Genesis 36

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'These are the generations' (elleh toledot) — the toledot formula structures the book of Genesis (2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2). Its use here for Esau's line grants the non-chosen brother a full genealogical record, paralleling the toledot of Ishmael (25:12-18). Genesis honors the unchosen lines with careful documentation before returning to the covenant lineage.
2. 'Esau, that is Edom' (Esav hu Edom) — the identification formula links the individual patriarch to the nation that bears his name. Edom will become Israel's persistent neighbor, rival, and sometime enemy. The equation 'Esau is Edom' will be repeated emphatically throughout this chapter (vv. 1, 8, 19, 43), as if the narrator insists the reader never forget this connection.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The names of Esau's wives here differ from those given in 26:34 and 28:9 (Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite, Mahalath daughter of Ishmael). The discrepancy is one of the most discussed difficulties in Genesis. Possible explanations include: (1) the women had multiple names; (2) different sources preserved different traditions; (3) 'daughter' (bat) can mean 'granddaughter' or 'descendant,' creating confusion across generations. The rendering follows the names as given in chapter 36, which provides the definitive genealogical account.
2. 'Oholibamah' (Oholivamah, 'tent of the high place') — a name with cultic overtones, suggesting a sacred tent or elevated worship site. The name may reflect Horite/Hivite religious traditions.

Translator Notes

1. 'Basemath the daughter of Ishmael' — in 28:9 she is called 'Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael.' The identification 'sister of Nebaioth' anchors her within the Ishmaelite genealogy (25:13). Esau's marriage to Ishmael's daughter represents a strategic alliance between two excluded sons — Esau (passed over for Jacob) and Ishmael (passed over for Isaac). The Ishmaelite connection links Edom to the broader network of Abraham's non-covenant descendants.

Translator Notes

1. 'Eliphaz' — possibly meaning 'my God is fine gold.' An Eliphaz from Teman (Eliphaz's son, v. 11) appears as one of Job's friends (Job 2:11), connecting the wisdom tradition to Edomite territory.
2. 'Reuel' (Re'u'el, 'friend of God') — this name also appears as an alternate name for Moses' father-in-law Jethro (Exodus 2:18), linking Midianite and Edomite genealogies.

Translator Notes

1. 'Born to him in the land of Canaan' — this geographic note is significant: Esau's sons were born in the promised land before Esau relocated to Seir. The detail establishes that Esau had a legitimate claim to Canaan by residence and birth, which he voluntarily relinquished (vv. 6-8). His departure from Canaan parallels Lot's departure from Abraham (13:11-12) — in both cases, the non-chosen relative moves away, leaving the land to the covenant heir.

Translator Notes

1. 'Went to a land away from his brother Jacob' (vayyehlekh el-erets mippenei Ya'aqov achiv) — the phrase mippenei ('from the face of, away from') echoes the language of separation used for Lot and Abraham (13:11). Esau's departure is presented as voluntary and practical rather than hostile. The comprehensive list of what he takes — wives, sons, daughters, household members, livestock, animals, property — emphasizes the totality of the move. Esau leaves nothing behind in Canaan.
2. The narrator presents Esau's relocation without moral judgment. Unlike the expulsion of Hagar or the flight of Lot, Esau moves by his own decision for practical reasons. The land cannot support two wealthy herdsmen — the same dynamic that separated Abraham and Lot.

Translator Notes

1. The language closely parallels 13:6, where the land could not support both Abraham and Lot. The repetition of this pattern — prosperity leading to separation — underscores a recurring theme in Genesis: divine blessing brings abundance, but abundance creates practical pressure for the non-covenant line to relocate. In both cases, the one who departs receives territory outside the promised land.
2. 'The land of their sojourning' (erets megureihem) — the word megurim ('sojourning, temporary residence') reinforces the patriarchal status as resident aliens. Neither Esau nor Jacob owns the land; they are both sojourners in territory belonging to others.

Translator Notes

1. 'Esau — he is Edom' (Esav hu Edom) — the emphatic identification formula appears again (cf. v. 1). The repetition drives home the equation between the individual and the nation. Seir, the rugged mountainous region southeast of the Dead Sea, becomes Edom's permanent homeland. The identification of Esau with Edom and with Seir is fundamental to biblical geography and later prophetic literature (Obadiah, Malachi 1:2-5).

Translator Notes

1. A second toledot heading opens a new section of the genealogy, now focused specifically on the descendants who settled in Seir. The first toledot (v. 1) covered Esau's immediate family in Canaan; this second heading introduces the expanded genealogy in their new homeland. The double toledot is unique in Genesis and reflects the chapter's comprehensive scope.

