Genesis 36 Study Notes

36:1-8 The family records of Esau, the ninth and shortest of the eleven (Hb) toledoth sections in Genesis (see note at 5:1), consists only of 36:1-8. This section complements the toledoth section of vv. 9-43, which also contains family records of Esau, in that this emphasizes the “Canaan” portion of Esau’s life. Esau, whose nickname was Edom (cp. 25:30), moved his family and property to Edom, whose primary feature is the mountains of Seir.

36:9 The family records of Esau, father of the Edomites, the tenth of the (Hb) toledoth sections in Genesis (see note at 5:1), consists of 36:9-43. This section, which repeats the genealogical information of vv. 1-5, differs from the previous toledoth unit in that it provides five major subsections that focus on historical and genealogical details relevant to Edom.

36:10-14 These verses contain the first of five subsections found in the second Esau (Hb) toledoth, and it expands on vv. 4-5. This section supplements previous materials with a listing of six sons born to Adah’s son Eliphaz and four sons descending from Basemath’s son Reuel . . . Teman (“South”) is the namesake of an important region in southern Edom (Jr 49:20; Ob 9) associated with wisdom (Jr 49:7). Timna was the daughter of Seir the Horite (vv. 20-22); thus, her son Amalek provides an important genealogical link between the Edomites and the Horites.

36:15-19 The second of the four Esau-related subsections contains the chiefs among Esau’s sons, listing all of Esau’s sons and grandsons in vv. 10-14, but adding a seventh son, Korah, to the listing of Eliphaz’s sons. The term translated as “chiefs” (Hb ’alluph) refers to the leader of a familial unit or of a geographical region.

36:20-30 The third subsection of the second Esau (Hb) toledoth comprises the sons and chiefs of Seir the Horite, the father of Eliphaz’s concubine Timna.

36:31-39 The fourth subsection of the second Esau (Hb) toledoth lists eight consecutive kings who reigned in the land of Edom prior to the days of King Saul, i.e., before 1050 BC Its inclusion demonstrates the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (17:6). The observation that no kings reigned over the Israelites, a nation that did not yet formally exist, suggests that this list was compiled no earlier than the days of King David. The parallel passage in 1Ch 1:43-50 differs from this only in the spelling of the name Hadar (Hadad) and the name of Hadar’s royal city Pau (Pai).

36:40-43 The fifth and final subsection of the second Esau (Hb) toledoth consists of a list of eleven of Esau’s chiefs who ruled over various portions of the land of Edom. This list appears in abbreviated form in 1Ch 1:51b-54.