Genesis · chapter 36 of 50
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Genesis 36 is the genealogy of Esau, also called Edom. It lists his wives, his sons born in Canaan, his move to the hill country of Seir, his descendants, the chiefs of Edom, the sons of Seir the Horite and the kings who reigned in Edom before any king reigned in Israel. It shows that God's promise to Esau, though different from Jacob's, is also fulfilled.
Genesis 35 closed with the death of Isaac and the list of Jacob's sons. Before continuing with the story of Joseph, Genesis 36 pauses over the family of Esau, Jacob's brother. These lists help the reader see how God's words about Esau are fulfilled, and identify Edom, a neighboring people who will appear many times in the rest of the Old Testament.
The chapter opens with Esau's wives: Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; and Basemath, daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. The sons they bore him in Canaan are listed. Esau takes his wives, sons and all his possessions and goes to another land, away from Jacob, because their possessions were so great that the land could not support them both. He settles in the hill country of Seir. The text repeats that Esau is Edom.
The list of Esau's descendants in Seir follows: the sons of Eliphaz, Reuel and the other wives. Among the grandsons appears Amalek, born to Eliphaz's concubine, Timna. Then the chiefs of the families of Edom are listed, who were like clan leaders. Later comes the list of the sons of Seir the Horite, the original inhabitants of the land, and their chiefs.
The chapter ends with the list of the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites, naming eight kings, and with another list of the chiefs of Esau by their territories. This last list closes with the statement that Esau is the father of Edom.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Esau goes to another land, away from Jacob, because their possessions were too great for them to live together. It echoes Abraham and Lot in Genesis 13, and shows how the two brothers part peacefully.
Esau settles in the hill country of Seir, and the text adds that Esau is Edom. This verse links Jacob's brother with the neighboring people of Israel, who will play an important role in later history.
Among Esau's descendants appears Amalek, son of Eliphaz and his concubine Timna. From him comes the people of the Amalekites, who will later be enemies of Israel.
The list of the kings of Edom begins by saying they reigned before any king reigned over the Israelites. Edom had kings before Israel, although the promise of kings had also been given to Jacob, in Genesis 35:11.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Edom, the land of his descendants. — Genesis 36:1
Answer: Adah, Oholibamah and Basemath. — Genesis 36:2-3
Answer: Because their possessions were so great that the land could not support them both. — Genesis 36:6-7
Answer: In the hill country of Seir. — Genesis 36:8
Answer: Amalek, father of the Amalekites. — Genesis 36:12
Answer: That they reigned in Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites. — Genesis 36:31
Genealogies can seem dry, but Genesis 36 reminds us that God keeps his words with every family, even Esau's, which is not the line of the promise. In a Sunday school class, it is a chance to explain why God includes names and lists in his Word: because he sees and remembers real people.
The chapter also invites us to think about relationships between families. Jacob and Esau separated in peace. Ask how to care for relationships with those who follow different paths, and how to recognize God's kindness in the lives of people who are not on the same line of faith.
Genesis 36 closes the account of Esau and his descendants. Attention now returns to Jacob, and Genesis 37 begins the story of Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, which leads the family to Egypt.
Because Esau is the son of Isaac and the brother of Jacob, and his descendants, the Edomites, will be important neighbors of Israel. The list shows that God also kept his word that Esau would have many descendants and a land of his own.
This chapter names Adah, Oholibamah and Basemath. The names of his wives differ from those given in Genesis 26:34 and 28:9, and interpreters explain this by the use of several names for one person or by different marriages. The text does not settle the matter.
They were the descendants of Esau, who lived south and east of the Dead Sea, in the region of Seir. Throughout the Old Testament they sometimes have tense relations with Israel and sometimes appear as a brother people.