Genesis 36:1-43 - Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

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Bible Comments

Genesis 36:1. The generations. The critics complain of the difficulties in this genealogy, arising from the same person having two names, a custom common to many nations. The ancients assumed new titles on propitious events.

Genesis 36:2. Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon; that is, grand daughter or descendant, it being the manner of the ancients to trace their line back to a prince.

Genesis 36:3. Bashemath. She is called Mahalath in Genesis 28:9.

Genesis 36:4. And Adar bare to Esau Eliphaz. The rabbins are much divided here. Very many think that Eliphaz was the ancestor of Job, and grandfather of Eliphaz, king of Teman, Job's friend; and thus they make Job to be the fifth from Abraham. But others think that Job descended in the line of Nachor.

Genesis 36:6. From the face of his brother Jacob. Esau, who seems to have approached Isaac in his last moments, returned to mount Seir, or Edom, for the camps of the two brothers were too numerous to dwell together.

Genesis 36:11. Teman. Tema occurs in the poems of Ossian; and a similarity of names appears to indicate an identity in the origin of nations.

Genesis 36:15. Duke, a military title, from their being as it would seem, captains of a thousand men. Others are of opinion that the term merely denotes that they were heads of houses. The term agrees with the twelve princes in the line of Ishmael; and they undoubtedly exercised a sort of regal power in their several districts.

Genesis 36:20. Sons of Seir inhabited the land of Edom before Esau gained possession of it, and held the strong places of mount Seir. The dukes of Esau afterwards expelled the children of Seir; and as was usual with the patriarchs, called the land Edom after their own name. Psalms 49:11.

Genesis 36:24. Mules. The original word occurs in this place only, and hence its import is doubtful. Some think it signifies giants, whom Anah expelled: others contend that it means mineral waters, or hot-wells. Jerome follows this opinion in the Vulgate, as was the general belief of the rabbins, and the most probable, as mules never have foals: man may for once mar the works of God, but not a second time.

Genesis 36:31. Before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. The marginal illustration, as elsewhere, has here been copied into the text from 1 Chronicles 1:43, &c. We have no account of Esau's death. No doubt he out-lived his brother Jacob, and his latter days, it would seem, were better spent than his earlier life.

Genesis 36:33. Jobab. Some of the Jews contend that this man was Job, the great model of patience; but others think, that he descended from Nahor, because Huz is mentioned. Genesis 22:21. There is however a strong probability that he descended from Esau.

Genesis 36:34. Temani, or Teman, the capital of Edom, not far from Bozrah, both of which are mentioned by the prophets. Isaiah 63; Jeremiah 49; Amos 1.

REFLECTIONS.

From this genealogy we see the faithfulness of God to Esau. The Lord prospered him according to the prophetic blessings of Isaac, and he rose to worldly power earlier than Jacob; but though the blessing was longer delayed to Jacob, it was more exalted than his brother's when it came, and its glory shall never fade away. Then let the men of the world have the first glare; their day shall be short, and their names shall soon be forgotten; but the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance.

Related Commentaries of Genesis 36:1

Genesis 36:1-43

1 Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

3 And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

4 And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel;

5 And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.

6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the personsa of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.

7 For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle.

8 Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.

9 And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomitesb in mount Seir:

10 These are the names of Esau's sons; Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau.

11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho,c and Gatam, and Kenaz.

12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife.

13 And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.

14 And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.

15 These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,

16 Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek: these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah.

17 And these are the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.

18 And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau's wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.

19 These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.

20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,

21 And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.

22 And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam;d and Lotan's sister was Timna.

23 And the children of Shobal were these; Alvan,e and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24 And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.

25 And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.

26 And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan,f and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

27 The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan.g

28 The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran.

29 These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah,

30 Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.

31 And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

32 And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

33 And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.

34 And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his stead.

35 And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.

36 And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.

37 And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.

38 And Saul died, and Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.

39 And Baalhanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

40 And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; duke Timnah, duke Alvah,h duke Jetheth,

41 Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,

42 Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,

43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these be the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he is Esau the father of the Edomites.i