The chapter at a glance
- 1–8Esau moves to SeirTwo brothers, too much wealth for one land
- 9–19Esau’s sons and chiefsThe promise of a nation kept to Esau
- 20–30The Horites of SeirThe people who held the land before Edom
- 31–39The kings of EdomKings before Israel had any
- 40–43The chiefs by placeEdom settled in the land of its possession
The chapter in brief
“These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).” The chapter lists Esau’s wives and the sons born to him in Canaan, then tells how Esau moved his whole household to the hill country of Seir, because the land could not support both brothers’ flocks. It traces his sons and grandsons, among them Amalek, born to Eliphaz by the concubine Timna, and names the chiefs descended from them. It lists the Horites, the earlier inhabitants of Seir, and their chiefs. Then it names eight kings who “reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites” (v. 31), and closes with the chiefs of Edom by their dwelling places “in the land of their possession.”
Genesis gives Esau a whole chapter. God keeps His promise to Esau as surely as to Jacob: two nations were in Rebekah’s womb (25:23), and Isaac foretold that Esau would live by the sword and break his brother’s yoke (27:40). Edom has chiefs and kings while Jacob’s family will wait centuries in Egypt for a king of its own. Worldly greatness can arrive early; the promise often comes slowly. Then the story turns away from Edom, because Genesis follows the line through which the Seed would come (Galatians 3:16). Yet Esau’s descendants are not beyond the reach of Christ’s kingdom. Amos promised that the rebuilt house of David would “possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name” (Amos 9:12), and James quotes that promise, as “the remnant of mankind,” of Gentiles coming to the Lord (Acts 15:17). People from Idumea, Edom’s later name, came to hear Jesus (Mark 3:8).
Points for discussion
vv. 1–8
Why a chapter for Esau?
Genesis has a pattern. Before it follows the chosen line, it records the line not chosen: Cain’s descendants before Seth’s (4:17-24), Ishmael’s before Isaac’s (25:12-18), and now Esau’s before the account of Jacob’s family begins (37:2). Each time the side line is told briefly and with real blessing, and then the story moves on. Esau leaves “for their possessions were too great for them to dwell together” (v. 7), words that echo Abraham and Lot (13:6). Esau did not lose all good when Jacob received the promise. Moses would later command, “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother” (Deuteronomy 23:7), and God told Israel He had “given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession” (Deuteronomy 2:5).
vv. 1–8, continued
Chosen and not chosen
Paul uses these two brothers to teach that God’s choosing is “not because of works but because of him who calls” (Romans 9:11), quoting Malachi’s “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Malachi 1:2-3; Romans 9:13). Readers differ on what kind of election Paul means (see the study of chapter 25). One reading, held by many Arminian brothers, sees God choosing nations for a role in history. Another sees God’s free choice of persons for salvation, since Paul applies the two brothers to the question of who is saved (Romans 9:6-8, 15-16). This commentary holds the second, with the Reformed confessions, because we believe it most faithfully reflects the Word, while gladly owning as brothers those who differ and who also confess salvation by grace through faith in Christ. “Hated” is covenant language for not chosen, not a picture of God’s spite. Election is for awe and humility, never a club: Jacob was chosen before he was born, not for anything in him, as his scheming shows, and that is the only kind of choosing that leaves anyone hope. And Esau’s line is not written off, as this chapter’s blessings show.
vv. 2–14
Esau’s wives and Amalek
The names of Esau’s wives here differ from those in 26:34 and 28:9. There they are Judith the daughter of Beeri, Basemath the daughter of Elon, and Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael; here they are Adah the daughter of Elon, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, and Basemath the daughter of Ishmael. Readers suggest that women in that world often carried more than one name, or that the lists draw on different family records. No answer is certain, and it is better to note the question honestly than to force a solution. Among the grandsons, Amalek is born to a concubine (v. 12). His descendants would be the first people to attack Israel after the exodus (Exodus 17:8). Teman, another grandson (v. 11), gave his name to a region later known for its wise men (Jeremiah 49:7). The genealogy is the background to much of the rest of the Bible.
