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.
So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, who was Ishmael's daughter and Abraham's granddaughter, and the sister of Nebajoth. This was in addition to the wives he already had.
This verse shows Esau trying to win back his father's approval by marrying into Abraham's family line through Ishmael.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Genesis, Esau is the older twin son of Isaac and Rebekah, who had already married two Hittite women that displeased his parents due to their foreign origins and the cultural conflicts they represented. Seeing that his parents favored his brother Jacob and sent him to find a wife from their own relatives, Esau attempted to mend the family rift by marrying Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, who was Abraham's son from his concubine Hagar. This action reflects the ancient patriarchal society's emphasis on maintaining pure lineage and alliances within the family of Abraham, highlighting Esau's belated effort to align with his heritage.
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