Genesis 36

This chapter falls within the patriarchal narratives of the latter part of Genesis. After Isaac dies and Esau and Jacob bury him together in Genesis 35, this chapter records Esau's line. The story of Jacob's son Joseph then begins in Genesis 37.

Outline

• Verses 1–5: In the land of Canaan, Esau has five sons by his three wives, Adah, Aholibamah, and Bashemath.
• Verses 6–8: Because the two brothers have too many possessions to live together, Esau leaves Jacob and settles in Mount Seir.
• Verses 9–19: Esau's grandsons and the chiefs descended from them are listed. Timna, the concubine of Eliphaz, bears Amalek.
• Verses 20–30: The descendants and chiefs of Seir the Horite, whose people inhabited the land earlier, are listed. Anah finds hot springs in the wilderness.
• Verses 31–39: The eight kings who ruled Edom before any king reigned in Israel are listed in order, from Bela to Hadar.
• Verses 40–43: The eleven chiefs of Edom are listed according to their clans and dwelling places.

Key Verses

• Genesis 36:8: "Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom." This verse links Esau, the Edomite people, and the land of Seir.
• Genesis 36:31: "before there reigned any king over the children of Israel." This verse is frequently discussed in connection with when the chapter was written.

People and Places

• Esau: The firstborn son of Isaac and the elder brother of Jacob; the ancestor of the Edomites.
• Eliphaz: Esau's firstborn son and the ancestor of several chiefs, including Teman.
• Amalek: The son of Eliphaz and his concubine Timna; his name later becomes that of the Amalekites, who oppose Israel.
• Bashemath: A wife of Esau and a daughter of Ishmael.
• Mount Seir: The hill country southeast of the Dead Sea, where Esau moved and settled.
• Horites: The people who lived in the land of Seir before Esau.
• Canaan, Moab, and Midian also appear as names of places and peoples.

Points to Consider

• The date implied by verse 31: This verse appears to presuppose Israel's monarchy. Those who accept Mosaic authorship explain it as a prophetic reference or as a later editorial addition. Critical scholars cite the verse as evidence that the passage was written after the monarchy was established.
• Differences in the wives' names: The names of Esau's wives given in Genesis 26:34 and 28:9 (Judith, Bashemath, and Mahalath) differ from those in this chapter. Interpreters harmonize the difference in various ways.
• The "hot springs" of verse 24: The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain, so translations render it differently; the King James Version translates it as "mules."
• Eliphaz and the Book of Job: One tradition connects Job's friend Eliphaz the Temanite with this genealogy. The text, however, does not state that the two are the same person.
• Connections with other passages: The same genealogy appears again in 1 Chronicles 1. In the New Testament, Esau is mentioned in Romans 9 (verse 13) and Hebrews 12:16–17.