Genesis 36:33

33 Forsooth Bela died, and (then) Jobab, the son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned for him.

Genesis 36:33 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 36:33

And Bela died
How long he reigned is not known with any certainty, nor whether he left any sons behind him; if he did, they did not succeed him in the throne; for Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead:
this king some have thought to be the same with Job, and from whom one of the books of Scripture has its name; but neither their names, nor age, nor country agree: who this Jobab and his father Zerah were cannot be said: they seem to be of the same country in which Jobab reigned, since he is said to be of Bozrah, a famous city of Idumea, after spoken of in the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah and others, ( Isaiah 34:6 ) ( 63:1 ) ( Jeremiah 48:24 ) ( Jeremiah 49:13 Jeremiah 49:22 ) ( Amos 1:12 ) ( Micah 2:12 ) ; Jarchi takes it to be a city of Moab, and indeed it is sometimes placed in Moab, and sometimes in Edom, it being on the borders of both, and sometimes belonged to the one and sometimes to the other. According to Mr. Bedford ^F11, this king began his reign, A. M. 2135, so that the former king must have reigned about forty two years; which is a space of time he allows to each successor, taking them one with another, the particular and exact time of each reign he not being able to fix.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 Scripture Chronology, p. 327.

Genesis 36:33 In-Context

31 Forsooth [the] kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before that the sons of Israel had a king, were these; (And the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before the Israelites had their own king, were these;)

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

33 Forsooth Bela died, and (then) Jobab, the son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned for him.

34 And when Jobab was dead (And when Jobab died), Husham of the land of Temani reigned for him.

35 And when he was dead, Hadad, the son of Bedad, that smote Midian in the land of Moab, and the name of his city was Avith, reigned for him. (And when Husham died, Hadad, the son of Bedad, who struck down the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned for him, and the name of his city was Avith.)