Genesis
Chapter 36
Esau’s Descendants
These are the descendants of Esau, that is, Edom. Esau married women of Canaan:
Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon the Hivite,
Basemath, the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz, Basemath bore Reuel,
Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau born to him in the land of Canaan.
Esau, along with his wives, sons and daughters, all the members of his household, his livestock, all his cattle and all the goods he had acquired in the land of Canaan, left for the land of Seir far removed from his brother Jacob.
For they had acquired too much to live together. The land where they were living at that time could not support them both because of their cattle.
That is why Edom settled in the hilly country of Seir. Esau is Edom.
These are the descendants of Esau, the father of Edom, in the mountainous area of Seir.
These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah, Esau’s wife, and Reuel the son of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
The sons of Eliphaz were: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
Eliphaz, the son of Esau, had Timna as a concubine, and she bore him Amalek. These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.
These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, son of Zibeon: she bore him Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
These are the clans of the sons of Esau.
The sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn, are clans of Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, Gatam, and Amalek. These are the clans of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah.
These are the sons of Reuel, the son of Esau: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.
And these are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: chief Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the chiefs of Esau’s wife, Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
These are the sons of Esau. This is Edom, and these are their chiefs.
These are the sons of Seir the Horite, inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
Dishon, Ezer, Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.
The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam, and Lotan’s sister was Timna.
These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Mahanath, Ebal, Shepo, and Onam.
These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah, Anah—the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon.
These are the children of Anah: Dishon, Oholibamah, daughter of Anah.
These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, Cheran.
These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
These are the clans of the Horites: according to their clans of Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
These kings ruled in the land of Edom before any Israelite king ruled.
In Edom, these kings reigned: Bela son of Beor; his city was called Dinhabah.
Bela died, and Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.
Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites took over.
Husham died, and Hadad son of Bedad succeeded him; he defeated the Midianites in the country of Moab, and his city was called Avith.
Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah succeeded him.
Samlah died, and Shaul from Rehoboth-on-the-River took over.
Shaul died, and Baal-hanan son of Achbor succeeded him.
Baal-hanan died, and Hadad took over; his city was called Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred from Mezahab.
These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, categorized by their clans and localities: chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
Magdiel, Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom based on their families and residence in the land that belonged to them. (This is Esau, father of Edom).
Commentaries
Esau’s Descendants.
The history of Esau, frequently referred to as the father of the Edomites, could not remain unfinished. The kinship with Israel is emphasized, but the notion that the inheritance belonging to Israel and his descendants is unrelated to the Canaanite territory is also highlighted (6-8). The particular interest in compiling the lists of Esau’s descendants, six in total, suggests that Esau is likewise the progenitor of a great people and that he shares, to some extent, in the blessings and promises of his grandfather Abraham. Conversely, it delineates the territory of the Edomites, a land that was inaccessible to the Israelites upon their return from Egypt (cf. Nm 20:14-21).