Previous combined narration for Genesis 35–36; updated chapter-specific narration is pending.
Genesis gives Esau’s family an entire chapter before returning to Jacob’s sons. Wives, children, chiefs, earlier inhabitants, and kings fill the record. Esau’s descendants have their own dwelling places and their own history, even though the covenant story follows Jacob. Reading these names carefully prepares us to understand Edom’s later brotherhood and hostility toward Israel. It also corrects the pride that can confuse God’s promise with the right to despise everyone outside our own people.
Esau’s household moves to Seir (Genesis 36:1-8)
1 And these are the generations of Esau; this is Edom. 2 And Esau took to himself wives of the daughters of the Chananites; Ada, the daughter of Ælom the Chettite; and Olibema, daughter of Ana the son of Sebegon, the Evite; 3 and Basemath, daughter of Ismael, sister of Nabaioth. 4 And Ada bore to him Eliphas; and Basemath bore Raguel. 5 And Olibema bore Jeus, and Jeglom, and Core; these are the sons of Esau, which were born to him in the land of Chanaan. 6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and all his possessions, and all his cattle, and all that he had got, and all things whatsoever he had acquired in the land of Chanaan; and Esau went forth from the land of Chanaan, from the face of his brother Jacob. 7 For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the land of their sojourning could not bear them, because of the abundance of their possessions. 8 And Esau dwelt in mount Seir; Esau, he is Edom.
The repeated identification of Esau with Edom makes a family history into the origin of a people. The sons listed here are born in Canaan, before Esau takes his household and possessions away from Jacob. Verse 7 gives the practical reason: their substance is too great for them to dwell together. The account recalls Abraham and Lot, whose possessions also exceeded the land’s capacity to sustain their households together (Genesis 13:5-12). Separation can serve peace when people accept limits instead of forcing every relationship into proximity.
This departure is described through Esau’s own action, not through Jacob driving him out. The text does not describe their negotiations or give every motive. Nor should the transfer to Seir be treated as evidence that God has abandoned Esau’s descendants. Deuteronomy 2:4-5 will call them Israel’s brothers and identify Seir as the inheritance God has given them. Israel must respect a boundary God has assigned to another people.
The wives’ names differ from earlier lists. Genesis 26:34 names Judith daughter of Beoch and Basemath daughter of Helon; Genesis 28:9 calls Ishmael’s daughter Maeleth. Here the names are Ada, Olibema, and Basemath, with Basemath now identified as Ishmael’s daughter. These differences occur in Brenton itself. A confident assertion that each woman simply had two names would go beyond the account. Keeping the lists visible is more faithful than making the difficulty disappear.
Esau’s provision challenges a possessive form of religious identity. We can affirm the particular promise given through Jacob while acknowledging God’s gifts to his brother. In daily life, this means respecting another household’s provision, boundaries, and freedom rather than treating our own calling as ownership of everything good.
Esau’s sons and their chiefs (Genesis 36:9-19)
9 And these are the generations of Esau, the father of Edom in the mount Seir. 10 And these are the names of the sons of Esau. Eliphas, the son of Ada, the wife of Esau; and Raguel, the son of Basemath, wife of Esau. 11 And the sons of Eliphas were Thæman, Omar, Sophar, Gothom, and Kenez. 12 And Thamna was a concubine of Eliphaz, the son of Esau; and she bore Amalec to Eliphas. These are the sons of Ada, the wife of Esau. 13 And these are the sons of Raguel; Nachoth, Zare, Some, and Moze. These were the sons of Basemath, wife of Esau. 14 And these are the sons of Olibema, the daughter of Ana, the son of Sebegon, the wife of Esau; and she bore to Esau, Jeus, and Jeglom, and Core. 15 These are the chiefs of the son of Esau, even the sons of Eliphas, the first-born of Esau; chief Thæman, chief Omar, chief Sophar, chief Kenez, 16 chief Core, chief Gothom, chief Amalec. These are the chiefs of Eliphas, in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Ada. 17 And these are the sons of Raguel, the son of Esau; chief Nachoth, chief Zare, chief Some, chief Moze. These are the chiefs of Raguel, in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, wife of Esau. 18 And these are the sons of Olibema, wife of Esau; chief Jeus, chief Jeglom, chief Core. These are the chiefs of Olibema, daughter of Ana, wife of Esau. 19 These are the sons of Esau, and these are the chiefs; these are the sons of Edom.
