Lectionary Calendar
Friday, November 22nd, 2024
the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Easy-to-Read Version

Genesis 28:9

Esau already had two wives, but he went to Abraham's son Ishmael and married another woman, Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael. Mahalath was Nebaioth's sister.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Emulation;   Esau;   Ishmael;   Mahalath;   Nebaioth;   Polygamy;   Thompson Chain Reference - Foes of the Home;   Home;   Polygamy;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Esau;   Ishmael;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bashemath;   Esau;   Mahalath;   Marriage;   Nebaioth;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Adah;   Arabia;   Bashemath;   Esau;   Ishmael;   Mahalath;   Patriarchs;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Basemath;   Mahalath;   Nebaioth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Basemath;   Esau;   Isaac;   Marriage;   Nebaioth;   Pillar;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bashemath ;   Ishmael ;   Mahalath ;   Nebaioth, Nebajoth ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Dreams;   Laban;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Canaan (2);   Hittites;   Marriage;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Bash'emath;   E'sau;   Ma'halath;   Marriage;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Adah;   Antediluvian Patriarchs;   Basemath;   Esau;   Genealogy;   Ishmael (1);   Mahalath;   Nebaioth;   Oholibamah;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Esau;  

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth.
Update Bible Version
And Esau went to 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.
New Century Version
Now Esau already had wives, but he went to Ishmael son of Abraham, and he married Mahalath, Ishmael's daughter. Mahalath was the sister of Nebaioth.
New English Translation
So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then went Esau to Ishmael, and took to the wives which he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
World English Bible
Esau went to 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.
Amplified Bible
and [to appease his parents] Esau went to [the family of] Ishmael and took as his wife, in addition to the wives he [already] had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth [Ishmael's firstborn son].
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he yede to Ismael, and weddide a wijf, with out these whiche he hadde bifore, Melech, the douyter of Ismael, sone of Abraham, the sistir of Nabaioth.
Young's Literal Translation
and Esau goeth unto Ishmael, and taketh Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, sister of Nebajoth, unto his wives, to himself, for a wife.
Berean Standard Bible
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.
Contemporary English Version
So he married Ishmael's daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth and the granddaughter of Abraham.
Complete Jewish Bible
So ‘Esav went to Yishma‘el and took, in addition to the wives he already had, Machalat the daughter of Yishma‘el Avraham's son, the sister of N'vayot, to be his wife. Haftarah Tol'dot: Mal'akhi (Malachi) 1:1–2:7 B'rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Tol'dot: Romans 9:6–16; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 11:20; 12:14–17 Ya‘akov went out from Be'er-Sheva and traveled toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed the night there, because the sun had set. He took a stone from the place, put it under his head and lay down there to sleep. He dreamt that there before him was a ladder resting on the ground with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of Adonai were going up and down on it. Then suddenly Adonai was standing there next to him; and he said, "I am Adonai , the God of Avraham your [grand]father and the God of Yitz'chak. The land on which you are lying I will give to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the grains of dust on the earth. You will expand to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. By you and your descendants all the families of the earth will be blessed. Look, I am with you. I will guard you wherever you go, and I will bring you back into this land, because I won't leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Ya‘akov awoke from his sleep and said, "Truly, Adonai is in this place — and I didn't know it!" Then he became afraid and said, "This place is fearsome! This has to be the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!" Ya‘akov got up early in the morning, took the stone he had put under his head, set it up as a standing-stone, poured olive oil on its top and named the place Beit-El [house of God]; but the town had originally been called Luz. Ya‘akov took this vow: "If God will be with me and will guard me on this road that I am traveling, giving me bread to eat and clothes to wear, so that I return to my father's house in peace, then Adonai will be my God; and this stone, which I have set up as a standing-stone, will be God's house; and of everything you give me, I will faithfully return one-tenth to you."
American Standard Version
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.
Bible in Basic English
So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then went Esau vnto Ismael, and toke vnto the wyues [which he had] Mahalah the daughter of Ismael Abrahams sonne, the sister of Nebaioth to be his wyfe.
Darby Translation
And Esau went to 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.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
so Esau went unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives that he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
King James Version (1611)
Then went Esau vnto Ishmael, and tooke vnto the wiues which hee had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abrahams sonne, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
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.
New Life Bible
So Esau went to Ishmael, and married Mahalath the daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael, the sister of Nebaioth. He added her to the wives he already had.
New Revised Standard
Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael, and sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Esau therefore went unto Ishmael, - and took Mahalath daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham sister of Nebaioth, to himself to wife, in addition to the wives that he had.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then went Esau to Ishmael, & tooke vnto the wiues, which he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abrahams sonne, the sister of Nabaioth, to be his wife.
George Lamsa Translation
Then Esau went to Ishmael, Abrahams son, and took Bismath, the daughter of Ishmael, Abrahams son, the sister of Nebioth, to be his wife, in addition to his other wives.
Good News Translation
So he went to Ishmael son of Abraham and married his daughter Mahalath, who was the sister of Nebaioth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He went to Ismael, and took to wife, besides them he had before, Maheleth, the daughter of Ismael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nabajoth.
Revised Standard Version
Esau went to Ish'mael and took to wife, besides the wives he had, Ma'halath the daughter of Ish'mael Abraham's son, the sister of Neba'ioth.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Esau went to Ismael, and took Maeleth the daughter of Ismael, the son of Abraam, the sister of Nabeoth, a wife in addition to his other wives.
English Revised Version
and Esau went unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
Christian Standard Bible®
so Esau went to Ishmael and married, in addition to his other wives, Mahalath daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. She was the sister of Nebaioth.
Hebrew Names Version
Esav went to Yishma'el, and took, besides the wives that he had, Machalat the daughter of Yishma'el, Avraham's son, the sister of Nevayot, to be his wife.
Lexham English Bible
then Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, son of Abraham, sister of Nebaioth, as a wife, in addition to the wives he had.
Literal Translation
then Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, Nebajoth's sister. To his wives he added her for his wife.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
he wente his waye vnto Ismael, and besyde the wyues that he had afore, he toke Mahaloth the doughter of Ismael (Abrahas sonne) the sister of Nebaioth, to wife.
New American Standard Bible
and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth.
New King James Version
So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.
New Living Translation
So Esau visited his uncle Ishmael's family and married one of Ishmael's daughters, in addition to the wives he already had. His new wife's name was Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth.
Legacy Standard Bible
and Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife, besides the wives that he had.

