Genesis 26:35 (KJV)

What does Genesis 26:35 mean?

Genesis 26:35 says that Esau’s wives caused deep distress for both of his parents, Isaac and Rebekah. The verse gives the parents’ response to Esau’s marriages, showing that these marriages brought trouble within the family.

The narrator uses the phrase “a grief of mind” to describe an inward burden, not merely a passing annoyance. Coming just after the names of Esau’s two Hittite wives, the sentence turns the reader’s attention from the marriages themselves to their effect on Isaac and Rebekah.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 26:35

• “grief” — מֹרַת (morat): This word carries the sense of bitterness. With “mind,” it pictures an experience that was bitter to Isaac and Rebekah inwardly.
• “mind” — רוּחַ (ruaḥ): This word can mean breath, wind, or spirit. Here it refers to a person’s inner life, giving “grief of mind” a wider sense than troubled thoughts alone.

Why Genesis 26:35 matters

• Both parents shared the distress. The narrator names “Isaac and Rebekah,” so the response is not presented as one parent’s concern alone.
• The verse prepares the reader for a later family conversation about marriage. In Genesis 27:46, Rebekah speaks to Isaac about her distress over Hittite women and the prospect of Jacob marrying one.
• Family choices become especially important in the next part of the story. In Genesis 28:1–2, Isaac directs Jacob to seek a wife from Rebekah’s family rather than from the women of Canaan.