Genesis Part 043

Notice that in both Genesis 12 and 26 we have the repeated pattern of God commanding his servant (Abraham or Isaac, respectively) to go to a land that He would show him, followed immediately by a giving or reaffirming of what has come to be called the Abrahamic Covenant. Genesis contains several examples of this kind of couplet—as you read through the book, keep your eyes open for them! One of the couplets is Abraham and Isaac’s denial of their wives, in each case to a king titled Abimelech (Abraham also did so to Pharaoh in Genesis 12).    

These couplets have led some to suggest that the book of Genesis was stitched together from several different and contradictory traditions—in this case, one tradition having Abraham denying his wife, and another tradition having Isaac denying his wife. The truth is that there are no contradictory traditions. Abraham and Isaac both did the same thing; the son imitating the father, perhaps for the same reasons. 

Though the incidents with Abraham occurred before Isaac was born, Isaac most likely had heard about them. He may have viewed his father’s example as an acceptable approach or reacted in the moment and simply relied on what he had heard his father had done even if he knew it wasn’t right.   

In Genesis 26:34 Esau marries two Hittite women at the age of 40. Coincidentally, this is the same age as Isaac when he married. We can recall the great care Abraham took to ensure that Isaac had married someone from their own family. Hittites were descendants of Heth of the line of Ham, through Canaan (Genesis 10:15). This family line of Ham departs from obedience to God quickly and through time continued to not be faithful to God. 

Josephus records this about the fathers of these two Hittite women; they “were great lords among the Canaanites: thereby taking upon himself the authority, and pretending to have dominion over his own marriages, without so much as asking the advice of his father; for had Isaac been the arbitrator, he had not given him leave to marry thus, for he was not pleased with contracting any alliance with the people of that country; but not caring to be uneasy to his son by commanding him to put away these wives, he resolved to be silent.” 

Adam Clarke’s commentary says, “It is very likely that the wives taken by Esau were daughters of chiefs among the Hittites, and by this union he sought to increase and strengthen his secular power and influence.” 

In verse 35 we are told that Esau and his wives “were a grief of mind” to Isaac and Rebekah.  We aren’t told why, but we can assume that marrying women from a culture of pagan idol worship and not cultures built on obeying the True God would lead to problems. John Gill’s commentary states: “he took for wives were very disagreeable on all accounts, partly because of their religion, being idolaters, and partly by reason of their temper and behavior, being proud, haughty, and disobedient; as all the three Targums intimate.” 

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships, and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.