Contextual Overview

6 Esau learned that his father Isaac blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. He also learned that Isaac commanded Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. 7 Esau learned that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and went to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau saw from this that his father did not want his sons to marry Canaanite women. 9 Esau already had two wives, but he went to Abraham's son Ishmael and married another woman, Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael. Mahalath was Nebaioth's sister.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

unto Ishmael: Genesis 25:13-17, Genesis 36:3, Genesis 36:13, Genesis 36:18

Mahalath: called also, Bashemath, Genesis 36:3, the sister.

Reciprocal: Genesis 16:3 - his Genesis 16:15 - Ishmael 1 Chronicles 1:29 - Nebaioth

Cross-References

Genesis 26:34
When Esau was 40 years old, he married two Hittite women. One was Judith the daughter of Beeri. The other was Basemath the daughter of Elon.
Genesis 28:13
And then Jacob saw the Lord standing by the ladder. He said, "I am the Lord , the God of your grandfather Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. I will give you the land that you are lying on now. I will give this land to you and to your children.
Genesis 28:17
Jacob was afraid and said, "This is a very great place. This is the house of God. This is the gate to heaven."
Genesis 36:13
Reuel had four sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were Esau's grandsons from his wife Basemath.
Genesis 36:18
Esau's wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These three men were the leaders of their families.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then went Esau unto Ishmael,.... Not to Ishmael in person, for he was now dead, Genesis 25:17, and had been dead as is reckoned about fourteen years before this, but to the house of Ishmael:

and took unto the wives which he had; the daughters of Heth, and who seem by this to be both alive at this time:

Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son; the same with Bashemath, Genesis 36:3; as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it, this person having two names, and is further described,

the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife; who was the eldest son of Ishmael, and, his father being dead, was the principal in the family; and this woman Esau took to wife was his sister by his mother's side, as the above Targum expresses, as well as by his father's; whereas he might have other sisters only by his father's side, he having had more wives than one. This Esau seems to have done in order to curry favour with his father, who was displeased with his other wives, and therefore takes one of his father's brother's daughters; but in this he acted an unwise part, on more accounts than one; partly as it was taking to wife the daughter of one that was cast out of his grandfather's house, and had been a persecutor of his father, and therefore not likely to be agreeable to him; and partly as being a daughter of the bondmaid's son: children born of her could not inherit the land promised to Abraham and Isaac.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- Jacob’s Journey to Haran

3. קהל qâhāl, “congregation.”

9. מחלת māchălat, Machalath, “sickness, or a harp.”

19. לוּז lûz, Luz, “almond.”

The blessing of his sons was the last passage in the active life of Isaac, after which he retires from the scene. Jacob now becomes the leading figure in the sacred history. His spiritual character has yet come out to view. But even now we can discern the general distinction in the lives of the three patriarchs. Abraham’s is a life of authority and decision; Isaac’s, of submission and acquiescence; and Jacob’s, of trial and struggle.

Genesis 28:1-5

Isaac has now become alive to the real destiny of Jacob. He therefore calls for him to bless him, and give him a command. The command is to take a wife, not from Kenaan, but from the kindred of his parents. The blessing comes from “God Almighty” (Genesis 17:1). It is that belonging to the chosen seed, “the blessing of Abraham.” It embraces a numerous offspring, the land of promise, and all else that is included in the blessing of Abraham. “A congregation of peoples.” This is the word “congregation” (קהל qâhāl) which is afterward applied to the assembled people of God, and to which the Greek ἐκκλησία ekklēsia, “ecclesia,” corresponds. Jacob complies with his mother’s advice and his father’s command, and, at the same time, reaps the bitter fruit of his fraud against his brother in the hardship and treachery of an exile of twenty years. The aged Isaac is not without his share in the unpleasant consequences of endeavoring to go against the will of God.

Genesis 28:6-9

Esau is induced, by the charge of his parents to Jacob, the compliance of the latter with their wishes, and by their obvious dislike to the daughters of Kenaan, to take Mahalath, a daughter of Ishmael, in addition to his former wives. “Went unto Ishmael;” that is, to the family or tribe of Ishmael, as Ishmael himself was now thirteen years dead. Esau’s hunting and roving career had brought him into contact with this family, and we shall presently find him settled in a neighboring territory.

Genesis 28:10-22

Jacob’s dream and vow. Setting out on the way to Haran, he was overtaken by night, and slept in the field. He was far from any dwelling, or he did not wish to enter the house of a stranger. He dreams. A ladder or stair is seen reaching from earth to heaven, on which angels ascend and descend. This is a medium of communication between heaven and earth, by which messengers pass to and fro on errands of mercy. Heaven and earth have been separated by sin. But this ladder has re-established the contact. It is therefore a beautiful emblem of what mediates and reconciles John 1:51. It here serves to bring Jacob into communication with God, and teaches him the emphatic lesson that he is accepted through a mediator. “The Lord stood above it,” and Jacob, the object of his mercy, beneath. First. He reveals himself to the sleeper as “the Lord” Genesis 2:4, “the God of Abraham thy father, and of Isaac.” It is remarkable that Abraham is styled his father, that is, his actual grandfather, and covenant father. Second. He renews the promise of the land, of the seed, and of the blessing in that seed for the whole race of man. Westward, eastward, northward, and southward are they to break forth. This expression points to the world-wide universality of the kingdom of the seed of Abraham, when it shall become the fifth monarchy, that shall subdue all that went before, and endure forever. This transcends the destiny of the natural seed of Abraham. Third. He then promises to Jacob personally to be with him, protect him, and bring him back in safety. This is the third announcement of the seed that blesses to the third in the line of descent Genesis 12:2-3; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:4.

