Mahalath

Mahalath (meaning lute or lyre) is the name of two women and a musical term in the Old Testament. (1.) The daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham and third wife of Esau, also called Basemath (Genesis 28:9; 36:3). Esau married her after learning that his Canaanite wives displeased his parents, apparently hoping to satisfy his father by marrying within the wider Abrahamic family. (2.) The granddaughter of David — daughter of Jerimoth and granddaughter of David — who married Rehoboam king of Judah (2 Chronicles 11:18).

As a musical designation, Mahalath appears in the superscriptions of Psalms 53 and 88 ("To the chief musician upon Mahalath" and "Mahalath Leannoth"). The precise meaning of these psalm headings is uncertain; Mahalath may indicate a tune, an instrument (a lute or lyre), or a liturgical mode. The word leannoth in Psalm 88's heading may add the idea of affliction or sighing, matching the psalm's tone of deep distress — making it one of the most plaintive psalms in the Psalter.