Judith is a name found in the King James Bible, appearing 1 time in the text.
Who This Was
Judith was one of the wives of Esau, the son of Isaac and Rebekah and the twin brother of Jacob. She appears in the genealogical records of Genesis, where the text notes that Esau was forty years old when he took her as his wife. According to Genesis 26:34, she was “the daughter of Beeri the Hittite,” making her a woman of Canaanite descent. The same verse records that Esau also married Bashemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, so Judith was one of at least two wives Esau took at that time.
The setting of Judith’s brief appearance is a turning point in the family story of Isaac. Esau’s marriages to Hittite women are recorded in Scripture as a source of grief to his parents. The verses immediately following note that these unions “were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah” (Genesis 26:35). Judith’s marriage into the family of promise thus stands as a marker of Esau’s disregard for the covenant line and the wishes of his father and mother concerning whom he should marry.
Scripture tells us nothing further about Judith’s life, character, or later years. She is named only once in the entire King James Bible, in the verse that records her marriage. She remains a single-verse figure, known only as Esau’s wife and the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, her story folded into the wider account of Esau’s choices and the unfolding of God’s purposes through Jacob instead.
The Name
The name Judith is the English form of the Hebrew name *Yehudit*, which is built on the same root as Judah and means “praised” or “Jewess” — that is, a woman of praise or one belonging to the people of Judah. The meaning of the name itself is well established in Hebrew. There is, however, an irony worth noting: the name carries the sense of “praised” or “of Judah,” yet the Judith of Genesis was a Hittite woman whose marriage to Esau brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah rather than honor to the covenant family.
A Closing Thought
Judith’s life reminds us that names and titles do not determine a person’s story; choices do. She is remembered not for anything she said or did, but for a marriage that saddened the very parents whose blessing mattered most. Yet her brief appearance also testifies to God’s patience and providence — even the painful choices of Esau were woven into the larger story of redemption. For those who read her name today, the lesson is gentle but clear: the people we join our lives to shape our legacy, and it is never too late to seek the wisdom of those who love us.
At a Glance
- Gender: Male
- Testament: Old
- Mentions in the KJV: 1
Where It Appears in Scripture
- Genesis 26:34 — 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: