Genesis 36:1-43

The Descendants of Esau

36:1 What follows is the account of Esau (also known as Edom). ¹ 

36:2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: ²  Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter ³  of Zibeon the Hivite, 36:3 in addition to Basemath the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

36:4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 36:5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

36:6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the people in his household, his livestock, his animals, and all his possessions which he had acquired in the land of Canaan and went to a land some distance away from ⁴  Jacob his brother 36:7 because they had too many possessions to be able to stay together and the land where they had settled ⁵  was not able to support them because of their livestock. 36:8 So Esau (also known as Edom) lived in the hill country of Seir. ⁶ 

36:9 This is the account of Esau, the father ⁷  of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir.

36:10 These were the names of Esau’s sons:

Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.

36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were:

Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

36:12 Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons ⁸  of Esau’s wife Adah.

36:13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons ⁹  of Esau’s wife Basemath.

36:14 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter ¹⁰  of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Esau.

36:15 These were the chiefs ¹¹  among the descendants ¹²  of Esau, the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, 36:16 chief Korah, ¹³  chief Gatam, chief Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons ¹⁴  of Adah.

36:17 These were the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom; these were the sons ¹⁵  of Esau’s wife Basemath.

36:18 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

36:19 These were the sons of Esau (also known as Edom), and these were their chiefs.

36:20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, ¹⁶  who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 36:21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants ¹⁷  of Seir in the land of Edom.

36:22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; ¹⁸  Lotan’s sister was Timna.

36:23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, ¹⁹  and Onam.

36:24 These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (who discovered the hot springs ²⁰  in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon).

36:25 These were the children ²¹  of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

36:26 These were the sons of Dishon: ²²  Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.

36:27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

36:28 These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

36:29 These were the chiefs of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah, 36:30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chief lists in the land of Seir.

36:31 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites: ²³ 

36:32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.

36:33 When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.

36:34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

36:35 When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place; the name of his city was Avith.

36:36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.

36:37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth by the River ²⁴  reigned in his place.

36:38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

36:39 When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad ²⁵  reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. ²⁶  His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

36:40 These were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families, according to their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth, 36:41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, 36:42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, 36:43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements ²⁷  in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the Edomites.

Genesis 37:5-10

37:5 Joseph ²⁸  had a dream, ²⁹  and when he told his brothers about it, ³⁰  they hated him even more. ³¹  37:6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ³²  37:7 There we were, ³³  binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down ³⁴  to it!” 37:8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” ³⁵  They hated him even more ³⁶  because of his dream and because of what he said. ³⁷ 

37:9 Then he had another dream, ³⁸  and told it to his brothers. “Look,” ³⁹  he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 37:10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? ⁴⁰  Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” ⁴¹ 

Isaiah 30:1-7

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious ⁴²  children are as good as dead,” ⁴³  says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me, ⁴⁴ 

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, ⁴⁵ 

and thereby compound their sin. ⁴⁶ 

30:2 They travel down to Egypt

without seeking my will, ⁴⁷ 

seeking Pharaoh’s protection,

and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. ⁴⁸ 

30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,

and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.

30:4 Though his ⁴⁹  officials are in Zoan

and his messengers arrive at Hanes, ⁵⁰ 

30:5 all will be put to shame ⁵¹ 

because of a nation that cannot help them,

who cannot give them aid or help,

but only shame and disgrace.”

30:6 This is a message ⁵²  about the animals in the Negev:

Through a land of distress and danger,

inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, ⁵³ 

by snakes and darting adders, ⁵⁴ 

they transport ⁵⁵  their wealth on the backs of donkeys,

their riches on the humps of camels,

to a nation that cannot help them. ⁵⁶ 

30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping. ⁵⁷ 

For this reason I call her

‘Proud one ⁵⁸  who is silenced.’” ⁵⁹ 

Isaiah 31:1

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ⁶⁰ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ⁶¹ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ⁶² 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ⁶³ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

Lamentations 4:17

The People of Jerusalem Lament:

ע (Ayin)

4:17 Our eyes continually failed us

as we looked in vain for help. ⁶⁴ 

From our watchtowers we watched

for a nation that could not rescue us.

Ezekiel 17:15

17:15 But this one from Israel’s royal family ⁶⁵  rebelled against the king of Babylon ⁶⁶  by sending his emissaries to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he prosper? Will the one doing these things escape? Can he break the covenant and escape?

Hosea 7:11

Israel Turns to Assyria and Egypt for Help

7:11 Ephraim has been like a dove,

easily deceived and lacking discernment.

They called to Egypt for help;

they turned to Assyria for protection.

[36:1]  ¹ sn Chapter 36 records what became of Esau. It will list both his actual descendants as well as the people he subsumed under his tribal leadership, people who were aboriginal Edomites. The chapter is long and complicated (see further J. R. Bartlett, “The Edomite King-List of Genesis 36:31-39 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-50,” JTS 16 [1965]: 301-14; and W. J. Horowitz, “Were There Twelve Horite Tribes?” CBQ 35 [1973]: 69-71). In the format of the Book of Genesis, the line of Esau is “tidied up” before the account of Jacob is traced (37:2). As such the arrangement makes a strong contrast with Jacob. As F. Delitzsch says, “secular greatness in general grows up far more rapidly than spiritual greatness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:238). In other words, the progress of the world far out distances the progress of the righteous who are waiting for the promise.

[36:2]  ² tn Heb “from the daughters of Canaan.”

[36:2]  ³ tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.

[36:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “from before.”

[36:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “land of their settlements.”

[36:8]  ⁶ tn Traditionally “Mount Seir,” but in this case the expression בְּהַר שֵׂעִיר (bÿhar se’ir) refers to the hill country or highlands of Seir.

