Genesis

Chapter Thirty-six

Preface

This chapter in Genesis is most interesting to anthropologists and others who study the lineages and development of humankind, since it contains the ancestral line of Esau plus a list of the sons of Seir the Horite.  It was in chapter 25 (vs. 30) that Esau was nicknamed Edom (the meaning of which is “red”), a name that stuck to him and his posterity—the Edomites.  The name Edom is next mentioned in 32:3, indicating that Esau and his descendants settled in the plains of Seir the Horite and evidently take over the land.

The Horites (Heb. “hori”) were the inhabitants of Mount Seir (Gen 14:6) before the Edomites dispossessed them (Deut 2:12, 22).  They were said to be descendants of Seir the Horite (Gen 36:20) and were governed by chieftains or clan leaders (36:21, 29-30). . . The Heb. term as applied to those people is Semite in origin and probably means “cave dwellers” (“horim” cf. “holes,” 1 Sam 14:11; Isa 42:22; Nah 2:12; “caves,” Job 30:6). (Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publishers, 1975; John Rea, Th.D., Theological Lecturer and Editor)

Edom, a mountainous area, is located just south and east of the Dead Sea.  The capital of Edom was the rock-hewn city of Petra.  Prophecy in the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Obadiah concerning Edom has been remarkably fulfilled.  The nation of Edom came from Esau.  Several times in this chapter it is made very clear that Esau is the father of Edom—in fact, the names are synonymous.

The term Edom means red.  It has three possible origins: the red sandstone cliffs of the country (there is evidence that the country may have been called “edom,” or “red,” before Esau subjugated the Horites); Esau’s red hair at birth; or the red pottage which Esau took in exchange for his inheritance (Gen 25:25-30). (Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publishers, 1975; D.W. Deere, Th.D., Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Golden Gate Theological Seminary, Mill Valley, California)

The rock-hewn city of Petra is significant from the standpoint of Bible prophecy.  During the intense part (second half) of the Tribulation Period, otherwise known as the Great Tribulation, either Israel or a remnant of Israel will be protected by God (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21; Revelation 12:6).  They will flee into the desert to a place prepared for them by God.  Here God will protect them for 1,260 days (three and a half years).  Some believe that this place will be the rock-hewn city of Petra, but this is merely supposition.  No one knows, and it is not revealed in God’s Word.  Two sections from the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary that are appropriate in this discussion follow:

PETRA.  It is not certain that Petra is a biblical site, but a considerable number of scholars identify it with OT Sela (meaning “rock”; cf. 2 Kgs 14:7-10; 2 Chr 25:11-12; Isa 16:1; Jer 49:16-17; Obad 3-4).  See Sela.  The LXX translates Sela as “Petran” and the Latin Vulg. translates it “Petram,” all meaning the same thing, “rock.”  The Arabic “sela” designates a rock cleft, which is an especially appropriate name for Petra, which is entered through the Siq, a long twisting cleft in the mountains.  Whether or not the OT refers to Petra, the NT indirectly refers to it.  Aretas, king of Petra (9 B.C.-A.D. 40), ruled Damascus during the days of Paul’s conversion and sought to apprehend the apostle there (2 Cor 11:32-33).  According to Josephus (Ant. Iv.7.1) Petra was called Rekem by the Arabs, named after the Midianite king of Num 31:8.  Petra was located c. 50 miles S of the Dead Sea in the highlands of Transjordan at an altitude of 2, 700 feet.  The town lay in a basin surrounded by mountains and its principal entrance was through the narrow, twisting Siq between cliffs towering 500 feet high. . . .

Petra is a striking place even in ruins.  Some of its structures are rose-red and others of a dark red ochre shade of sandstone with bands of yellow, gray, and white.  These buildings and tombs are almost all cut into the rock cliffs of the area.  Among the most exciting remains at Petra are the Khazneh (often called “the Treasury”), probably a tomb of a Nabataean king. Carved into the rose-red cliff; a wide colonnaded street laid out in Roman style; a Roman theater capable of seating 4,000; the Palace Tomb; Ed Deir, a temple with a façade 165 feet wide, 148 feet high, and a door 23½ feet high; the Great High Place, an ancient Nabataean worship center of the god Dushara; and the natural fortress of Umm el-Biyara. (Howard F. Vos, Th.D., Ph.D, Professor of History, The King’s College, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.)

SELA, SELAH.  An Edomite stronghold whose Heb. name “sela” (LXX: Fr. “petra”) means “rock” or “crag.”  Since soundings in 1929, 1933, and 1934 on the top of Umm el-Bayyarah, a flat-topped mountain at Petra where Edomite pottery was discovered, most scholars have accepted the identification of that acropolis with biblical Sela.  It is the only site in the Petra area with Edomite remains.

