Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram. So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, 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.
Comment: Although the bigger library (the Bible) has 66 books, 39 written before the birth of Jesus and 27 after Jesus was born, there is one underlying theme running throughout the whole. That is what God has done, is doing and will do in the future to bring the world mess to a triumphant glorious end. Skeptics laugh at the concept, believers have their hope fixed upon it. Here we see a microcosm of that greater picture. Although no one is pictured as perfect, because sin is universal, Isaac is on God’s side and Esau is opposed to God. Thus Isaac is to find a wife who is from a group who believe in the True and Living God, Esau chooses a wife, who worships idols, to spitefully offend his parents.
Prayer: Thank You, God, that You are in control even when it doesn’t appear so.
As I read it! 
Thank you Barry, for your comments on this passage. The final sentence in the “comments” reads – “Thus Isaac is to find a wife …” – I believe that should read – “Thus Jacob is to find a wife…” God bless you.
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Hi Barry
Interestingly all the commentaries Iooked at online re this act of Esau saw his action of trying to curry favour with his fatherâ¦.
??? ð Denise
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Sadly this was a divided family. Esau was furious with both of his parents and his brother. Already Esau had married so by marrying another Canaanite in addition he was playing on human sexual weakness and getting a bit of emotional spice in his life. I don’t think that he knew what his motives were but anything which annoyed and stirred up his family gave him spiteful pleasure. I think that he had definitely chosen the way of evil!
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