The record first names sons and grandsons, then repeats several names as chiefs. The family has become organized into communities. Ada’s line is represented through Eliphas, Basemath’s through Raguel, and Olibema’s through her three sons. The repeated maternal connections help the reader follow the list; the names have relationships, not merely a place in a recital.
Amalec, usually written Amalek, appears in verse 12 as the son of Eliphaz and Thamna. Later Scripture remembers Amalek’s attack on Israel in the wilderness (Exodus 17:8-16). Deuteronomy 25:17-19 specifies that the attack fell upon the weary people at the rear. The later judgment includes God’s promise to blot out Amalek’s memorial and Israel’s command to blot out his name (Exodus 17:14-16; Deuteronomy 25:19). This severe judgment is addressed within Israel’s history; it is no commission for modern people to identify enemies as Amalek and attack them. The charge concerns a deed of ruthless hostility, not an evil quality supplied by being born into a named family. The genealogy prepares the reader for that history; it does not authorize contempt for descendants or present-day violence against people identified with an ancient name.
Eliphas and Thæman are the familiar Eliphaz and Teman. Job 2:11 names Eliphaz the Temanite; Brenton calls him king of the Thæmans. The shared names and regional associations link the books’ worlds. The Greek ending of Job also places his friend Eliphaz among “the children of Esau” (Job 42:17), strengthening that regional and ancestral connection. They do not establish that the Eliphas who is Esau’s son is the same person as Job’s friend. Scripture’s use of a familiar name should make us attentive without making us careless about identity.
For the reader, the chiefs’ repeated family connections reveal how influence grows. A household’s practices do not stay entirely private when its children become leaders. That gives ordinary faithfulness weight: truthfulness, hospitality, and protection of the weak form the people who will later carry responsibility. It also keeps leadership accountable. A chief’s pedigree cannot make cruelty righteous.
Seir’s earlier inhabitants (Genesis 36:20-30)
20 And these are the sons of Seir, the Chorrhite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, Sobal, Sebegon, Ana, 21 and Deson, and Asar, and Rison. These are the chiefs of the Chorrhite, the son of Seir, in the land of Edom. 22 And the sons of Lotan were Chorrhi and Hæman; and the sister of Lotan, Thamna. 23 And these are the sons of Sobal; Golam, and Manachath, and Gæbel, and Sophar, and Omar. 24 And these are the sons of Sebegon; Aïe, and Ana; this is the Ana who found Jamin in the wilderness, when he tended the beasts of his father Sebegon. 25 And these are the sons of Ana; Deson—and Olibema was daughter of Ana. 26 And these are the sons of Deson; Amada, and Asban, and Ithran, and Charrhan. 27 And these are the sons of Asar; Balaam, and Zucam, and Jucam. 28 And these are the sons of Rison; Hos, and Aran. 29 And these are the chiefs of Chorri; chief Lotan, chief Sobal, chief Sebegon, chief Ana, 30 chief Deson, chief Asar, chief Rison. These are the chiefs of Chorri, in their principalities in the land of Edom.
The account now turns to Seir the Chorrhite, usually written Horite, and to the families already inhabiting the land. Esau’s genealogy is not the whole history of Seir. Verse 22 names Lotan’s sister Thamna, while the earlier list names Thamna as Eliphaz’s concubine. Olibema and Ana also occur in the linked family records. These connections draw the inhabitants of the region into the account without supplying a complete social history.