Genesis 28:16-19

Jacob awakes, and exclaims, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not.” He knew his omnipresence; but he did not expect a special manifestation of the Lord in this place, far from the sanctuaries of his father. He is filled with solemn awe, when he finds himself in the house of God and at the gate of heaven. The pillar is the monument of the event. The pouring of oil upon it is an act of consecration to God who has there appeared to him Numbers 7:1. He calls the name of the place Bethel, “the house of God.” This is not the first time it received the name. Abraham also worshipped God here, and met with the name already existing (see on Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:3; Genesis 25:30.)

Genesis 28:20-22

Jacob’s vow. A vow is a solemn engagement to perform a certain duty, the obligation of which is felt at the time to be especially binding. It partakes, therefore, of the nature of a promise or a covenant. It involves in its obligation, however, only one party, and is the spontaneous act of that party. Here, then, Jacob appears to take a step in advance of his predecessors. Hitherto, God had taken the initiative in every promise, and the everlasting covenant rests solely on his eternal purpose. Abraham had responded to the call of God, believed in the Lord, walked before him, entered into communion with him, made intercession with him, and given up his only son to him at his demand. In all this there is an acceptance on the part of the creature of the supremacy of the merciful Creator. But now the spirit of adoption prompts Jacob to a spontaneous movement toward God. This is no ordinary vow, referring to some special or occasional resolve.

It is the grand and solemn expression of the soul’s free, full, and perpetual acceptance of the Lord to be its own God. This is the most frank and open utterance of newborn spiritual liberty from the heart of man that has yet appeared in the divine record. “If God will be with me.” This is not the condition on which Jacob will accept God in a mercenary spirit. It is merely the echo and the thankful acknowledgment of the divine assurance, “I am with thee,” which was given immediately before. It is the response of the son to the assurance of the father: “Wilt thou indeed be with me? Thou shalt be my God.” “This stone shall be God’s house,” a monument of the presence of God among his people, and a symbol of the indwelling of his Spirit in their hearts. As it comes in here it signalizes the grateful and loving welcome and entertainment which God receives from his saints. “A tenth will I surely give unto thee.” The honored guest is treated as one of the family. Ten is the whole: a tenth is a share of the whole. The Lord of all receives one share as an acknowledgment of his sovereign right to all. Here it is represented as the full share given to the king who condescends to dwell with his subjects. Thus, Jacob opens his heart, his home, and his treasure to God. These are the simple elements of a theocracy, a national establishment of the true religion. The spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind, has begun to reign in Jacob. As the Father is prominently manifested in regenerate Abraham, and the Son in Isaac, so also the Spirit in Jacob.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Genesis 28:9. Then 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. Having heard the pious advice which Isaac gave to Jacob, he therefore went and took a wife from the family of his grandfather Abraham, as Jacob was desired to do out of the family of his maternal uncle Laban. Mahalath, whom he took to wife, stood in the same degree of relationship to Isaac his father as Rachel did to his mother Rebekah. Esau married his father's niece; Jacob married his mother's niece. It was therefore most obviously to please his parents that Esau took this additional wife. It is supposed that Ishmael must have been dead thirteen or fourteen years before this time, and that going to Ishmael signifies only going to the family of Ishmael. If we follow the common computation, and allow that Isaac was now about one hundred and thirty-six or one hundred and thirty-seven years of age, and Jacob seventy-seven, and as Ishmael died in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of his age, which according to the common computation was the one hundred and twenty-third of Isaac, then Ishmael must have been dead about fourteen years. But if we allow the ingenious reasoning of Mr. Skinner and Dr. Kennicott, that Jacob was at this time only fifty-seven years of age, and Isaac consequently only one hundred and seventeen, it will appear that Ishmael did not die till six years after this period; and hence with propriety it might be said, Esau went unto Ishmael, and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael to be his wife. Genesis 26:34; Genesis 26:34, &c.


 
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