[Notes:
We might wonder why these family trees of Esau were
included. We suggest:
•
to honour the line of Abraham
& Isaac from whom Esau is descended
•
to give the background of
the nation of Edom that were so often a thorn in the side of
Israel in later years.
We
will include no further notes in this chapter, leaving the subheadings
to speak for themselves.]
v.1-3
The Three Wives of Esau & their five Sons
v.1
This
is the account of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).
v.2,3
Esau
took his wives from the women of Canaan:
-
Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and
-
Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the
Hivite—
-
also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
v.4,5
[i]
Adah
bore Eliphaz to Esau, [ii]
Basemath
bore Reuel, and
[iii]
Oholibamah
bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons
of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.
v.6-8
So Edom (Esau) settles in the hill country
v.6
Esau
took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his
household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals
and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land
some distance from his brother Jacob.
v.7
Their
possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land
where they were staying could not support them both because of
their livestock.
v.8
So
Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.
v.9-14
Sons & Grandsons of Esau
v.9
This
is the account of the family line of Esau the
father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir.
v.10
These
are the names of Esau's sons: [i] Eliphaz,
the son of Esau's wife Adah, and [ii] Reuel,
the son of Esau's wife Basemath.
v.11
The
sons of Eliphaz: Teman,
Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.
v.12
Esau's
son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him Amalek.
These were grandsons of Esau's wife Adah.
v.13
The
sons of Reuel: Nahath,
Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau's wife
Basemath.
v.
14
The
sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter
of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau: Jeush,
Jalam and Korah.
v.15-19
These Sons/Grandson seen as Chiefs in Edom
v.15,16
These
were the chiefs among Esau's descendants:The sons of Eliphaz
the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs
Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Korah, Gatam and Amalek. These were
the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in Edom; they were grandsons
of Adah.
v.17
The
sons of Esau's son Reuel: Chiefs
Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended
from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau's wife Basemath.
v.18
The
sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah.
These were the chiefs descended from Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter
of Anah.
v.19 These
were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these were their chiefs.
v.20-30
Horites in Seir associated with Esau
v.20,21
These
were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region:
Lotan,
Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons
of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs.
v.22
The
sons of Lotan: Hori
and Homam. Timna was Lotan's sister.
v.23
The
sons of Shobal: Alvan,
Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.
v.24
The
sons of Zibeon: Aiah
and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the
desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.
v.25
The
children of Anah: Dishon
and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
v.26
The
sons of Dishon: Hemdan,
Eshban, Ithran and Keran.
v.27
The
sons of Ezer: Bilhan,
Zaavan and Akan.
v.28
The
sons of Dishan: Uz
and Aran.
v.29,30
These
were the Horite chiefs: Lotan,
Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the
Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.
v.31-43
Subsequent Rulers of Edom
v.31
These
were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned:
v.32
Bela
son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah.
v.33
When
Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.
v.34
When
Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him
as king.
v.35
When
Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country
of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.
v.36
When
Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.
v.37
When
Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as
king.
v.38
When
Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.
v.39
When
Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His
city was named Pau, and his wife's name was Mehetabel daughter
of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
v.40-42
These
were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their
clans and regions: Timna,
Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
v.43
Magdiel
and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements
in the land they occupied.
This
is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.
Lessons
or Challenges to Ponder from Genesis Chapter 36
1.
Listing off Esau's descendants may not appear very edifying but
the presence of his family is an indicator that despite all his
faults, the Lord is honouring him as part of the family tree from
Abraham.
2.
This point is driven home even more forcibly with the inclusion
of the Edomites – the descendants of Esau (36:43) – a people who
so often, it eventually turns out, are a thorn in Israel's side.
Nevertheless because their origins are important, they are honoured
by being included in the record. Be careful who you write off.
Continue to Chapter 37