Mahalath
Mahalath is mentioned in the Book of Genesis as the third wife of Esau and the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
History
[edit]Genesis
[edit]The biblical narrative states that Esau took Mahalath from the house of Ishmael to be his wife, after seeing that his Canaanite wives (Basemath and Judith) displeased his father, Isaac.[1]
Esau sought this union with a non-Canaanite in an effort to reconcile his relationship with his parents,[2][3] namely with his father Isaac, whose blessing he sought (Genesis 28:6–9). However, there is no record of his parents' approval for the union of Esau and Mahalath.
In Genesis 36:2,3, on the other hand, Esau's three wives are differently named; his family is mentioned as consisting of two Canaanite wives, Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah, and a third: Bashemath, Ishmael's daughter. Some scholars equate the three wives mentioned in Genesis 26 and 28 with those mentioned in Genesis 36, in the following way:[3]
- Basemath (Genesis 26:34–35) is Adah (Genesis 36:2,3), the daughter of Elon the Hittite;
- Judith (Genesis 26:34–35) is Aholibamah (Genesis 36:2,3), also a Canaanite;
- Mahalath (Genesis 28:9) is Bashemath (Genesis 36:2,3), Esau's cousin and third wife, daughter of Ishmael.
Nonetheless, other scholars dispute these connections.[4]
Talmud
[edit]Mahalath is mentioned both in the Babylonian (Megillah 17a)[6] and Jerusalem (Bikkurim 3:3)[7] Talmud. Pesachim 112b introduces a demon named Agrat, who is the daughter of Mahalath.[8]
Midrash
[edit]Midrashic literature features Mahalath, like Bereshit Rabbah 67[9] and 82,[10] Shemot Rabbah 1[11] and Aggadat Bereshit 46.[12] Mahalath is again mentioned as the mother of Agrat in Bamidbar Rabbah.[13]
Kabbalah
[edit]In Kabbalistic literature, Mahalath is transformed into a mother of demons. She is the daughter of Ishmael, and mate of Esau, Igratiel or the demon Samael, Esau's "heavenly patron", depending on the source.[14] Her daughter is Agrat.
References
[edit]- ↑ Genesis 28:6–9
- ↑ Easton, M., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (ISBN 1596059478, ISBN 978-1-59605-947-4 ), 2006, p.236
- 1 2 Phillips, J., Exploring Genesis: an expository commentary, (ISBN 0825434882, ISBN 978-0-8254-3488-4), 2001, p. 284
- ↑ Klein, Reuven Chaim (2014). "The Wives of Esau" (PDF). Jewish Bible Quarterly. 42 (4): 211–220.
- ↑ Genesis 36:4, 10
- ↑ "Megillah 17a:2 | Sefaria Library". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2026-09-21.
- ↑ "Jerusalem Talmud Bikkurim 3:3:16 | Sefaria Library". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2026-09-21.
- ↑ "Pesachim 112b:15 | Sefaria Library". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2026-09-21.
- ↑ "Bereshit Rabbah 67:13 | Sefaria Library". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2026-09-21.
- ↑ "Bereshit Rabbah 82:2 | Sefaria Library". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2026-09-21.
- ↑ "Shemot Rabbah 1:1 | Sefaria Library". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2026-09-21.
- ↑ "Aggadat Bereshit 46:1 | Sefaria Library". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2026-09-21.
- ↑ "Bamidbar Rabbah 12:3 | Sefaria Library". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2026-09-21.
- ↑ Patai, Raphael (1990). The Hebrew Goddess. Wayne State University Press. pp. 244–245.