(P.) The Generations of Esau In this chapter are preserved traditions of great antiquarian interest relating to Edom, one of the races most nearly allied to Israel. After the burial of Isaac, the P narrative disposes of the "generations of Esau," before dealing with "the generations of Jacob" (Gene... [ Continue Reading ]
Esau's Wives and Children 1. _the same is Edom_ A gloss introduced here and in Genesis 36:8_; Genesis 36:19_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Esau took his wives_ The list of Esau's wives in this chapter does not agree with that in Genesis 26:34 and Genesis 28:9. (_a_) In this passage and in Genesis 36:9 Esau's wives are (1) Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; (2) Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;... [ Continue Reading ]
_Eliphaz_ Familiar as the name of one of Job's friends, Job 2:11. _Reuel_ The same name as that of Moses" father-in-law, a Midianite, Exodus 2:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
Esau in Mount Seir 6. _a land away from his brother Jacob_ The Syr. reads "the land of Seir," which is possibly the original reading. The Lat. _abiit in alteram regionem_. The present passage ignores the previous mention of Esau's residence in "the land of Seir, the field of Edom," Genesis 32:3. Se... [ Continue Reading ]
_For their substance was too great_ The departure of Esau into Seir is here explained as necessitated by the growing wealth of Esau and Jacob in Canaan: cf. the separation of Abraham and Lot in ch. 13. Obviously the explanation given here does not agree with the representation in Genesis 32:3 and Ge... [ Continue Reading ]
_mount Seir_ The mountain country of Seir, a region, not a mountain, lying to the east of the Arabah.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Edomites_ Heb. _Edom_, as in _Gen 36:43_: cf. 1 Samuel 14:47.... [ Continue Reading ]
The "sons" of Esau by Adah, Basemath, and Oholibamah must be regarded as the names of clans, and, like the sons of Ishmael and Israel, are 12 in number (Amalek, the son of Esau's concubine, Timna, is excluded from this list of twelve).... [ Continue Reading ]
_Eliphaz_ See Genesis 36:4. _Reuel_ See Genesis 36:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Teman_ A district in the north of Edom. Cf. Ezekiel 25:13; Amos 1:12; Obadiah 1:9. Its reputation for "wise men" is alluded to in Jeremiah 49:7; Bar 3:22-23. Job's friend Eliphaz is a Temanite, Job 2:11. The Heb. word _têmân_means "south," i.e. what is on the right hand, facing east. _Kenaz_ Proba... [ Continue Reading ]
_Amalek_ Here a grandson of Esau; but, as the descendant from a concubine, he denotes a subordinate clan. Amalekites infested the Sinaitic Peninsula (Exodus 17:8-15; Deuteronomy 25:17) and harried southern Palestine (1 Samuel 15:2).... [ Continue Reading ]
The Tribal Chiefs of Esau 15. _the dukes_ Better, as marg., _chiefs_. The word "duke" has been introduced into the English version from the Lat. _dux_which translates the LXX ἡγεμών. The Heb. _allûph_is connected with _eleph_= 1000, or "a clan"; and hence is used for "the chieftain of a clan," or ... [ Continue Reading ]
_duke Korah_ This name is out of place. It has come in from Genesis 36:18. The other names in Genesis 36:15 are drawn from Genesis 36:11, while Korah, which occurs in Genesis 36:14, is mentioned again in Genesis 36:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the inhabitants of the land_ The aborigines: see Genesis 14:6; Deuteronomy 2:12.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Horites the aboriginal inhabitants of the country "the sons of Seir, the Horite," were possibly so called from the word _ḥor_, "a hole"; cf. 1 Samuel 13:6; 1 Samuel 14:11. This derivation has long been maintained, and is possibly correct, the Horites being regarded as troglodytes, or cave-dwelle... [ Continue Reading ]
