Hebrew word · H1315

בָּֽשְׂמַת

vasemat

Basemath

A feminine name from bōśem / besem, 'balsam, spice, sweet perfume' (Exod 30:23; Song 4:10). It means something like 'Fragrant one'. The name is also borne by a daughter of Solomon (1 Kgs 4:15) and by an Ishmaelite wife of Esau (Gen 36:3).

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A woman of the Arabs living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.28.9;

daughter of: Ishmael (H3458);

sister of: Nebaioth (H5032), Kedar (H6938), Adbeel (H0110), Mibsam (H4017), Mishma (H4927), Dumah (H1746), Massa (H4854), Hadad (H2301), Tema (H8485), Jetur (H3195), Naphish (H5305) and Kedemah (H6929); married to Esau (H6215);

mother of: Reuel (H7467); also called Basemath (KJV: Bashemath) at Gen.36.3,4,10,13,17;

Another name of ma.cha.lat (מַחֲלַת "Mahalath" H4258G)

§ Bashemath or Basmath = "spice"

1) Hittite wife of Esau, daughter of Ishmael, sister of Nebaioth

2) daughter of Solomon, wife of Ahimaaz, one of Solomon's commissariat officers

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Genesis 26:34

Range of meaning

A feminine name from bōśem / besem, 'balsam, spice, sweet perfume' (Exod 30:23; Song 4:10). It means something like 'Fragrant one'. The name is also borne by a daughter of Solomon (1 Kgs 4:15) and by an Ishmaelite wife of Esau (Gen 36:3).

Against the English

Spelled Basemath (BSB, WEB, most modern versions) or Bashemath (KJV, YLT). The difference is only spelling.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 36 gives Esau a wife named Basemath, but there she is Ishmael's daughter, while Elon the Hittite's daughter is called Adah (36:2–3). Rashi, following the midrash, says one woman carried more than one name, and links 'Basemath' to her burning incense (besamim) to idols. That is a later explanation, not something the text says.

Where it appears

Genesis · 6

  1. Genesis 26:34 בָּ֣שְׂמַ֔ת Basemath

    When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

    Here: From besem, 'balsam, spice, perfume': roughly 'Fragrance'. A pleasant name, which makes a quiet contrast with the 'bitterness' these marriages bring in the next verse.

  2. Genesis 36:3 בָּשְׂמַ֥ת Basemath

    and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

  3. Genesis 36:4 וּבָ֣שְׂמַ֔ת and Basemath

    And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath gave birth to Reuel,

  4. Genesis 36:10 בָּשְׂמַ֖ת Basemath

    These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath.

  5. Genesis 36:13 בָשְׂמַ֖ת Basemath

    These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

  6. Genesis 36:17 בָשְׂמַ֖ת Basemath

    These are the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 4:15 בָּשְׂמַ֥ת Basemath

    Ahimaaz in Naphtali (he had married Basemath, a daughter of Solomon);

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.