Woman living at the time of the Patriarchs
Adah, also known as Basemath, was one of Esau's Hittite wives and the mother of Eliphaz, who became a chief in the land of Edom.
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Also known as Basemath · Bashemath
Adah, also referred to as Basemath, was one of the wives of Esau, the son of Isaac and Rebekah. She was a Hittite, the daughter of Elon (Gen.36.2; 26.34). Esau's marriage to Hittite women was a source of grief for his parents (Gen.26.34-35).
Adah gave birth to Eliphaz, who became one of the chiefs in the land of Edom (Gen.36.4,10). Eliphaz had several sons, including Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz, who also became chiefs in Edom (Gen.36.11-12,15-16).
In the genealogy of Esau, Adah is mentioned alongside Esau's other wives, Oholibamah and Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael (Gen.36.2-3). However, there is some confusion regarding the names of Esau's wives, as Basemath is also referred to as the daughter of Elon the Hittite (Gen.26.34), suggesting that Adah and Basemath may be two names for the same person.
Adah's role in the narrative is primarily as the mother of Eliphaz and an ancestor of the Edomites. Her Hittite origin underscores Esau's willingness to marry outside of the family lineage, in contrast to the endogamous marriages of Isaac and Israel (or 'Jacob').
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6 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H5711
When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.
Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath gave birth to Reuel,
These are the names of Esauʼs sons: Eliphaz son of Esauʼs wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esauʼs wife Basemath.
Additionally, Timna, a concubine of Esauʼs son Eliphaz, gave birth to Amalek. These are the grandsons of Esauʼs wife Adah.
Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. They are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Adah.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.