_Zibeon_ means "an hyaena." _Anah_ See note on Genesis 36:2. Whether son or brother (Genesis 36:20) of Zibeon, Anah stands for a clan. _the hot springs_ There must have been some well-known story about Anah and his discovery of certain hot springs, while he was, like Saul in 1 Samuel 9, searching... [ Continue Reading ]
_Anah_ This is the clan of Anah of Genesis 36:20, and probably also of Genesis 36:24. _Oholibamah_ See Genesis 36:2. Probably the words "the daughter of Anah" have been carelessly inserted from Genesis 36:2 as a gloss.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Dishon_ Heb. _Dishan_, "a mountain goat" (Deuteronomy 14:5).... [ Continue Reading ]
_Uz_ See Genesis 10:23; Genesis 22:21. Possibly a branch of the Aramaean race (cf. Job 1:1) had settled among the Horites, S.E. of Palestine.... [ Continue Reading ]
_according to their dukes_ Rather, "according to their clans." So LXX, ἐν ταῖς ἡγεμονίαις.... [ Continue Reading ]
Kings of Edom 31. _any king_ From this verse we infer that the writer lived at a time subsequent to the foundation of the Israelite monarchy. The definition, however, of the date is not quite clear in the opinion of some scholars. It is simplest to render, "before there reigned a king for Israel," i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Bela the son of Beor_ In the Hebrew the addition of the letter _m_would give us the proper name "Balaam the son of Beor" (Numbers 22:5). So Targum of Jonathan reads. Hence some have conjectured that we have here an alternative tradition respecting Balaam, as king of Edom. _Bela_is also the name of... [ Continue Reading ]
_Bozrah_ A town lying 20 miles south-east of the Dead Sea, of great importance in old times perhaps the chief Edomite city. Cf. Isaiah 34:6; Isaiah 63:1; Jeremiah 49:13; Jeremiah 49:22; Amos 1:12. It has been identified with the modern _Busera_. The name means "fortification.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Temanites_ See Genesis 36:11.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Hadad_ A name familiar as that of a Syrian deity, occurring in the royal names "Ben-Hadad" and "Hadad-Ezer." The defeat of "Midian in the field of Moab," the solitary note of history, illustrates the extent to which the power of Edom at one time was developed. See note on the same name, Genesis 25:... [ Continue Reading ]
_Samlah_ LXX (in some MSS.) "Salmah," almost the same name as "Solomon.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Shaul_ This is the same name in Hebrew as "Saul." _Rehoboth by the River_ The R.V. by printing "River" with a capital adopts the interpretation that the Euphrates is here intended. If so, Rehoboth may be _Rahaba_a little south of the junction of the Habor with the Euphrates. But it may be asked, w... [ Continue Reading ]
_Baal-hanan_ i.e. "Baal is favourable," suggesting the worship of Baal; cf. Elhanan, Johanan. The name is the same in meaning as Hannibal.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Hadar_ Probably, as 1 Chronicles 1:50 and some ancient authorities, _Hadad_. Possibly this Hadad II (see Genesis 36:35) was the Hadadezer deposed by David (2 Samuel 8:3 ff.). Hadad III shook off the yoke of Israel (1 Kings 11:21 ff.; cf. Genesis 27:40). _Pau_ In 1 Chronicles 1:50, _Pai_. LXX reads... [ Continue Reading ]
Edomite Chiefs 40. _families … places … names_ This short supplementary list of chiefs consists of names partly tribal, partly local, and partly personal. _duke Timna_ i.e. the chieftain of Timna; cf. note on Genesis 36:15. _Alvah_ In 1 Chronicles 1:51, _Aliah_. In Genesis 36:23, _Alvan_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_duke Elah_ Probably the chief of the tribe that resided on the coast of Elath. The name appears in the kinship of Caleb (1 Chronicles 4:15). _Pinon_ Possibly the same as Punon (cf. Numbers 33:42) between Petra and Zoar.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Edomites_ Heb. _Edom_; cf. Genesis 36:9.... [ Continue Reading ]