Back to looking at some of the discrepancies in the book of Genesis’ genealogical lists (see also #7, #8-9, #20-21, #23).
Genesis 26:34 states that Esau’s wives were: 1) Judith daughter of the Hittite Beeri, and 2) Basemath, daughter of the Hittite Elon.
Genesis 36:2-3 lists: 1) Adah, daughter of the Hittite Elon, 2) Aholibamah, daughter of the Hivite Zibeon, and 3) Basemath, but here daughter of Ishmael.
Both of these passages are normally attributed to P. So perhaps there was some variation within the Priestly tradition itself. We can also visibly see that details in one tradition get presented in a different manner in the other tradition. Namely, there seems to have been some confusion over Basemath, and whose daughter she was!
On the other hand, the former passage, Genesis 26:34, is part and parcel to P’s continuous narrative (Gen 26:34-35 + 27:46-28:9) where Esau is used as a negative example of what happens when one practices exogamy—namely, they lose their inheritance and are “cut off” from the covenantal community (see #48).
The latter text, Genesis 36:2-3 comes within a larger section of Esau’s/Edom‘s full genealogy. It is quite possible that the Priestly author who penned the narratives now contained in Genesis and the Priestly author who penned these non-narrative genealogical sections were different authors, writing at different times.
At any rate, the two lists are contradictory, even if the whos, hows, and whys elude us.
That’s not necessarily a contradiction. It was just as common then as now to have people with the same given name.
To understand the confusion of Esau’s wives, one must consider ALL scriptures referring to the particular topic. The Book of Jasher (which the KJV bible makes reference to in 2 Samuel 1:18 and Joshua 10:13) clears this up.
1. Judith/Jehudith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite. (Genesis 26:34)
**[Jasher 28:22] “And Esau there saw in the land of Seir the daughter of a man of Canaan, and her name was Jehudith, the daughter of Beeri, son of Epher, from the families of Heth the son of Canaan.”
2. Bashemath/Bosmath/Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite. (Genesis 26:34; 36:2)
**[Jasher 29:12] “And when Esau saw that Jacob had fled and escaped from him, and that Jacob had cunningly obtained the blessing, then Esau grieved exceedingly, and he was also vexed at his father and mother; and he also rose up and took his wife and went away from his father and mother to the land of Seir, and he dwelt there; and Esau saw there a woman from amongst the daughters of Heth whose name was Bosmath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and he took her for a wife in addition to his first wife, and Esau called her name Adah, saying the blessing had in that time passed from him.”
3. Mahalath/Machlath/Bashemath/Bosmath, the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebajoth/Nebayoth. (Genesis 28:9; changed to Bashemath in Ch 36:3)
**[Jasher 29:43] “Then he went to the house of Ishmael his uncle, and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife.”
>>>Here Mahalath/Machlath’s name was changed to Bashemath/Bosmath<<<
**[Jasher 30:17] "And in the third year of Jacob's dwelling in Haran, Bosmath, the daughter of Ishmael, the wife of Esau, bare unto him a son, and Esau called his name Reuel."
4. Aholibamah/Ahlibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite. (Genesis 36:2)
**[Jasher 30:24] "And in the sixth year Esau took for a wife, in addition to his other wives, Ahlibamah, the daughter of Zebeon the Hivite, and Esau brought her to the land of Canaan."
Azaryah, it’s quite a stretch to call that book “scripture”. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sefer_haYashar_%28midrash%29. It’s probably a much later midrash, i.e., the author was intentionally attempting to explain and reconcile his people’s ancient writings. The original book of Jasher mentioned in the OT has not been preserved.
Actually according to Ken Johnson who translated the book of Jasher, Ken talked to the rabbis and the book of Jasher he translated they said was a good translation. We also can tell the Seder olam and Josephus drew from the book of Jasher. It is a highly accurate historical book, though not scriptures it’s recommended by the Scriptures.
Here are the relevant passages:
Note that in the first reference, Esau marries two Canaanite women. In the second, “in addition to the [Canaanite] wives he had,” he adds an Ishmaelite woman. We would expect a summary of Esau’s wives to include one Ishmaelite and two Canaanites, and that is precisely what the third reference says! The various harmonization attempts, which claim that Esau gave some wives different names or that he had anywhere from four to six wives, add unneeded assumptions. More likely is that it was known that Esau took an Ishmaelite wife after taking two Canaanite wives, and and their exact names and ancestry circulated as different traditions.
Look like there were 2 Aholibamah namely:
1)Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon
…and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite Gen 36:2; Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon Gen 36:14
2)Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the son of Seir
These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan Gen 36:20-21
and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.Gen 36:26
Do you see any contradiction here?
This is a very interesting explanation that exactly fits what the Bible says as far as I can tell and presents no contradiction.
First of all, why can we not accept that the women may have had two names in their lifetime like Abraham (Abram), Sarah (Sarai), Esau (Edom), Jacob (Israel), and Naomi (Marah)? Apparently, names were changed to fit events and circumstances in people’s lives back then.
Much of these ideas I got from aschmann.net, the meanings of the names from abarim-publications.com
Wife number 1: Judith (stems from a verb meaning “to praise”) or Oholibamah (possibly “tent of the high place”), the daughter of Anah the Hittite (or Beeri which means “my well” – possibly because he found some hot springs as actually mentioned in the Bible! – see below), the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite, great-granddaughter of Seir the Horite.
Wife number 2: Basemath (“sweet fragrances” or “pleasant-smelling”) or Adah (“ornament”), the daughter of Elon the Hittite
Wife number 3: Mahalath (“sickness, sad song, or dancing”) or Basemath (“sweet fragrances” or “pleasant-smelling”) (yes, the same, perhaps why it was changed?), the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebaioth.
The New American Standard Bible which is a careful translation quotes the relevant verses as follows:
Gen 26:34-35 When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35 and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Gen 27:46 And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth [or “Hittites”]; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth like these from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?
Gen 28:8-9 So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac; 9 and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.
Gen36:1-3 Now these are the records of the generations of Esau (that is, Edom). Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; also Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.
Gen 36:14 And these were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the granddaughter of Zibeon
Gen 36:20-21,24-25 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs descended from the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom… And these are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah—he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness [“Beeri” means “my well”!] when he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. And these are the children of Anah: Dishon, and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.