vv. 31–39
Kings before Israel’s kings
“These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites” (v. 31). Critical scholars often cite this verse as evidence that Genesis reached its final form after Israel had kings. Readers who hold, as this commentary does, that Moses wrote Genesis answer in two ways. Moses wrote with God’s promises of kings already given to Abraham and Jacob (17:6; 35:11) and with the law for a future king in view (Deuteronomy 17:14-15), so “before any king reigned” need not mean after Saul. Or a later inspired hand added a brief note, as the account of Moses’ death was added to Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 34). Either way, notice what the list shows: no king is the son of the king before him, and each seems to come from a different city. Edom had kings, but no settled royal line. The promise to Jacob was of kings “from your own body” (35:11), a line God Himself would establish in David and fulfill in David’s greater Son.
For discussion
Esau’s line has kings long before Jacob’s. When the people of God seem to lag behind the world in power and success, what does this chapter counsel? Compare Psalm 73:16-17.
vv. 40–43
Edom in the rest of the story
The chapter closes with Edom settled “in the land of their possession” (v. 43), while the next verse finds Jacob in “the land of his father’s sojournings” (37:1). The contrast is pointed: Esau possesses, Jacob sojourns and waits. Edom’s later history is often bitter. It refused Israel passage (Numbers 20:14-21), and Obadiah condemned it for “the violence done to your brother Jacob” (Obadiah 10). Herod the Great, who tried to kill the newborn King of the Jews, came from an Idumean family. Yet the last word on Edom in the Bible’s promises is not only judgment: the nations, Edom among them, are drawn into the house of David through Christ (Amos 9:11-12; Acts 15:16-17).
Threads across the chapter
Blessing outside the chosen line. Esau receives sons, chiefs, kings, and a land (vv. 5-43), as Isaac’s blessing over him foretold (27:39-40).
Possessing and sojourning. Esau settles in “the land of their possession” (v. 43) while Jacob still lives where his father sojourned (37:1).
Kings. Edom’s kings rise and fall without a dynasty (vv. 31-39), while kings are promised from Jacob’s own body (35:11).
Brothers parted. The brothers separate because their wealth is too great (vv. 6-8), and their peoples will meet again in conflict and, in Christ, in promise (Obadiah 10; Acts 15:17).
Key words
- 36:1, 9
- תּוֹלְדֹת toledot“Generations”; the heading that marks a new section of Genesis, here given to Esau
- 36:1, 8
- אֱדוֹם edom“Edom,” red; Esau’s other name, recalling the red stew of Genesis 25:30
- 36:8
- שֵׂעִיר se'ir“Seir”; the hill country of Esau, a name that sounds like the Hebrew for “hairy” (Genesis 25:25)
- 36:15–43
- אַלּוּף alluf“Chief”; the clan leaders of Edom
Cross-references
- Genesis 25:23Two nations in Rebekah’s womb
- Genesis 27:39-40Isaac’s blessing over Esau
- Deuteronomy 2:5God gave Mount Seir to Esau
- Deuteronomy 23:7Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother
- Romans 9:10-13God’s purpose of election, not because of works
- Obadiah 10Edom judged for violence against his brother Jacob
- Amos 9:11-12The remnant of Edom and the nations called by God’s name
- Acts 15:16-17James applies Amos to Gentiles seeking the Lord
- 1
Why would Genesis take time to record Esau’s descendants before turning to Joseph?
- 2
What does it mean that God blessed Esau with land, chiefs, and kings even though the promise ran through Jacob?
- 3
How can the doctrine of election produce humility and awe rather than pride, when we see it in Jacob and Esau?
- 4
Edom had power long before Israel did. Where are we tempted to measure God’s favor by worldly success?
- 5
How do Amos 9 and Acts 15 change the way we read a “dry” genealogy like this one?
My notes
Saved to your account, so they are on every device you sign in on, and private unless you specifically share them with another.
A different version of this note was saved in this browser before notes moved to accounts. Your account’s copy is above and was left alone; copy anything worth keeping out of this one, then let it go.
Notes are kept with your account rather than in this browser, so what you write here is still there on your phone, on another machine, and after you clear your history. Signing in takes an email address and one click, there is no password to remember.
Saved in this browser before notes moved to accounts. Sign in and it will be carried up to your account; it stays here until then.