Genesis 28:9 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

1760 Esau went unto Ishmael; either to his person, or rather to his family, called Ishmael by their father's name, as David is sometimes put for David's posterity; for Ishmael seems to have been dead before this, from Genesis 25:17, though that may possibly be a prolepsis, and then this may be Ishmael himself. Mahalath, called also Bashemath, Genesis 36:3. He thought by this means to ingratiate himself with his father, and so to get another and a better blessing; but he takes no care to reconcile himself to God, nor observes his hand in the business. Besides, he mends one fault by committing another, and taking a third wife when he had one too many before, and her too he unwisely fetcheth out of that stock which was begotten to bondage, and was utterly uncapable of the inheritance. Nebajoth was Ishmael's eldest son, Genesis 25:13, who alone is here mentioned, either in the name of all the rest, whose sister she is by consequence supposed to be; or because peradventure she and Nebajoth were Ishmael's children by the same mother, and the rest by another.

Genesis 28:9

9 Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalathc the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.