Genesis 28:5-9 Meaning: The Wrong Way to Please God
5Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;”
7and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram.
8Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn’t please Isaac, his father.
9So Esau went to Ishmael, and took, in addition to the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
5And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan–aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
6When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan–aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
7And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan–aram;
8And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
9Then 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.
5And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Paddan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
7and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram:
8and Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
9and Esau went unto Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
5And Isaac sendeth away Jacob, and he goeth to Padan-Aram, unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramaean, brother of Rebekah, mother of Jacob and Esau.
6And Esau seeth that Isaac hath blessed Jacob, and hath sent him to Padan-Aram to take to himself from thence a wife--in his blessing him that he layeth a charge upon him, saying, Thou dost not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan--
7that Jacob hearkeneth unto his father and unto his mother, and goeth to Padan-Aram--
8and Esau seeth that the daughters of Canaan are evil in the eyes of Isaac his father,
9and Esau goeth unto Ishmael, and taketh Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, sister of Nebajoth, unto his wives, to himself, for a wife.
5And Isaac sent away Jacob; and he went to Padan-Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebecca, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
6And Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-Aram, to take a wife thence, blessing him, and giving him a charge saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan;
7and [that] Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padan-Aram.
8And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the sight of Isaac his father.
9And Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.
Meaning in one sentence
Esau sees Jacob blessed and tries to win his father's favor by marrying Ishmael's daughter, but his effort misses the deeper spiritual issue.
Context
Jacob has just received Isaac’s blessing and a clear command: do not marry a Canaanite woman; go instead to Paddan Aram, to your mother’s family, and find a wife there. Isaac sends him off with the blessing of Abraham, and Jacob goes. Then the writer pauses to show us Esau. Esau sees all this, his father’s blessing on Jacob, the command about not marrying Canaanites, Jacob’s obedience. He also notices that his own Canaanite wives have never pleased his father. So he goes to Ishmael’s family and takes Mahalath, Abraham’s granddaughter, as an additional wife. On the surface, it looks like a good move. But the story leaves a quiet question hanging over it.
Key Words
Three verbs in these verses tell the real story. He saw (Hebrew ra'ah): Esau sees what is happening, but the word can mean simply to perceive with the eyes. Seeing is not understanding. He observes the outer actions, the blessing, the journey, the command, but there is no sign he grasps the covenant promises behind them. He obeyed (Hebrew shama): this word carries the sense of listening so intently that you act on what you hear. It is the same word used in Exodus for honoring parents. Jacob shama’d his father and mother, he heard and he went. Finally, he took (Hebrew laqach): Esau takes a wife for himself, as he had taken his Canaanite wives. The action is the same, even if the family line is different. The change is outward, not inward.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read Esau’s actions with different emphases. Calvin saw a man “penetrated with a desire of the blessing” but not sincerely repentant, he devised his own method instead of humbling himself. Matthew Henry noted the influence of a good example: Esau begins to think Jacob the better man and copies him, but only in the outward act. Adam Clarke, however, defended Esau’s sincerity, writing that he did this “with a sincere desire to obey and please his parents.” The Cambridge Bible agrees that no resentment toward Jacob is implied; Esau simply wants to propitiate his father. Keil and Delitzsch took the opposite view, arguing that marrying into Ishmael’s family, a line separated from the promise, showed Esau had no real thought for the religious interests of the chosen family. Across these traditions, the question is not whether Esau tried, but whether he understood what he was trying for.
A common misunderstanding
Living This Out
This passage asks you to look at your own attempts to make things right. Maybe you have disappointed someone you love, and now you are scrambling to fix it, doing the right outward thing, hoping it will be enough. Esau’s story invites you to go deeper. It is not that your effort is worthless, but that real change begins with the heart. Before you act, ask: Am I trying to manage the impression I make, or am I willing to let God change me from the inside out? One of those paths leads to more of the same. The other leads home.
Main takeaway: Outward efforts to fix a broken relationship with God or others cannot substitute for inward repentance and genuine obedience.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Esau tried to make his dad happy by marrying a different woman. But he didn't ask God to change his heart. It's like cleaning your room on the outside but leaving a mess inside your closet.
For ages 9, 12
Esau finally realized his parents didn't like his Canaanite wives. So he went and married a woman from Abraham's family instead. It looked like a good decision, but the Bible shows us that his heart hadn't really changed. He was still trying to get what he wanted his own way. This is a warning for us: we can do the right thing for the wrong reasons. God wants us to obey him from the inside out.
Questions People Ask
Why is Jacob named before Esau in the phrase 'Jacob’s and Esau’s mother'?
In Hebrew culture, naming the younger son first was unusual. This order highlights Jacob's new role as the heir of the blessing. It also subtly points to God's sovereign choice, the younger was chosen over the older, just as the story has been building since before their birth.
Why did Esau marry Mahalath if he already had wives?
Esau saw that his Canaanite wives displeased his father Isaac. Hoping to win back his father's favor, he added a wife from Abraham's family, Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael. But Ishmael had been separated from the covenant line, so the marriage did not truly solve the problem.
Was Esau sincere in trying to please his parents?
Commentators disagree. Some see genuine desire to obey, noting he did what Jacob was commanded to do, marry within the family. Others argue his action was superficial because he did not repent of his earlier choices or seek the spiritual blessing. The text leaves room for both readings, but it clearly shows his effort was not enough.
How does this passage connect to Jacob's dream of the ladder?
Immediately after this episode, Jacob leaves Beersheba and has the dream of a stairway to heaven (Genesis 28:10-22). The contrast is striking: Esau tries to secure blessing through human effort, while Jacob receives God's promise as a free gift while he sleeps. One trusts in his own works; the other is met by grace.
What does this story teach about trying to fix our mistakes?
Esau shows us that we often try to solve spiritual problems with human solutions. When we realize we've disappointed God or others, our first instinct may be to do something, anything, to make it right. But God wants more than a new behavior. He wants a new heart. True change starts with repentance, not just rearrangement.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study