, Aholibamah, and Bashemath, while Genesis 26:34 names Judith and Bashemath, and Genesis 28:9 refers to Mahalath.

Several explanations have historically been proposed, including the possibility of alternate names, changes of names, or different women. The text does not explicitly explain every difference.

Therefore, we should acknowledge the variation rather than invent a certainty Scripture itself does not provide.

The central message of Genesis remains clear: Esau's marriages connected him with surrounding peoples and became a source of concern within Isaac's covenant household.

The Contrast With Jacob

This episode also prepares us for what happens with Jacob.

Isaac later sends Jacob away with explicit instructions concerning marriage.

Before Jacob leaves, Isaac blesses him:

“And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
And give thee the blessing of Abraham…” — Genesis 28:3–4 KJV

Marriage and covenant continuation are placed close together in the narrative.

Genesis is tracing the family through whom God's promises to Abraham will continue.

Personal Application

Genesis 26:34 teaches us not to separate major life decisions from our relationship with God.

Esau's choices affected more than Esau.

They affected his parents.

They affected his household.

And they revealed something about his attitude toward the covenant heritage he had received.

Before making major decisions, believers should ask more than:

What do I want?

We should also ask:

Does this honor God?

Is this consistent with His Word?

What spiritual consequences could follow this decision?

What will this choice introduce into my household?

How might it affect the next generation?

Esau's story repeatedly warns against exchanging spiritual priorities for immediate desires.

He despised his birthright.

He made marriage choices that grieved Isaac and Rebekah.

And Scripture allows us to see that our choices reveal what we truly value.

Genesis 26:34 is therefore more than a record of two marriages.

It is another step in the unfolding contrast between Esau's choices and the covenant purposes God was carrying forward through Abraham's family.