Esau married Canaanite women because he was a profane, faithless man who placed no value on the spiritual birthright and was comfortable with the pagan Canaanite culture around him.
Scripture records that Esau took two Hittite women as wives and that these marriages were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah. Les Feldick teaches that Esau did not care about the spiritual side of the birthright, was morally loose, and had no faith, so his Canaanite marriages were the natural outflow of his own character and life direction.
Genesis 26:34-35 — This directly records Esau taking two Hittite/Canaanite wives and says they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.
Hebrews 12:16-17 — This explains Esau's character as profane and faithless, which is the root reason behind his careless and unspiritual marriages.
The Lord told Rebekah before her twins were born, "Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23). When Esau was forty years old, he took two Hittite wives: Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. Genesis 26:34-35 says these wives "were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah." Later, Isaac charged Jacob, "Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan" (Genesis 28:1). When Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father, he went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael as another wife (Genesis 28:8-9). The New Testament calls Esau a "fornicator" and "profane person" who sold his birthright for one morsel of meat and was rejected when he sought the blessing with tears (Hebrews 12:16-17).
Les Feldick teaches that Esau's Canaanite marriages were the outworking of his faithless character. Esau had already married two Canaanite women, and it was a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah. The Canaanites were pagan, idolatrous, and immoral, yet Esau was comfortable with them — showing where his heart really was. Les contrasts this with Abraham's instruction that Isaac should not take a Canaanite wife and with Isaac's charge that Jacob should not marry a Canaanite. According to Les, Esau did not care about the spiritual side of the birthright; it meant nothing to him. What upset him was losing the material blessing of the double portion of the herds and flocks. Les calls Esau a profane man without faith, and he says Hebrews 12:16-17 is hard to understand until we see that Esau never understood why he missed the blessing because he could not believe what God had said. Therefore, Esau deserved nothing; he was not cheated, and his immorality was shown by his marriages among the Hittites and Canaanites. After Jacob left, Esau saw that his Canaanite wives displeased his father and tried to add a wife from Ishmael's line. Les remarks that this was trying to make two wrongs into a right, and it just doesn't work.
No. The Genesis record does not connect Esau's marriages to anger over the stolen blessing. Les points out that Esau had already married two Canaanite women before Jacob was sent to Paddan Aram. The marriages flowed from Esau's own life direction — he was comfortable with the pagan people around him. When Esau later saw that his Canaanite wives displeased his father, his reaction was not repentance but a further mixed marriage to Ishmael's daughter.
Les describes the Canaanites as pagan, idolatrous, and immoral. Abraham had been careful not to take a Canaanite bride for Isaac, and Isaac charged Jacob not to take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Esau's willingness to marry these women showed his lack of regard for the faith and calling of Abraham's household.
Les teaches that Esau placed no value on the spiritual birthright; it meant nothing to him. The proof was when he sold it for one morsel of food. Paul's description of Esau as a fornicator and profane person fits the same pattern. His Canaanite marriages are additional evidence of that same carelessness toward the spiritual promises connected to Abraham's line.
Jacob & Esau: The Sovereignty of God in the Birthright & Blessing | Genesis 25-27
Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner, or two kinds of people shall be separated from thy bowels, or thy innermost being, and the one shall be stronger than the other. And then I want you to underline that final statement. The elder shall serve, or be under, the younger. Now who mandated then that Jacob would end up where Jacob ended up? God did.
Canaanite Wives and Pagan Culture
Les explains that Esau had already married two Canaanite women, which grieved Isaac and Rebekah, and that these women came from a pagan, idolatrous, immoral culture with which Esau was comfortable.
Marrying Ishmael's Daughter
Les shows that after Jacob left, Esau responded to his father's displeasure by taking another wife from Ishmael's family — an attempt to make two wrongs into a right that did not work.
Abraham's Care to Avoid Canaanite Brides
Les reminds readers that Abraham intentionally avoided a Canaanite bride for Isaac, making Esau's choice to marry Canaanite women all the more revealing.
Esau's Faithlessness and Rejection
Les teaches that Esau was a profane man without faith, and that is why he was rejected when he sought the blessing.
Esau's Spiritual Indifference and Immorality
Les explains that Esau didn't care about the spiritual birthright; he was upset only about losing the material blessing, and he was also an immoral man.
From Deceiver to Prince: Jacob’s Struggle and God’s Unconditional Promise (Genesis 28-32)
He is still Jacob. All right, keep that in mind. So Isaac sent him away in verse 5, and he went to Paddan Aram, up to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob, and Esau's mother. Now we come back to Esau in verse 6, and when he saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him away from thence, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge,…
Esau Deserved Nothing
Les concludes that Esau deserved neither the birthright nor the blessing because he had no faith, and his immorality was displayed in his marriages among the Hittites and Canaanites.
Genesis 25:23: And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
This sovereign declaration sets the background for Esau's lesser role from birth.
Genesis 26:34-35: And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite: Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.
This directly records Esau's marriages to Canaanite women and the grief they caused his parents.
Genesis 28:1: And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
Isaac's charge shows that taking a Canaanite wife was contrary to the family's calling.
Genesis 28:8-9: And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father; Then 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.
Esau's response to Isaac's displeasure was another mixed marriage, this time into Ishmael's line.
Hebrews 12:16-17: Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
This New Testament passage identifies Esau's character as profane and faithless, explaining why he was rejected.
Esau was a profane, faithless man who cared nothing for the spiritual treasure of the birthright and was comfortable with the pagan Canaanite culture. He therefore took two Canaanite wives, and the Bible says these marriages were a grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
No. Les points out that Esau had already married the Canaanite women before Jacob was sent away. His marriages were simply the result of his own faithless, careless life. Later he tried to gain favor by marrying Ishmael's daughter, but that did not correct the problem.
When Esau saw that his Canaanite wives displeased his father, he took Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael, as another wife. Les describes this as trying to make two wrongs into a right, and it just doesn't work.