Who was Judith in the Bible?

Judith was a Hittite woman, the daughter of Beeri, who became one of the wives of Esau, the son of Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:34). Her marriage to Esau was a source of deep grief to his parents because she was from a Canaanite people group.

Why was Judith's marriage to Esau significant?

Judith's marriage was significant because it represented Esau's disregard for his family's covenant faith by marrying outside of it, which brought sorrow to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:35). This act is often cited as an example of Esau's worldly choices, contrasting with his brother Jacob's path.

What happened to Judith in the Bible?

The Bible only records Judith's marriage to Esau and the grief it caused. There are no further details about her life, her children, or her death mentioned in the scriptural account, making her a minor but poignant figure in the family narrative of Isaac.

Judith

Old TestamentPatriarchsFemaleDaughter of beeri

Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, was one of Esau's wives, causing grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

Judith

Biography

Judith was a Hittite woman, the daughter of Beeri, who became one of Esau's wives (Genesis 26:34). Esau took her as his wife when he was forty years old, at the same time he married Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. Scripture records succinctly that these marriages were "a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah" (Genesis 26:35). The cause of this grief was almost certainly twofold: the Hittites were Canaanite peoples outside the covenant family, and intermarriage with them jeopardized the covenantal distinctiveness that Abraham had taken great pains to preserve (Genesis 24:3–4). Judith is not named again in the narrative, and Rebekah's anxiety over such marriages later motivated Isaac to send Jacob to find a wife from within the covenant family (Genesis 27:46–28:2). Her inclusion reveals tensions within the patriarchal family over covenant boundaries.

Significance

Judith's appearance in the patriarchal narrative, though brief, carries significant theological weight. Her identity as a Hittite wife of Esau illustrates the broader pattern of Esau's indifference to the covenant promises, a pattern that explains why Jacob, not Esau, inherited the Abrahamic blessing. The grief her marriage caused Isaac and Rebekah foreshadows Esau's continued disregard for what was sacred (cf. Hebrews 12:16–17). Her story underscores the covenantal importance of marriage within the community of faith, a theme that runs from Abraham's instructions in Genesis 24 through Paul's admonitions in 2 Corinthians 6:14, and the spiritual consequences of treating covenant commitments lightly.

Authority Records

Wikidata VIAF Library of Congress GND

SpouseManasseh

Verse Appearances (1)

Genesis

Genesis 26:34

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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