CHAPTER 36

(1715 B.C.)

ESAU

¹Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom. (This is important only in the sense of showing us the portion of Esau, who had his place in this life, and not the life to come [Ps. 17:14]. It shows his sons establishing themselves in the world, with their riches and their possessions, while the heirs of Promise, that is, Jacob and his sons, are still pilgrims and strangers. This furnishes a prophetic picture.)

²Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan (from the cursed line of Canaan [9:23-27]); Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

³And Bashemath Ishmaels daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

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

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

⁶And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons 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.

⁷For 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.

⁸Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom. (In all of this, we find that Esau is repeatedly called Edom. This is the name which perpetuated the remembrance of his selling his birthright for a mess of pottage. We find that Esau continued the same profane despiser of heavenly things, despite being a member of the sacred family.)

⁹And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in mount Seir (Petra):

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

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

¹²And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esaus son; and she bore to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esaus wife. (The Amalek mentioned here is probably the Amalekite nation which attacked Israel at Horeb. In Biblical typology, Amalek is looked at as a type of the flesh. When Israel experienced the miracle of the water coming from the Rock, which was a Type of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the Scripture says, Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim [Ex. 17:6-8].)

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁸And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esaus wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes who came of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esaus wife.

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

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

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

²²And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotans sister was Timna.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE KINGS OF EDOM

³¹And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. (Concerning this Chapter, Matthew Henry says, In external prosperity and honor, the children of the Covenant are often cast behind, and those who are out of the Covenant, such as Esau, seemingly get ahead. We may suppose it is a trial to the Faith of Gods Israel to hear of the pomp and power of the kings of Edom, while they were bond slaves in Egypt; but those who look for great things from God must be content to wait for them; Gods time is the best time.

Observe, Mount Seir is called the land of their possession. While the Israelites dwelt in the house of bondage, and their Canaan was only the Land of Promise, the Edomites dwelt in their own habitations, and Seir was in their possession. The children of this world have their all in hand, and nothing in hope [Lk. 16:25]; while the children of God have their all in hope, and little in hand. But all things considered, it is better to have Canaan in Promise than Mount Seir in possession.)

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

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

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

³⁵And 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.

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

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

³⁸And Saul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.

³⁹And Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau; and his wifes name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

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

⁴¹Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,

⁴²Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,

⁴³Duke 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.