How many wives did Esau have? (Genesis 26:34)
Genesis 26:34 states that Esau married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. However, Genesis 36:2–3 states that Esau’s wives were Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter. Did Esau marry Elon’s daughter Basemath or his daughter Adah? Did Esau have 2, 3, or 4 wives?
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Asked December 28 2021
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Jack Gutknecht
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Tim Maas
One commentary that I read, and that seemed to make sense to me, indicated that Esau had four wives: Judith, the daughter of Beeri Basemath (who was also named Adah), the daughter of Elon Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael Judith is not mentioned in Genesis 36 because that account presents itself as "the records of the generations of Esau", and Judith is apparently omitted from that listing because she did not bear any children by Esau. Also, Basemath (the daughter of Elon) was also named Adah, and is so identified in Genesis 36:2 in order to distinguish her from Basemath the daughter of Ishmael. (The commentary presented this as indicative of the common practice of individuals being known by more than one name, as was the case with multiple instances involving both men and women in the Bible -- including both Esau (Esau/Edom), and Jacob (Jacob/Israel).)
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