Deuteronomy 2:12 later says that the Horites had lived in Seir before Esau’s descendants dispossessed them. The earlier statement that God gave Seir to Esau must therefore be read alongside the Bible’s memory of those who previously occupied it. Gift, settlement, and conflict belong to the wider account. Genesis 36 preserves the names of the earlier families rather than leaving them faceless.
Verse 24 deserves patience. Brenton says Ana found “Jamin” in the wilderness while tending his father’s beasts. Hebrew-based English translations often have “hot springs” at this point. Brenton’s form leaves the term as a name; NETS likewise has a form of “Iamin.” We should not silently rewrite the displayed line as a discovery of springs or construct an identification of the site from it. One uncertain detail does not make the whole genealogy meaningless.
The list gives us a restraint in speaking about other peoples: what we do not know should not be replaced with a story convenient to our own side. Names remain even where our explanation is limited. Christian remembrance should have room for people whose history does not advance our family, nation, or congregation’s reputation.
Kings before Israel’s kings (Genesis 36:31-39)
31 And these are the kings which reigned in Edom, before a king reigned in Israel. 32 And Balac, son of Beor, reigned in Edom; and the name of his city was Dennaba. 33 And Balac died; and Jobab, son of Zara, from Bosorrha reigned in his stead. 34 And Jobab died; and Asom, from the land of the Thæmanites, reigned in his stead. 35 And Asom died; and Adad son of Barad, who cut off Madiam in the plain of Moab, ruled in his stead; and the name of his city was Getthaim. 36 And Adad died; and Samada of Massecca reigned in his stead. 37 And Samada died; and Saul of Rhoöboth by the river reigned in his stead. 38 And Saul died; and Ballenon the son of Achobor reigned in his stead. 39 And Ballenon the son of Achobor died; and Arad the son of Barad reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was Phogor; and the name of his wife was Metebeel, daughter of Matraith, son of Maizoöb.
The introductory contrast is explicit: Edom has kings before Israel has a reigning king. Genesis 35:11 has just promised kings from Jacob’s descendants. The two statements belong together. Visible institutions can appear elsewhere while Israel still waits upon God’s promise. The narrative neither conceals Edom’s organized power nor treats its earlier monarchy as proof that Jacob’s calling has failed.
Each successor is named after a predecessor’s death. The list gives no warrant for assuming that each new king is the previous king’s son; it supplies different places and fathers, and it singles out one king’s victory over Midian. The royal names do not cancel mortality. A ruler’s city, marriage, and military success enter the record, and then another ruler takes his place. Israel’s hope cannot be measured solely by the speed with which it acquires a similar structure.
Jobab in verse 33 has special significance for a Septuagint reader. The Greek ending of Job, printed in Brenton at Job 42:17, calls Job “Jobab” and includes him among the kings of Edom, following Balac and preceding Asom. It presents that account as information from a Syriac book. This is a genuine identification within the Septuagint’s received textual tradition, not an inference supplied by this study. It should also be distinguished from independent historical proof that the two figures were the same person.
The connection makes the list less remote. In this textual tradition, the name of a king stands beside the story of suffering, patience, and God’s encounter with a man whose friends misunderstood his affliction. Royal standing could not place Job beyond suffering. Neither can prosperity demonstrate that a person has understood God, nor hardship demonstrate that God has rejected him. The remembered king becomes a warning against the quick verdicts we pronounce over another person’s life. The same Septuagint ending says Job will rise with those whom the Lord raises up (Job 42:17). This record of rulers who die is therefore joined to the hope of resurrection, fulfilled in Christ, rather than left under mortality’s final word.
Edom’s dwelling places and the hope of the nations (Genesis 36:40-43)
40 These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, in their tribes, according to their place, in their countries, and in their nations; chief Thamna, chief Gola, chief Jether, 41 chief Olibema, chief Helas, chief Phinon, 42 chief Kenez, chief Thæman, chief Mazar, 43 chief Magediel, chief Zaphoin. These are the chiefs of Edom in their dwelling-places, in the land of their possession; this is Esau, the father of Edom.