Translator Notes

1. The genealogy traces descent through named wives, a pattern that elevates the mothers' identity within the record. Each wife's contribution to the lineage is carefully documented — a practice consistent with the broader Genesis attention to maternal lines (Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel).

Translator Notes

1. 'Teman' — a name meaning 'south' or 'right hand.' Teman became a significant Edomite region known for wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7; Obadiah 9). Eliphaz the Temanite in the book of Job (Job 2:11) is traditionally associated with this lineage, linking Edomite wisdom to this genealogy.
2. 'Kenaz' — the ancestor of the Kenizzites, who later became associated with Israel. Caleb is called a 'Kenizzite' (Numbers 32:12; Joshua 14:6, 14), and Othniel son of Kenaz was Israel's first judge (Judges 3:9). This suggests absorption of some Edomite clans into Israel.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Amalek' — the ancestor of the Amalekites, who will become Israel's archetypal enemy. The Amalekites attacked Israel at Rephidim immediately after the Exodus (Exodus 17:8-16), prompting the declaration of perpetual war: 'The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.' Saul's failure to destroy Amalek cost him his kingship (1 Samuel 15). That Amalek descends from Esau through a concubine connects Israel's most persistent enemy to the patriarchal family itself.
2. 'Timna was a concubine' — Timna's lower status as concubine (pilegesh) rather than wife may explain Amalek's marginal position within Esau's line. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 99b) offers a remarkable tradition: Timna wanted to convert and join the patriarchal family but was rejected, so she became Eliphaz's concubine, and her descendant Amalek punished Israel for the rejection.

Translator Notes

1. 'Zerah' — a name meaning 'rising, dawning' (from zarach, 'to rise, shine'). The name appears elsewhere in Israelite genealogies (the Zerahites of Judah, Numbers 26:20), suggesting some overlap or parallel naming between Edomite and Israelite clans.

Translator Notes

1. Oholibamah's sons are listed again (cf. v. 5), now in the context of the Seir genealogy. The repetition serves the structure of the chapter, which moves from family in Canaan (vv. 1-8) to expanded genealogy in Seir (vv. 9-14). The term 'daughter' (bat) for Oholibamah's relationship to Zibeon likely means 'granddaughter,' since Anah is Zibeon's son (v. 24).

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Chiefs' (allufim) — the Hebrew aluf (plural allufim) denotes a clan leader or chieftain. The KJV renders this as 'duke,' following the Vulgate's dux. The term is distinctive to Edomite political organization in Genesis 36 and appears to describe tribal leaders ruling without centralized monarchy — at least until the king-list of vv. 31-39. The rendering 'chief' captures the tribal leadership role more accurately than the feudal connotations of 'duke.'

Translator Notes

1. The inclusion of Amalek among the chiefs of Eliphaz is notable: Amalek, born to a concubine (v. 12), nevertheless attains chieftain status. The list traces both legitimate and concubine-born sons as chiefs, suggesting that in Edomite society, a concubine's son could achieve full political standing.

Translator Notes

1. Reuel's four sons each become chiefs, giving Basemath's line four clan-chieftainships in Edom. The systematic structure — sons listed, then titled as chiefs — reveals an organized tribal society with clear lines of authority traced through the founding wives.

Translator Notes

1. Oholibamah's three sons all become chiefs, completing the roster of Esau's chieftains. Between his three wives, Esau produces chiefs who govern the land of Edom — a political structure that precedes and parallels the twelve-tribe structure of Israel.

Translator Notes

1. The summary formula repeats the identification 'he is Edom' for the third time (cf. vv. 1, 8). This verse closes the section on Esau's direct descendants and their chieftainships, transitioning to the pre-existing inhabitants of Seir in the next section.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Seir the Horite' (Se'ir haChori) — the Horites (Chorim) were the pre-Edomite inhabitants of the region. The name Chori may derive from chor ('cave'), suggesting cave-dwellers, or from Hurrian, an ethnic designation for the Hurrian people known from ancient Near Eastern texts. Deuteronomy 2:12 states that the descendants of Esau dispossessed the Horites, just as Israel would later dispossess the Canaanites. The inclusion of the Horite genealogy shows the population that Esau's descendants absorbed or displaced.

Translator Notes

1. Seven Horite sons of Seir are listed (vv. 20-21), each designated a 'chief' (aluf). The Horite clan structure mirrors the Edomite structure — both peoples organize around chieftains rather than kings. That Horite chiefs are recorded alongside Edomite chiefs suggests a period of coexistence or gradual absorption before the Edomite dominance described in Deuteronomy 2:12.