According to 2 Kgs 14:7 King Amaziah of Judah captured Sela c. 790 B.C. and changed its name to Joktheel; 2 Chr 25:11-12 states that he threw down his Edomite captives from the top of “the rock” (Heb. “hassala”).  The prophet Obadiah c. 840 B.C. condemned the Edomites who dwelt in the clefts of the “the rock” (Heb. “sela”, Ob 3; cf. Jer 49:16).  Referring to coming judgment on Moab, Isaiah mentioned the fleeing Moabites taking refuge at Sela (in Edom) and sending tribute from there to Jerusalem (Isa 16:1; WBC, p. 622).  Later he called upon the inhabitants of Sela to add their songs of praise to the Lord of the whole earth (Isa 42:11, ASV). (John Rea, Th.D., Theological Lecturer and Editor)

Genesis 36:1-8

Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom.  Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.  Now Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel. And Aholibamah bore Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.  Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob.  For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock.  So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom.

The separation of Jacob and Esau was much like the separation of Abraham and Lot (ch. 13).  The possessions of the two brothers were so great that the land was not able to sustain both of them (13:6); so just as Lot parted from Abraham and went eastward, so Esau parted from Jacob and went to Seir.  The heirs of the promise remained in the land, and the other sons moved out. 

Since Esau was already established “in the land of Seir” when Jacob returned from Padan-aram (32:3), this move by Esau was probably to mount Seir.  In any case, the parting was beneficial to both Jacob and Esau.

Genesis 36:9-19

And this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir.  These were the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.  And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.  Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife.  These were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon. And she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. These were the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau, were Chief Teman, Chief Omar, Chief Zepho, Chief Kenaz, Chief Korah, Chief Gatam, and Chief Amalek. These were the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. They were the sons of Adah.  These were the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: Chief Nahath, Chief Zerah, Chief Shammah, and Chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife. And these were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau's wife: Chief Jeush, Chief Jaalam, and Chief Korah. These were the chiefs who descended from Aholibamah, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah. These were the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these were their chiefs.

In these verses the writer (Moses) shows the progress and well-being of the line of Esau.  At this point he has been careful and repetitive (three times) to identify Esau as Edom, a name and a people who figure prominently during Israel’s later history.  This genealogy also represents the fulfillment of the promise by God that Esau would be the head of a nation (25:23).  Esau had three or possibly four wives, depending on whether some of the women had two names (compare 26:34; 28:9; 36:2, 3).

Genesis 36:20-30

   These were the sons of Seir the Horite who inhabited the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.  And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Lotan's sister was Timna.  These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.  These were the sons of Zibeon: both Ajah and Anah. This was the Anah who found the water in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon.  These were the children of Anah: Dishon and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.  These were the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.  These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.  These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.  These were the chiefs of the Horites: Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibeon, Chief Anah, Chief Dishon, Chief Ezer, and Chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

This passage reflects a list of the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region, along with a list of their tribal chiefs.   The name “Seir” is ordinarily the name of the geographical territory occupied by the Edomites, but in this case it refers to an individual.  He and his descendants are listed here because they occupied the territory of Edom.  The “sons of Seir” are called “Edomites” in 2 Chronicles 25:11, 14.  This list identifies “Seir” as a “Horite,” which has been interpreted as “cave dwellers”—deriving the sense from the similarity of the word “Horite” to the Hebrew word meaning “cave.”

Genesis 36:31-43

Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah.  And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place.  When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.   And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith.  When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.  And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place.  When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.  And when Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadar reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.  And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their places, by their names: Chief Timnah, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth, Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Esau was the father of the Edomites.

The opening remarks in this passage may presuppose a knowledge or anticipation of the coming kingship in Israel.  Thus it is a part of those texts (17:6, 16; 35:11) that look forward to the promises and instructions of God regarding this office of state as in Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:7, 17, 18; and Deuteronomy 17:14-20; 1 Samuel 2:10.  The chapter closes with a final list of the tribal “chiefs” of Esau’s clan, several names overlapping those in vss. 10-14.

Moses, the author of Genesis, knew by divine revelation (see 35:11) that Israel would eventually have a king.  As seven generations of the ungodly line of Cain were given in chapter 4, so seven generations of kings in the ungodly line of Esau are mentioned here in verses 33-39.  Seven, the number of completeness, probably indicates the entire line.  Not one of Esau’s descendants is mentioned in God’s registry of the faithful; all are lost in the obscurity of those who depart from the living God.  They had temporary riches and the passing fame of this world, but nothing for eternity. (Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995)

As mentioned several times in this chapter, and now in its final words, “Esau was the father of the Edomites.”  Both Israel and Edom shared the same ancestor Isaac, and the same border.  But while Israel followed God’s will and remained pure, Edom’s descendants intermarried with the Canaanites.  Later, they would be a thorn in Israel’s side and would be harshly judged by God.