The closing chiefs are grouped by tribes, places, and countries. Edom has become a people settled in “the land of their possession.” The final words return to Esau as Edom’s father. The chapter has completed a record of his line before Genesis turns back to Jacob’s household. Its ending supplies a neighbor’s identity, not a verdict on the final salvation of every person in that line.
Later Scripture speaks about Edom in several distinct ways. Deuteronomy 2:4-5 protects its inheritance, and Deuteronomy 23:7 (Brenton 23:8) forbids abhorring an Edomite because he is Israel’s brother. Numbers 20:14-21 records Edom refusing passage to Israel despite an appeal to brotherhood. Obadiah 10-14 condemns Edom’s violence, rejoicing, and participation in the ruin of Jacob’s people. Brotherly relation makes betrayal more grievous; it does not disappear when judgment is pronounced.
Malachi 1:2-3 says that God loved Jacob and “hated Esau,” immediately describing the devastation of Esau’s borders and inheritance. The hard word remains in the text; its surrounding explanation concerns judgment upon Edom. Romans 9:10-13 invokes Jacob and Esau to speak of God’s purpose and calling before the twins had done good or evil. These passages should not be flattened into the claim that material success earns election or that a teacher can identify whole peoples as beyond mercy. Hebrews 12:16 uses Esau’s sale of his birthright as a warning against profaning what is holy. It addresses the hearer’s response to God’s gift, not a permission to despise Edom’s names.
A significant Septuagint connection appears in Amos 9:11-12. Both the Hebrew-based and Greek forms mention nations called by God’s name. The Hebrew-based English form describes possession of the remnant of Edom; Brenton’s Greek form speaks of the remnant of humanity and the nations seeking the Lord. The difference includes both the people named and the action: possession in one form, seeking God in the other. Acts 15:16-18 quotes the latter pattern as James explains the reception of Gentiles, people from the nations, into the Church. The apostolic argument gives concrete scriptural substance to the confession that Christ is Lord of the nations. It does not claim that Genesis 36 itself predicts the council or that the Hebrew wording has simply been erased.
Gems from the Fathers 💎
St. John Chrysostom, in Homily 33 on Acts, explains James’s use of this prophetic testimony. This is a thematic witness for Genesis 36 through its wider scriptural connections, not direct commentary on the genealogy. Chrysostom shows that the reception of the nations belongs within God’s longstanding purpose. In his explanation of Acts 15:17-18, he says, “this is no new thing, but all was planned from the beginning.”1 The statement illuminates the chapter’s place in Scripture: peoples outside Jacob’s immediate line still belong within the world toward which God’s saving purpose reaches.
The Christian response is therefore neither envy of Edom’s early kings nor contempt for Edom’s later sins. We receive the warning about betrayed brotherhood and the hope of nations called by God’s name. At the level of a parish or family, this begins by refusing to rejoice when another community suffers and by welcoming people whose names, origins, and histories differ from ours.
Glossary
- Edom: the people and land associated with Esau, explicitly identified in 36:1, 8, and 43.
- Seir: the mountainous region where Esau dwells and where the earlier Horite families are remembered.
- Chief: a community leader named in the chapter’s family and territorial lists; distinct here from the list of kings.
- Chorrhite / Horite: the designation for the earlier inhabitants associated with Seir.
- Amalec / Amalek: the descendant named in 36:12 whose people’s later attack on Israel is remembered in Exodus and Deuteronomy.
- Eliphas / Eliphaz; Thæman / Teman: Septuagint name forms that also connect the reader with Job’s Temanite friend, without proving personal identity.
- Jobab: an Edomite king identified with Job in the Greek ending of Job.
- Gentiles: people from the nations, the term used in Acts 15 for those being received into the Church.
Spiritual Fruit 🍇
- Respect another household’s boundaries. Esau and Jacob cannot sustain their possessions together. When a shared arrangement can no longer sustain two households, seek an honest arrangement that respects both sides before strife arises, rather than making proximity a test of love.
