Genesis 36

Chapter context

What is happening in Genesis 36?

creationfallcovenantpromise

Genesis 36 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as the family line through Isaac and Jacob. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom. ² 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 And Bashemath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth. ⁴ And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel; ⁵ 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 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 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 Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom. ⁹ And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir: ¹⁰ 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 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. ¹² 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 And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau’s wife. ¹⁴ 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 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 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 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 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 These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes. ²⁰ These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, ²¹ And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. ²² And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna. ²³ And the children of Shobal were these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. ²⁴ 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 And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. ²⁶ And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran. ²⁷ The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. ²⁸ The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran. ²⁹ These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah, ³⁰ Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir. ³¹ And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. ³² And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ³³ And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. ³⁴ And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead. ³⁵ 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 And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. ³⁷ And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead. ³⁸ And Saul died, and Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. ³⁹ And Baalhanan 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 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 Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, ⁴² Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, ⁴³ 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.

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Glossary

Adah Person v. 2, 4, 10, 12, 16: Ornament. (1. ) The first of Lamech’s two wives, and the mother of Jabal and Jubal ( Gen. 4:19 , 20, 23). (2. ) The first of Esau’s three wives, the daughter of Elon the Hittite.
Aholibamah Person v. 2, 5, 14, 18, 25, 41: Tent of the height, the name given to Judith, the daughter of Beeri = Anah ( Gen. 26:34 ; 36:2 ), when she became the wife of Esau.
Canaan Place v. 2, 5-6: Biblical region. Modern identification: Canaan.
Zibeon Person v. 2, 14, 20, 24, 29: Robber; or dyed. (1. ) A Hivite ( Gen. 36:2 ). (2. ) A Horite, and son of Seir ( Gen. 36:20 ).
Bashemath Person v. 3-4, 10, 13, 17: Sweet-smelling. (1. ) The daughter of Ishmael, the last of Esau’s three wives ( Gen. 36:3 , 4, 13), from whose son Reuel four tribes of the Edomites sprung. She is also called Mahalath ( Gen. 28:9 ).
Reuel Person v. 4, 10, 13, 17: Friend of God. (1. ) A son of Esau and Bashemath ( Gen. 36:4 , 10; 1 Chr. 1:35 ). (2. ) “The priest of Midian,” Moses’ father-in-law ( Ex. 2:18 )=Raguel ( Num. 10:29 ). If he be identified with Jethro.
Jeush Person v. 5, 14, 18: Assembler. (1. ) The oldest of Esau’s three sons by Aholibamah ( Gen. 36:5 , 14, 18). (2. ) A son of Bilhan, grandson of Benjamin ( 1 Chr. 7:10 ). (3. ) A Levite, one of the sons of Shimei ( 1 Chr. 23:10 , 11).
Korah Person v. 5, 14, 16, 18: Ice, hail. (1. ) The third son of Esau, by Aholibamah ( Gen. 36:14 ; 1 Chr. 1:35 ). (2. ) A Levite, the son of Izhar, the brother of Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron ( Ex. 6:21 ).
Mount Seir Place v. 8-9, 30: Biblical mountain range. Modern identification: Jebel esh Shera.
Edom Place v. 9, 16-17, 20-21, 31-32, 40, 43: Biblical region. Modern identification: Buseira.
Kenaz Person v. 11, 15, 42: Hunter. (1. ) One of the sons of Eliphaz, the son of Esau. He became the chief of an Edomitish tribe ( Gen. 36:11 , 15, 42). (2. ) Caleb’s younger brother, and father of Othniel.
Omar Person v. 11, 15: Eloquent, the son of Eliphaz, who was Esau’s eldest son ( Gen. 36:11-15 ).
Mizzah Person v. 13, 17: Despair, one of the four sons of Reuel, the son of Esau ( Gen. 36:13 , 17).
Nahath Person v. 13, 17: Rest. (1. ) One of the four sons of Reuel, the son of Esau ( Gen. 36:13 , 17). (2. ) A Kohathite Levite ( 1 Chr. 6:26 ). (3. ) A Levite, one of the overseers of the sacred offerings of the temple ( 2 Chr. 31:13 ).
Shobal Person v. 20, 23, 29: Pilgrim. (1. ) The second son of Seir the Horite; one of the Horite “dukes” ( Gen. 36:20 ). (2. ) One of the sons of Caleb, and a descendant of Hur ( 1 Chr. 2:50 , 52; 4:1, 2).
Dishan Person v. 21, 28, 30: Antelope, the youngest son of Seir the Horite, head of one of the tribes of Idumaea ( Gen. 36:21 , 28, 30).
Ezer Person v. 21, 27, 30: Treasure. (1. ) One of the sons of Seir, the native princes, “dukes,” of Mount Hor ( Gen. 36:21 , 27). (2. ) 1 Chr. 7:21 ; (3. ) 4:4. (4. ) One of the Gadite champions who repaired to David at Ziklag (12:9).
Beor Person v. 32: A torch. (1. ) The father of Bela, one of the kings of Edom ( Gen. 36:32 ). (2. ) The father of Balaam ( Num. 22:5 ; 24:3 , 15; 31:8). In 2 Pet. 2:15 he is called Bosor.
City People v. 32, 35, 39: The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).
Dinhabah Place v. 32: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet el Muhatta.
Bozrah Place v. 33: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Buseira.
Avith Place v. 35: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Rujum al Juththa.
Midian Place v. 35: Biblical region. Modern identification: Al Bad.
Moab Place v. 35: Biblical region. Modern identification: Kerak.
Masrekah Place v. 36: Vineyard of noble vines, a place in Idumea, the native place of Samlah, one of the Edomitish kings ( Gen. 36:36 ; 1 Chr. 1:47 ). Modern identification: Jebel el Musraq.
Rehoboth Place v. 37: Broad places. (1. ) A well in Gerar dug by Isaac ( Gen. 26:22 ), supposed to be in Wady er-Ruheibeh, about 20 miles south of Beersheba. (2. ) An ancient city on the Euphrates. Modern identification: Ras Rihab.
River Place v. 37: Biblical river. Modern identification: Wadi al Hasa.
Saul Person v. 37-38: Asked for. (1. ) A king of Edom ( Gen. 36:37 , 38); called Shaul in 1 Chr. 1:48 .
Hadar Person v. 39: Adod, brave(? ). (1. ) A son of Ishmael ( Gen. 25:15 ); in 1 Chr. 1:30 written Hadad. (2. ) One of the Edomitish kings ( Gen. 36:39 ) about the time of Saul. Called also Hadad ( 1 Chr. 1:50 , 51).
Mehetabel Person v. 39: Wife of Hadad, one of the kings of Edom ( Gen. 36:39 ).
Mezahab Place v. 39: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Ad Duhaybah.
Pau Place v. 39: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Wadi Fai.