Genesis 36

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

2 Esau married women of Canaan: Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

3 and Basemath, daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

4 Adah gave Esau Eliphaz; Basemath had Reuel;

5 Oholibamah had Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

6 Esau gathered up his wives, sons and daughters, and everybody in his household, along with all his livestock - all the animals and possessions he had gotten in Canaan - and moved a considerable distance away from his brother Jacob.

7 The brothers had too many possessions to live together in the same place; the land couldn't support their combined herds of livestock.

8 So Esau ended up settling in the hill country of Seir (Esau and Edom are the same).

9 So this is the family tree of Esau, ancestor of the people of Edom, in the hill country of Seir.

10 The names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz, son of Esau's wife Adah; Reuel, son of Esau's wife Basemath.

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

12 (Eliphaz also had a concubine Timna, who had Amalek.) These are the grandsons of Esau's wife Adah.

13 And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah - grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath.

14 These are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah the son of Zibeon. She gave Esau his sons Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

15 These are the chieftains in Esau's family tree. From the sons of Eliphaz, Esau's firstborn, came the chieftains Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,

16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek - the chieftains of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; all of them sons of Adah.

17 From the sons of Esau's son Reuel, came the chieftains Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the chieftains of Reuel in the land of Edom; all these were sons of Esau's wife Basemath.

18 These are the sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: the chieftains Jeush, Jalam, and Korah - chieftains born of Esau's wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah.

19 These are the sons of Esau, that is, Edom, and these are their chieftains.

20 This is the family tree of Seir the Horite, who were native to that land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

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

22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan's sister was Timna.

23 The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24 The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah - this is the same Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while herding his father Zibeon's donkeys.

25 The children of Anah were Dishon and his daughter Oholibamah.

26 The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.

27 The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

28 The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

29 And these were the Horite chieftains: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,

30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan - the Horite chieftains clan by clan in the land of Seir.

31 And these are the kings who ruled in Edom before there was a king in Israel:

32 Bela son of Beor was the king of Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became the next king.

34 When Jobab died, he was followed by Hushan from the land of the Temanites.

35 When Hushan died, he was followed by Hadad son of Bedad; he was the king who defeated the Midianites in Moab; the name of his city was Avith.

36 When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah became the next king.

37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth-on-the-River became king.

38 When Shaul died, he was followed by Baal-Hanan son of Acbor.

39 When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad became king; the name of his city was Pau; his wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.

40 And these are the chieftains from the line of Esau, clan by clan, region by region: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,

41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,

42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,

43 Magdiel, and Iram - the chieftains of Edom as they occupied their various regions. This accounts for the family tree of Esau, ancestor of all Edomites.

Genesis 36 Commentary

Chapter 36

Esau and his descendants.

- The registers in this chapter show the faithfulness of God to his promise to Abraham. Esau is here called Edom, that name which kept up the remembrance of his selling his birth-right for a mess of pottage. Esau continued the same profane despiser of heavenly things. In outward prosperity and honour, the children of the covenant are often behind, and those that are out of the covenant get the start. We may suppose it a trial to the faith of God's Israel, to hear of the pomp and power of the kings of Edom, while they were bond-slaves in Egypt; but those that look for great things from God, must be content to wait for them; God's time is the best time. Mount Seir is called the land of their possession. Canaan was at this time only the land of promise. Seir was in the possession of the Edomites. The children of this world have their all in hand, and nothing in hope, ( Luke 16:25 ) ; while the children of God have their all in hope, and next to nothing in hand. But, all things considered, it is beyond compare better to have Canaan in promise, than mount Seir in possession.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 36

This chapter gives us a genealogical account of Esau's family, of his wives and sons, with whom he removed from Seir, Ge 36:1-10; of his sons' sons, or grandsons, who were dukes in the land of Edom, Ge 36:11-19; after which is inserted a genealogy of Seir the Horite, into whose family Esau married, and of his children, and the dukes among them, Ge 36:20-30; then follows a list of the kings of Edom, before there were any in Israel, Ge 36:31-39; and the chapter is closed with a brief narration of the dukes of Esau, according to their families, Ge 36:40-43.