- Protect the weary at the rear. Deuteronomy remembers Amalek’s attack on those already exhausted. Notice who is falling behind in your family or parish, and offer practical help before impatience turns their weakness into an inconvenience.
- Refuse envy of early success. Edom’s kings appear while Jacob’s royal promise still awaits fulfillment. Pray for someone whose progress unsettles you, and return to the obedience actually entrusted to you.
- Do not rejoice over a brother’s ruin. Obadiah exposes the pleasure taken in another people’s affliction. Stop repeating a humiliating story about a rival. Offer aid or prayer without needing their distress to prove that your side was right.
- Make welcome particular. Names fill this chapter. Learn the name and history of someone in the parish whose background differs from yours. The hope of the nations becomes concrete when a person is received as a brother or sister rather than as a category.
Christ, Lord of all nations, guard us from profaning Your gifts and from despising the gifts You have given to others. Let the names we scarcely know awaken prayer rather than contempt, and make our belonging to Your Church a school of mercy.
Teaching Notes
Esau’s household moves to Seir (Genesis 36:1-8)
- Ask: How do Esau’s departure and God’s gift of Seir in Deuteronomy 2 change the way we read separation between the brothers?
- Watch for: The wives’ names differ between lists. Do not offer an unsupported harmonization or treat distance as proof that God abandoned Esau.
Esau’s sons and their chiefs (Genesis 36:9-19)
- Ask: Why does the appearance of Amalek prepare us to hear the later account of an attack on the weary?
- Watch for: Shared Eliphaz and Teman names do not establish identity with Job’s friend; Amalek’s later wrongdoing does not authorize racial hatred or present-day violence.
Seir’s earlier inhabitants (Genesis 36:20-30)
- Ask: What changes when the people already inhabiting Seir are remembered by name?
- Watch for: Retain Brenton’s “Jamin” without presenting a discovery of springs as the wording of this Scripture block.
Kings before Israel’s kings (Genesis 36:31-39)
- Ask: What tension appears when Edom’s kings are read beside the promise of kings in Genesis 35:11?
- Watch for: Job’s Greek ending identifies Job with Jobab, but this textual tradition is not independent historical confirmation. Do not invent father-to-son succession for the kings.
Edom’s dwelling places and the hope of the nations (Genesis 36:40-43)
- Ask: How do the command to honor Edomite brotherhood, Obadiah’s rebuke, and Acts 15’s welcome of the nations belong together?
- Watch for: Explain both “Edom” versus humanity and possession versus seeking in Amos. Chrysostom is a thematic witness through Acts, not a commentator on Genesis 36.
Sources
Embedded Scripture is from Brenton’s English Septuagint (LXX).
Brenton, The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament: Genesis 36; 13:5-12; 26:34-35; 28:9; Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 2:4-5, 12; 23:8; 25:17-19; Job 2:11; 42:17 and its Greek ending; Numbers 20:14-21; Obadiah 10-15; Malachi 1:2-3; Amos 9:11-12. 🔗
Robert J. V. Hiebert, Genesis in A New English Translation of the Septuagint, chapter 36, for comparison of the Greek form, including 36:24. 🔗 Hebrew-based comparison: Genesis 36 in the KJV. 🔗 The differing renderings of 36:24, including “hot springs,” “water,” and the KJV’s “mules,” are visible in the translation comparison. 🔗
Hebrew-based Amos 9:11-12 in the KJV, compared with Brenton and Acts 15:16-18; the contrast changes the subject and action as well as the designation of the people. 🔗
New Testament connections: Acts 15:16-19; Romans 9:10-13; Hebrews 12:16-17. St. John Chrysostom’s commentary is cited directly below.
Verse mapping: the Edomite-brotherhood command commonly numbered Deuteronomy 23:7 is Brenton 23:8. The Jobab identification is contained in Brenton’s full Job 42:17; it is presented as a received textual identification, with its own stated appeal to a Syriac account.
No appointed reading of Genesis 36 was identified in the Coptic lectionary sources consulted.