Translator Notes

1. 'Lotan's sister was Timna' — this Timna is likely the same concubine of Eliphaz mentioned in v. 12 who bore Amalek. If so, the Horite-Edomite connection runs through intermarriage: a Horite woman becomes concubine to Esau's firstborn son. The genealogical note explains how Amalek, though of Edomite patrilineal descent, also carries Horite blood.

Translator Notes

1. Shobal's five sons expand the Horite genealogy. Some of these names appear as place names in later biblical geography (Manahath in Judah, 1 Chronicles 8:6), suggesting that Horite clans were absorbed into Israelite territory as well as Edomite.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Found the hot springs' (matsa et-hayyemim) — the word yemim is one of the most debated terms in Genesis. The KJV renders 'mules,' following the Vulgate (mulos), based on a possible connection to a rare word for hybrid animals. However, most modern scholars and ancient versions (including some Targumim and the Septuagint's reading of hydōr, 'water') understand yemim as 'hot springs' — warm mineral springs in the desert. The Seir region does contain thermal springs. The rendering follows the 'hot springs' interpretation as more geographically plausible and linguistically defensible.
2. The detail about Anah's discovery while pasturing donkeys suggests that this was a notable event preserved in local tradition — finding water in the wilderness would have been significant for a pastoral people.

Translator Notes

1. Oholibamah is identified here as Anah's daughter, confirming her as the same woman who became Esau's wife (v. 2). Through this marriage, Esau allied himself with the indigenous Horite population of Seir — a union that facilitated his settlement in the region.

Translator Notes

1. The Horite genealogy continues with systematic thoroughness. The parallel account in 1 Chronicles 1:41 reads 'Hamran' instead of 'Hemdan,' a minor textual variation common in genealogical lists transmitted across centuries.

Translator Notes

1. 'Akan' — called 'Jaakan' in 1 Chronicles 1:42. The 'Bene-Jaakan' (sons of Jaakan) appear as a wilderness station in Israel's journeys (Deuteronomy 10:6; Numbers 33:31-32), placing this Horite clan name on the map of the Exodus itinerary.

Translator Notes

1. 'Uz' (Uts) — the same name as the land where Job lived (Job 1:1: 'the land of Uz'). Whether this Horite Uz is connected to Job's homeland is debated, but the association reinforces the link between the Seir/Edom region and the wisdom tradition represented in the book of Job.

Translator Notes

1. The Horite chiefs are now listed formally by title, paralleling the Edomite chiefs of vv. 15-19. The parallel structure implies political parity between the two populations during the period of coexistence, before Edomite dominance.

Translator Notes

1. 'Chief by chief' (le'allufeihem) — the phrase emphasizes the enumeration of each chief individually, cataloging the complete political structure of Horite Seir. The concluding formula closes the Horite genealogy and transitions to the Edomite king-list.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'Before any king reigned over the children of Israel' (lifnei melokh-melekh livnei Yisra'el) — this is one of the most discussed phrases in Genesis. It presupposes knowledge of the Israelite monarchy, which did not begin until Saul (c. 1020 BC). Source-critical scholars view this as evidence of late editorial composition or insertion. Traditional interpreters note that Genesis 17:6 and 35:11 already promised that kings would come from the patriarchs, so the narrator could anticipate monarchy without having witnessed it. Others point to Deuteronomy 17:14-15, where Moses legislates for a future king. Regardless of when the note was written, its literary function is to establish Edom as politically precocious — organized under kings before Israel — which adds irony to the oracle of 25:23: 'the older shall serve the younger.'
2. The king-list that follows (vv. 32-39) is notable for the absence of dynastic succession: no king is succeeded by his son. Each new king comes from a different city and family, suggesting an elective or charismatic model of kingship rather than hereditary monarchy.

Translator Notes

1. 'Bela the son of Beor' — the name 'Beor' is identical to the father of Balaam (Numbers 22:5), prompting some ancient interpreters to identify this Edomite king with Balaam himself or his relative. The connection is uncertain but intriguing — both Edom and Moab (Balaam's employer) are Transjordanian neighbors of Israel.
2. Each king in the list is identified by his father's name and his capital city, but never by any relationship to the preceding king. This non-dynastic pattern is unlike the later Israelite or Judahite monarchies and resembles the 'judge' model of charismatic, non-hereditary leadership.

Translator Notes

1. 'Jobab' — some ancient traditions (LXX appendix to Job) identify Jobab with Job, but this is uncertain. 'Bozrah' (Botsrah) was a major Edomite city, later the subject of prophetic judgment (Isaiah 34:6; 63:1; Jeremiah 49:13, 22; Amos 1:12). The 'died and reigned in his place' formula repeats through vv. 33-39, creating a rhythmic chronicle of royal succession.

