Esau Wives

The Wives of Esau According to the Biblical Text

The Wives of Esau in Rabbinic Midrash

The issue of the identity and number of Esau’s wives presents interpretive difficulties and textual inconsistencies for readers of Genesis. The Bible offers three separate lists of Esau’s wives—appearing in Genesis 26, 28, and 36—each of which differs in name and lineage. A close textual analysis yields a seeming total of four to six women. However, rabbinic tradition, particularly the Midrash and commentators such as Rashi, seeks to harmonize these discrepancies by identifying alternative names and appellations for the same individuals.

In Genesis 26:34, Esau marries two Canaanite women: “Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.” In Genesis 28:9, he takes a third wife, a descendant of Ishmael: “Mahalath daughter of Ishmael … as a wife in addition to his other wives.” Yet Genesis 36:2–3 lists a different trio: Adah daughter of Elon, Oholibamah daughter of Anah (granddaughter of Zibeon), and Basemath daughter of Ishmael. Notably, Judith and Mahalath are absent from this final genealogy, creating ambiguity regarding the true identity of Esau’s wives.

Rabbinic commentators, led by Rashi, resolve the tension by proposing that these are in fact the same women under different names. Thus:

Adah is identified with Basemath, daughter of Elon, Oholibamah is Judith, daughter of Beeri, Basemath, daughter of Ishmael, is Mahalath

According to this view, Esau had three wives in total, each known by multiple names depending on the context. Rashi further explains that Esau assigned his wives names that would sound favorable to his parents, in an attempt to appease them and to conceal their true identity as Canaanite women or idol worshippers.