And these [are] the kings that reigned in the land of
Edom,
&c.] In the land that was afterwards called the land of Edom;
for this laud was not so called when these kings began to reign:
for, according to Bishop Cumberland F6, and those that follow
him F7, these were Horite kings, who, after
their defeat by Chedorlaomer, ( Genesis 14:5
Genesis
14:6 ) ; in order to secure themselves the better from such a
calamity for the future, set up a kingdom, and which appears, by
the following account, to be elective; and so Maimonides
F8 observes, that not one of these
kings were of Edom: and these were, before there reigned
any king over the children of Israel;
and there being no kings over Israel until many years after the
times of Moses, hence some have thought these words are inserted
by some other writer after him; but there is no need to suppose
that; for Moses knew, from foregoing prophecies and promises,
that kings would arise out of them and reign over them, (
Genesis
17:6 ) ( 35:11 ) ;
and this he was so certain of, that he himself, by divine
direction, gave laws and rules to the children of Israel
respecting their future kings, ( Deuteronomy
17:14-20 ) ; besides Moses himself was king in Jeshurun or
Israel, ( Deuteronomy
33:5 ) , so that it is the same as if he had said, these are
the kings that reigned in Edom, before this time.