Translator Notes

1. 'The land of the Temanites' (erets haTeimani) — Teman, a region in Edom named after Esau's grandson (v. 11), was renowned for its wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7). Husham's origin from Temanite territory places him within the heartland of Edomite culture.

Translator Notes

1. 'Who defeated Midian in the territory of Moab' (hammakkeh et-Midyan bisdeh Mo'av) — this is the only entry in the king-list that includes a military exploit. Hadad is remembered for a specific victory: defeating Midianite forces in Moabite territory. This suggests a period when Edom projected military power across the Transjordanian region. The detail also reveals that Edom, Midian, and Moab — all related peoples in the biblical genealogy — engaged in inter-regional conflict.
2. 'Hadad' — a theophoric name incorporating the storm god Hadad, widely worshipped across the ancient Near East. The name appears again in v. 39 and in later Edomite history (1 Kings 11:14-22). Its use suggests Edomite participation in broader Semitic religious culture.

Translator Notes

1. 'Masrekah' — possibly related to soreq ('choice vine'), suggesting a vineyard region. The location has not been securely identified but may lie in the northern Edomite territory.

Translator Notes

1. 'Shaul' (Sha'ul) — the same name as Israel's first king (Saul). The name means 'asked for, requested.' Its appearance in the Edomite king-list is coincidental but striking in light of v. 31's note about kings reigning in Edom before Israel had a king.
2. 'Rehoboth-on-the-River' (Rechovot haNahar) — 'Rehoboth' means 'wide places, open spaces' (cf. 26:22). The 'River' (nahar) likely refers to the Euphrates in most biblical usage, but here it may indicate a significant wadi in Edomite territory.

Translator Notes

1. 'Baal-Hanan' (Ba'al Chanan, 'Baal is gracious') — a theophoric name incorporating the Canaanite deity Baal. The name testifies to the religious environment of Edom, where Baal worship was present alongside other traditions. The name's structure parallels Israelite theophoric names using YHWH (e.g., Yochanan, 'YHWH is gracious').

Translator Notes

1. 'Hadar' — in 1 Chronicles 1:50, the name is given as 'Hadad,' which may be the original form (a common Edomite royal name). The absence of the death formula for Hadar suggests he may have been the reigning king at the time the list was compiled.
2. 'Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab' — uniquely among the Edomite kings, Hadar's wife is named and her maternal lineage traced through two generations. Me-Zahab ('waters of gold') is an evocative name that may indicate a region known for gold-bearing streams. The inclusion of the queen's genealogy may indicate her political importance or a matrilineal element in this particular succession.

Translator Notes

1. 'According to their clans, their territories, and their names' (lemishpechotam limqomotam bishemotam) — this formula organizes the final chief-list by three categories: family grouping, geographic location, and personal name. It indicates that by this point, the chieftainships were associated with specific territories rather than just personal authority.
2. This final list of chiefs (vv. 40-43) differs from the earlier list (vv. 15-19). The earlier list named chiefs who were Esau's grandsons; this list appears to represent a later period when the chieftainships had evolved into territorial designations. Some names here (Timna, Kenaz, Teman) appear both as personal names and as regional names.

Translator Notes

1. 'Pinon' — identified with the copper-mining site of Punon in the Arabah valley (modern Feinan, Jordan), one of the largest ancient copper production centers in the Near East. Numbers 33:42-43 lists Punon as an Israelite wilderness station. The association of an Edomite chieftainship with a mining center reflects Edom's significant role in ancient metallurgy.

Translator Notes

1. 'Mibzar' — a name meaning 'fortification' or 'fortress,' possibly referring to the fortified city of Bozrah or another stronghold in Edom. The name reflects the rugged, defensible terrain of the Seir mountains.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. 'The land of their possession' (erets achuzzatam) — the term achuzzah ('possession, holding') is the same legal term used for the patriarchal land promises (17:8; 23:4, 9, 20; 48:4). Edom possesses its land just as Israel will possess Canaan. The parallel vocabulary suggests that both nations have divinely appointed territories — Edom in Seir, Israel in Canaan (cf. Deuteronomy 2:5: 'I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession').
2. 'He is Esau, the father of Edom' (hu Esav avi Edom) — the chapter's closing formula brings the identification full circle. The opening ('these are the generations of Esau, that is Edom,' v. 1) and the closing ('he is Esau, the father of Edom') create an inclusio that frames the entire genealogy. Esau's story is now complete in Genesis: he has a land, a people, chiefs, and kings. The narrative can now turn entirely to Jacob's family and the story of Joseph (37:2).