CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Genesis 36
Chapter 36 of 50
Chapter Overview
What happens in Genesis 36
This chapter lists the descendants of Esau, who is also called Edom. Esau settles in the hill country of Seir, separate from Jacob. His descendants become the nation of Edom. The chapter records Esau's wives, sons, and the chiefs and kings who ruled in Edom.
Scripture
Genesis 36
Esau's Wives and Sons
Study note
Esau marries women from the land of Canaan. The chapter lists his wives and the sons born to him. Because Esau and Jacob have so many possessions, the land cannot support both of them — similar to what happened between Abraham and Lot. Esau moves to the hill country of Seir, which becomes the land of Edom.
1 Here is the family record of Esau, who was also known as Edom. Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.
2 Esau married women from Canaan. He married Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite. He married Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite. Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
3 He also married Basemath (daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth). And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.
4 Through Adah, Esau had a son named Eliphaz. Through Basemath, he had a son named Reuel. And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel;
5 Through Oholibamah, he had Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were all Esau's sons, born while he was still living in Canaan. And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.
6 Esau packed up his whole household. He moved to a different area, away from Jacob. He took his wives, sons, daughters, and servants. He took his livestock and all his things from Canaan. And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.
7 The two brothers simply had too many possessions to stay in the same place. The land couldn't support both of their huge herds. For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle.
8 So Esau (that is, Edom) made his home in the hill country of Seir. Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.
The Chiefs of Esau
Study note
This section lists Esau's grandsons and the chiefs who descended from them. These chiefs ruled over various clans in the land of Edom. The descendants of Esau's son Eliphaz include Amalek, whose descendants would later become one of Israel's greatest enemies.
9 Here is the family tree of Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites who lived in the hills of Seir. And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir:
10 Esau's sons were: Eliphaz (whose mother was Adah) and Reuel (whose mother was Basemath). These are the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau.
11 Eliphaz had these sons: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 Eliphaz also had a son named Amalek through a woman named Timna, who was his concubine. All of these were Adah's grandsons through Esau. And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife.
13 Reuel's sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. All of these were Basemath's grandsons through Esau. And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.
14 Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon) gave Esau three sons: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.
15 Here are the tribal leaders who descended from Esau. From his firstborn Eliphaz came Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz, These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,
16 Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These chiefs in Edom all traced back through Eliphaz — Adah's grandsons. Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah.
17 From Esau's son Reuel came Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These chiefs in Edom all traced back through Reuel — Basemath's grandsons. And these are the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.
18 From Esau's wife Oholibamah came Chief Jeush, Chief Jalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Oholibamah, daughter of Anah. And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau's wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.
19 Those were all the sons of Esau (also called Edom) and the chiefs that came from them. These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.
The Horite Chiefs
Study note
The Horites were the original inhabitants of Seir before Esau's descendants displaced them. This section lists the Horite chiefs and their families. The listing shows the mixing of Esau's line with the native population of the region.
20 Here are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were the original inhabitants of that land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,
21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These men from Seir became the chiefs of the Horites in Edom. And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.
22 Lotan's sons were Hori and Homam. Lotan had a sister named Timna. And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan's sister was Timna.
23 Shobal's sons were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. And the children of Shobal were these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24 Zibeon had two sons: Aiah and Anah. This particular Anah was the one who stumbled upon hot springs out in the desert while he was watching his father Zibeon's donkeys. And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.
25 Anah's children were a son named Dishon and a daughter named Oholibamah. And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.
26 Dishon's sons were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.
27 Ezer's sons were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan.
28 Dishan's sons were Uz and Aran. The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran.
29 These were the Horite chiefs: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah, These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah,
30 Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These men led the Horite clans in the land of Seir. Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.
The Kings of Edom
Study note
This section lists eight kings who ruled in Edom before any king reigned over Israel. Each king apparently came from a different family, suggesting Edom did not have a hereditary monarchy. The chapter ends with a second list of Esau's chiefs by name and territory. While this genealogy may seem dry, it fulfills God's promise that Esau would also become a great nation, even though the covenant line runs through Jacob.
31 Here is a list of the kings who ruled in Edom long before Israel ever had a king: And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.
32 Bela son of Beor ruled Edom. His capital city was called Dinhabah. And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.
33 After Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah took over as king. And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.
34 After Jobab died, Husham from the Temanite region took over. And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead.
35 After Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad became king. He was the one who defeated the Midianites in Moab. His capital was called Avith. And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.
36 After Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah took over. And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.
37 After Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the River took over. And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.
38 After Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor took over. And Saul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.
39 After Baal-Hanan died, Hadad became king. His capital was called Pau. His wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Me-Zahab. And Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.
40 Here are the chiefs from Esau's family, listed by their names and lands: Chief Timna, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth, And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth,
41 Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,
42 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,
43 Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were all the chiefs of Edom, listed according to where they settled in the land they controlled. This wraps up the family record of Esau, the father of the Edomites. Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.
Key Themes
Themes in Genesis 36
Esau's descendants and edomGod's broader plan includes many peoplesSeparation between brothersThe sovereignty of God over nations
Apply This Today
Living Genesis 36
Even though Esau was not the child of promise, his story is still recorded. God cares about every person's journey, not just the ones who seem most important. No one is invisible to God.
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