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Ramban on Genesis 36:3/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ו:ג׳

אבָּשְׂמַת בַּת יִשְׁמָעֵאל וּלְהַלָּן הוּא קוֹרֵא לָהּ מָחֲלַת (בראשית כ"ח:ט'). מָצָאתִי בְּהַגָּדַת מִדְרָשׁ סֵפֶר שְׁמוּאֵל (פרק יז), שְׁלֹשָׁה מוֹחֲלִין לָהֶם עַל כָּל עֲוֹנוֹתֵיהֶם, גֵּר שֶׁנִּתְגַּיֵּר וְהָעוֹלֶה לִגְדֻלָּה וְהַנּוֹשֵׂא אִשָּׁה, וְלָמַד הַטַּעַם מִכָּאן, לְכָךְ נִקְרֵאת מָחֲלַת, שֶׁנִּמְחֲלוּ לוֹ עֲוֹנֹתָיו, כָּל זֶה לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ו:ג'). וְהִנֵּה לֹא נָתַן טַעַם בַּאֲבִי אָהֳלִיבָמָה שֶׁנִּקְרָא שָׁם בְּאֵרִי וְכָאן עֲנָה, וּבָשְׂמַת בַּת יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִהְיֶה שֵׁם הָעֶצֶם וְהוּא שֵׁם תֹּאַר לְקִטּוּר הַבְּשָׂמִים. וּבִבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ס"ז:י"ג) אָמְרוּ, נָתַן עֵשָׂו דַּעְתּוֹ לְהִתְגַּיֵּר, מָחֲלַת שֶׁמָּחַל לוֹ הקב"ה עַל עֲוֹנֹתָיו, בָּשְׂמַת שֶׁנִּתְבַּשְּׂמָה דַּעְתּוֹ עָלָיו. וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵיהֶם תֹּאַר, אֵין שֵׁם הָעֶצֶם נוֹדַע בָּם. וּלְכָךְ אָמַר רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם כִּי הָיוּ לָהּ שְׁנֵי שֵׁמוֹת וְגַם לְאָבִיהָ. וְיִתָּכֵן לוֹמַר כִּי הַשְׁתַּיִם נָשִׁים הָהֵם מֵתוּ בְּלֹא בָּנִים, אוּלַי נֶעֶנְשׁוּ בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהָיוּ מֹרַת רוּחַ לְיִצְחָק וּלְרִבְקָה, וְנָשָׂא אֲחוֹת אִשְׁתּוֹ בַּת אֵלוֹן וְאַחֶרֶת אָהֳלִיבָמָה בַּת עֲנָה. אֲבָל בַּת יִשְׁמָעֵאל אֲחוֹת נְבָיוֹת בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהָיָה לָהּ שֵׁם כָּעוּר בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ, מָחֲלַת, קָרָא אֶת שְׁמָהּ בַּשֵּׁם הַנִּכְבָּד אֲשֶׁר הָיָה לְאִשְׁתּוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, מִלְּשׁוֹן בְּשָׂמִים, כִּי הָיְתָה חֲבִיבָה עָלָיו בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהָיְתָה מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ וְאֵינֶנָּה רָעָה בְּעֵינֵי יִצְחָק אָבִיו:

1BASMATH ISHMAEL’s DAUGHTER. But elsewhere Scripture calls her Mahalath!²⁴², 28:9. I have found in the Agadic Midrash on the Book of Samuel:²⁴³ There are three persons all of whose sins are pardoned: a proselyte on conversion, one who is exalted to a high position, and a man on his marriage. It derives the proof for the latter case from here. The reason she was called Mahalath, [from the word mechilah (pardon)], is that Esau’s sins were pardoned when he married her. All this, [including the comment on Verse 2 above], is the language of Rashi.But Rashi has not explained the reason why the father of Oholibamah, who, according to Rashi, is identical with Judith, is there²⁴¹ called Be’eri and here called Anah. And Basmath Ishmael’s daughter is here a proper name while there,²⁴¹ according to Rashi, is an adjectival noun on account of her burning the incense! And in Bereshith Rabbah, the Sages have said:²⁴⁴ “Esau set his mind to repent. Mahalath means that the Holy One, blessed be He, did pardon him for his sins. Basmath means that he was content [with his well-born wives and his decision to repent].” Thus according to the Midrash, both names (Mahalath and Basmath) are descriptive, and their proper names are unknown. For this reason Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra has said that she had two names, Adah and Basmath. Also in the case of Abijah, [king of Judah, we find that his mother had two names, Micaiah — II Chronicles 13:2 - and Maacah - ibid., 11:20].It is possible to say that those two women [mentioned above, 26:34, i.e., Judith and Basmath], died childless perhaps as a punishment because they were a bitterness of spirit unto Isaac and to Rebekah.²⁴⁵ Esau then married his wife’s sister Adah, the daughter of Elon, and another woman by the name of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. But as regards Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth, [who was originally called Mahalath] ,²⁴², 28:9. because of the repugnance of her name, [which suggests choli, (sickness)] in the Sacred Language, Esau called her by the honorable name of his first wife Basmath, derived from the word besamim (spices). This was because she was beloved by him since she was of his family and was not evil in the eyes of Isaac his father.²⁴⁶, 28:8.