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The Descendants of Esau

36 What follows is the account of Esau (also known as Edom).[a]

Esau took his wives from the Canaanites:[b] Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter[c] of Zibeon the Hivite, in addition to Basemath the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the people in his household, his livestock, his animals, and all his possessions that he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and he went to a land some distance away from[d] Jacob his brother because they had too many possessions to be able to stay together, and the land where they had settled[e] was not able to support them because of their livestock. So Esau (also known as Edom) lived in the hill country of Seir.[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 36:1 sn Chapter 36 records what became of Esau. It will list both his actual descendants as well as the people he subsumed under his tribal leadership, people who were aboriginal Edomites. The chapter is long and complicated (see further J. R. Bartlett, “The Edomite King-List of Genesis 36:31-39 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-50, ” JTS 16 [1965]: 301-14; and W. J. Horowitz, “Were There Twelve Horite Tribes?” CBQ 35 [1973]: 69-71). In the format of the Book of Genesis, the line of Esau is “tidied up” before the account of Jacob is traced (37:2). As such the arrangement makes a strong contrast with Jacob. As F. Delitzsch says, “secular greatness in general grows up far more rapidly than spiritual greatness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:238). In other words, the progress of the world far out distances the progress of the righteous who are waiting for the promise.
  2. Genesis 36:2 tn Heb “from the daughters of Canaan.”
  3. Genesis 36:2 tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.
  4. Genesis 36:6 tn Heb “from before.”
  5. Genesis 36:7 tn Heb “land of their settlements.”
  6. Genesis 36:8 tn Traditionally “Mount Seir,” but in this case the expression בְּהַר שֵׂעִיר (behar seʿir) refers to the hill country or highlands of Seir.

Esau’s Descendants(A)(B)

36 This is the account(C) of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).(D)

Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan:(E) Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite,(F) and Oholibamah(G) daughter of Anah(H) and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite(I) also Basemath(J) daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.(K)

Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,(L) and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah.(M) These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.

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,(N) and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob.(O) 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.(P) So Esau(Q) (that is, Edom)(R) settled in the hill country of Seir.(S)

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