[36:9]  ⁷ sn The term father in genealogical records needs to be carefully defined. It can refer to a literal father, a grandfather, a political overlord, or a founder.

[36:12]  ⁸ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:13]  ⁹ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.

[36:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “clan leaders” (so also throughout this chapter).

[36:15]  ¹² tn Or “sons.”

[36:16]  ¹³ tc The Samaritan Pentateuch omits the name “Korah” (see v. 11 and 1 Chr 1:36).

[36:16]  ¹⁴ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:17]  ¹⁵ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:20]  ¹⁶ sn The same pattern of sons, grandsons, and chiefs is now listed for Seir the Horite. “Seir” is both the name of the place and the name of the ancestor of these tribes. The name “Horite” is probably not to be identified with “Hurrian.” The clan of Esau settled in this area, intermarried with these Horites and eventually dispossessed them, so that they all became known as Edomites (Deut 2:12 telescopes the whole development).

[36:21]  ¹⁷ tn Or “sons.”

[36:22]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Hemam”; this is probably a variant spelling of “Homam” (1 Chr 1:39); cf. NRSV, NLT “Heman.”

[36:23]  ¹⁹ tn This name is given as “Shephi” in 1 Chr 1:40.

[36:24]  ²⁰ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain; Syriac reads “water” and Vulgate reads “hot water.”

[36:25]  ²¹ tn Heb “sons,” but since a daughter is included in the list, the word must be translated “children.”

[36:26]  ²² tn Heb “Dishan,” but this must be either a scribal error or variant spelling, since “Dishan” is mentioned in v. 28 (see also v. 21).

[36:31]  ²³ tn Or perhaps “before any Israelite king ruled over [them].”

[36:37]  ²⁴ tn Typically the Hebrew expression “the River” refers to the Euphrates River, but it is not certain whether that is the case here. Among the modern English versions which take this as a reference to the Euphrates are NASB, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT. Cf. NAB, TEV “Rehoboth-on-the-River.”

[36:39]  ²⁵ tc Most mss of the MT read “Hadar” here; “Hadad” is the reading found in some Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac (cf. also 1 Chr 1:50).

[36:39]  ²⁶ tn The name of the city is given as “Pai” in 1 Chr 1:50.

[36:43]  ²⁷ tn Or perhaps “territories”; Heb “dwelling places.”

[37:5]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:5]  ²⁹ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[37:5]  ³⁰ sn Some interpreters see Joseph as gloating over his brothers, but the text simply says he told his brothers about it (i.e., the dream). The text gives no warrant for interpreting his manner as arrogant or condescending. It seems normal that he would share a dream with the family.

[37:5]  ³¹ tn The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.

[37:6]  ³² tn Heb “hear this dream which I dreamed.”

[37:7]  ³³ tn All three clauses in this dream report begin with וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), which lends vividness to the report. This is represented in the translation by the expression “there we were.”

[37:7]  ³⁴ tn The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.

[37:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Ruling, will you rule over us, or reigning, will you reign over us?” The statement has a poetic style, with the two questions being in synonymous parallelism. Both verbs in this statement are preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Joseph’s brothers said, “You don’t really think you will rule over us, do you? You don’t really think you will have dominion over us, do you?”

[37:8]  ³⁶ tn This construction is identical to the one in Gen 37:5.

[37:8]  ³⁷ sn The response of Joseph’s brothers is understandable, given what has already been going on in the family. But here there is a hint of uneasiness – they hated him because of his dream and because of his words. The dream bothered them, as well as his telling them. And their words in the rhetorical question are ironic, for this is exactly what would happen. The dream was God’s way of revealing it.

[37:9]  ³⁸ tn Heb “And he dreamed yet another dream.”

[37:9]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Look.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons. Both clauses of the dream report begin with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which lends vividness to the report.

[37:10]  ⁴⁰ sn The question What is this dream that you had? expresses Jacob’s dismay at what he perceives to be Joseph’s audacity.

[37:10]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Jacob said, “You don’t really think we will come…to bow down…do you?”

[30:1]  ⁴² tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”

[30:1]  ⁴³ tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

[30:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

[30:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.

[30:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

[30:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”

[30:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”

[30:4]  ⁴⁹ sn This probably refers to Judah’s officials and messengers.

[30:4]  ⁵⁰ sn Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta in the north; Hanes was located somewhere in southern region of lower Egypt, south of Memphis; the exact location is debated.

[30:5]  ⁵¹ tn The present translation follows the marginal (Qere) reading of the Hebrew text; the consonantal text (Kethib) has “made to stink, decay.”

[30:6]  ⁵² tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.”

[30:6]  ⁵³ tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.

[30:6]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.

[30:6]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[30:6]  ⁵⁶ sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.

[30:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “As for Egypt, with vanity and emptiness they help.”

[30:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “Rahab” (רַהַב, rahav), which also appears as a name for Egypt in Ps 87:4. The epithet is also used in the OT for a mythical sea monster symbolic of chaos. See the note at 51:9. A number of English versions use the name “Rahab” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) while others attempt some sort of translation (cf. CEV “a helpless monster”; TEV, NLT “the Harmless Dragon”).

[30:7]  ⁵⁹ tn The MT reads “Rahab, they, sitting.” The translation above assumes an emendation of הֵם שָׁבֶת (hem shavet) to הַמָּשְׁבָּת (hammashbat), a Hophal participle with prefixed definite article, meaning “the one who is made to cease,” i.e., “destroyed,” or “silenced.” See HALOT 444-45 s.v. ישׁב.

[31:1]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ⁶² tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ⁶³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[4:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “Our eyes failed in vain for help.”

[17:15]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the member of the royal family, v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:15]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king of Babylon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.