Genesis 36

This is the family record of Esau, who is also called Edom.

1Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

Note"These are the generations of" is a recurring heading in Genesis; it introduces not a birth story but a list of what came from someone, descendants, and sometimes the peoples they founded. Edom is a second name for Esau (it means "red," tied in Genesis 25 to the red stew he traded his birthright for), and it is also the name of the nation and the territory his descendants held, south and east of the Dead Sea. The chapter uses the name for the man, the people, and the land, sometimes in the same sentence.

2Esau married women from the daughters of Canaan: Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

2Esau 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;

NoteThe Hittites and Hivites were peoples living in Canaan before Israel settled there. "Daughters of Canaan" simply means local Canaanite women, as opposed to relatives from the family's ancestral homeland in Mesopotamia, where Isaac and Jacob both found wives. The names of Esau's wives here differ from those given in Genesis 26:34 and 28:9 (Judith, Basemath, Mahalath); ancient readers already noticed this, and no explanation in the text resolves it. "Anah the daughter of Zibeon" is also unclear in the Hebrew: the same word can mean daughter or granddaughter, and verses 24-25 make Anah a man, Zibeon's son, whose daughter was Aholibamah.

3and Bashemath, the daughter of Ishmael and the sister of Nebajoth.

3And Bashemath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

NoteIshmael was Abraham's son by Hagar, so this wife was Esau's first cousin. Nebajoth was Ishmael's eldest son; naming him marks the family as a leading one.

4Adah gave birth to Esau's son Eliphaz, and Bashemath gave birth to Reuel.

4And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel;

5Aholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

5And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.

6Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and everyone in his household, along with his cattle, all his other animals, and all the property he had gained in the land of Canaan, and he went to a land away from his brother Jacob.

6And 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.

7For their wealth was too great for them to live together, and the land where they were living as foreigners could not support them, because of their livestock.

7For 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.

NoteThe problem is grazing land, not money: herds large enough to need more pasture than one district can supply. "Strangers" in the King James English means resident foreigners, people living in a land they do not own, with no ancestral claim to its fields and wells.

8So Esau lived in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom.

8Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.

NoteSeir is the rugged highland country running south from the Dead Sea, on the east side of the Arabah valley. It was already inhabited (see verse 20), and "mount Seir" means the whole hill region, not a single peak.

9This is the family record of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir.

9And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir:

10These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau's wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau's wife Bashemath.

10These 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.

11The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

11And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.

12Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she gave birth to Eliphaz's son Amalek. These were the descendants of Esau's wife Adah.

12And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau’s wife.

NoteA concubine was a secondary wife: a recognized, permanent partner of lower legal standing than a full wife, whose children were counted in the family though often with weaker inheritance rights. Amalek is named because his descendants, the Amalekites, appear repeatedly later as raiders and enemies of Israel; the note here explains where they came from.

13These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the descendants of Esau's wife Bashemath.

13And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau’s wife.

14These were the sons of Esau's wife Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon: she gave birth to Esau's sons Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.

14And 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.

15These were the chiefs among the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, Esau's firstborn son: Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz,

15These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,

NoteThe King James "duke" does not mean a European nobleman. It renders a Hebrew word (allup) for the head of a clan or a thousand-strong division, and the translators reached for the Latin-derived dux, "leader." "Chief" is the plain sense. Many of these names double as the names of districts, so the list is partly a map of Edomite territory.

16Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These are the chiefs who came from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; they were the descendants of Adah.

16Duke 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.

17These are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These are the chiefs who came from Reuel in the land of Edom; they were the descendants of Esau's wife Bashemath.

17And 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.

18These are the sons of Esau's wife Aholibamah: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs who came from Esau's wife Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

18And 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.

19These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their chiefs.

19These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.

20These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who lived in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

20These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,

NoteThe Horites were the earlier inhabitants of Seir, displaced or absorbed by Esau's descendants. The name has traditionally been linked to a Hebrew word for "hole" or "cave," hence the old idea that they were cave dwellers, but the connection is uncertain. Their family list is included here because the two peoples intermarried, as verses 22 and 25 show.

21Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These are the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants of Seir in the land of Edom.

21And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.

22The children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam, and Lotan's sister was Timna.

22And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.

NoteThis is almost certainly the same Timna who appears in verse 12 as a concubine in Esau's family, a Horite woman joined to the incoming Edomite line.

23These are the children of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

23And the children of Shobal were these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24These are the children of Zibeon: Ajah and Anah. This is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.

24And 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.

NoteThe King James "mules" is a guess. The Hebrew word yemim occurs nowhere else in the Bible and its meaning is unknown; ancient and modern translators have proposed hot springs, water, or a breed of animal. "Asses" is simply the older English word for donkeys, the ordinary pack and herd animal of the region.

25These are the children of Anah: Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.

25And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.

NoteThis Aholibamah is the woman Esau married in verse 2, which is why the Horite list is given: Esau's line and Seir's line joined by marriage.

26These are the children of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

26And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

27These are the children of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

27The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan.

28These are the children of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

28The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran.

29These are the chiefs who came from the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah,

29These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah,

30Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These are the chiefs who came from Hori, listed among their chiefs in the land of Seir.

30Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.

31These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the people of Israel.

31And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

NoteKingship came late to Israel, Saul, the first Israelite king, is centuries after this in the biblical timeline. The remark is a chronological comparison, noting that Edom had an organized monarchy before its neighbor did. Note also that in the list that follows no son succeeds his father; each king comes from a different city, which suggests rulers chosen rather than inheriting.

32Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

32And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah, from Bozrah, reigned in his place.

33And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.

NoteBozrah was a major fortified town of Edom, mentioned often by the later prophets as standing for the whole nation.

34Jobab died, and Husham, from the land of the Temanites, reigned in his place.

34And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead.

NoteTeman was a district in the south of Edom, proverbial in the Hebrew Bible for wisdom; Job's friend Eliphaz is called a Temanite.

35Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad reigned in his place. He was the one who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, and the name of his city was Avith.

35And 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.

NoteMidian and Moab were neighboring peoples east and south-east of Canaan. "Smote... in the field of Moab" means defeated in battle on Moabite territory, a border war between neighbors, recorded here to date the reign.

36Hadad died, and Samlah, from Masrekah, reigned in his place.

36And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.

37Samlah died, and Saul, from Rehoboth by the river, reigned in his place.

37And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.

Note"The river" without further description normally means the Euphrates, far to the north-east, though some take it to refer to a local watercourse instead. This Saul is unrelated to the later Israelite king of the same name.

38Saul died, and Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

38And Saul died, and Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.

39Baalhanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau, and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

39And 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.

NoteMany Hebrew manuscripts and the parallel list in 1 Chronicles 1:50 read "Hadad" here rather than "Hadar"; the two letters are easily confused in Hebrew script. The wife's ancestry is unusually detailed for such a list, and the reason is not stated.

40These are the names of the chiefs who came from Esau, listed by their families, their places, and their names: Chief Timnah, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,

40And 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,

NoteThis second list overlaps only partly with the one in verses 15-19, and the phrase "after their places, by their names" signals why: these entries are territorial as much as personal. Timnah, Elah, Pinon and others are known as districts or settlements, so the list reads as the divisions of Edom named after the clans holding them.

41Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,

41Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,

42Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,

42Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,

43Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, listed by the places where they settled in the land they owned. He is Esau, the father of the Edomites.

43Duke 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.