Aholibamah

Aholibamah (Hebrew אָהֳלִיבָמָה, Standard Hebrew Oholivama, Tiberian Hebrew ʼOhŏlîḇāmā; Hittite "My tabernacle of/is height/exaltation" or "Tent of the High Place"^[1]), is a minor biblical person in the Book of Genesis.

Aholibamah was the daughter of Beeri the Hittite^[2] and Anah of Zibeon the Hivite. Her maternal grandfather was Zibeon the Hivite son of Seir the Horite.^[3] She was one of two Canaanite women who married Esau, the son of Isaac, when he was in his forties. However, her In-Laws were greatly opposed to this union.^[4] So as to pacify them, Esau changed her name to the Hebraic name "Judith".^[5]

Aholibamah bore three children to Esau who would become Dukes of three Edomite tribes. Her Hittite name was also used to name a mountainous district in Edom, probably near Mount Hor.^{[citation needed]}

Children:

1. Jeush
2. Jalam
3. Korah

Popular culture

In the fantasy novel Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle, Oholibamah was the daughter of a nephil (fallen angel). She married into the family of Noah.

References

This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.

1. ^ Phillips, J. Exploring Genesis: an expository commentary, (ISBN 0-8254-3488-2, ISBN 978-0-8254-3488-4), 2001, p. 284
2. ^ Genesis 26:34
3. ^ Genesis 36:2
4. ^ Genesis 26:35
5. ^ Phillips, Exploring Genesis, p. 284, 285