Read Genesis 36:1-43 at Bible Gateway.
Hebrew paragraph divisions
Gen 36:1-19 {s} The seed of Esau
Gen 36:20-30 {p} The seed of Seir
Gen 36:31-43 {p} The kings of Edom
Strong theme
Gen 36:1-43 {s+p+p} The seed of Esau and Seir became the nation of Edom.
Gen 36:1-43 chiastic structure
1a) Gen 36:1-9 These are the generations of Esau, THE FATHER OF THE EDOMITES;
1a) Gen 36:1a Now these are the generations of Esau;
1b) Gen 36:1b The same is Edom;
1c) Gen 36:1c-5 Esau dwelt in Canaan where he took his wives and begot his sons;
1a) Gen 36:2a Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan;
1b) Gen 36:2b Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
1c) Gen 36:3 And Basemath Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth;
central axis) Gen 36:4a And Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz;
2c) Gen 36:4b And Basemath bore Reuel;
2b) Gen 36:5a And Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah;
2a) Gen 36:5b These are the sons of Esau, that were born to him in the land of Canaan;
1d) Gen 36:6a And Esau took his wives + sons + daughters + household + cattle + beasts + possessions which he had gathered in the land of Canaan;
central axis) Gen 36:6b And went into a land away from his brother Jacob;
2d) Gen 36:7 For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle;
2c) Gen 36:8a And Esau dwelt in the mountain-land of Seir;
2b) Gen 36:8b Esau is Edom;
2a) Gen 36:9 And these are the generations of Esau THE FATHER OF THE EDOMITES in the mountain-land of Seir;
1b) Gen 36:10-30 {s+p} THE SONS/ CHIEFS OF ESAU + SEIR;
1a) Gen 36:10-14 The sons born to Esau by Adah + Basemath + Oholibamah;
1a) Gen 36:10a These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau;
1b) Gen 36:10b Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau;
1c) Gen 36:11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz;
central axis) Gen 36:12a And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau’s son;
2c) Gen 36:12b And she bore to Eliphaz, Amalek. These are the sons of Adah Esau’s wife;
2b) Gen 36:13 And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, Mizzah. These were the sons of Basemath Esau’s wife;
2a) Gen 36:14 And these were the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife; and she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, Korah;
1a repeated) Gen 36:15-19b The chiefs of Esau by Adah + Basemath + Oholibamah;
1a) Gen 36:15a These are the chiefs;
1b) Gen 36:15b Of the sons of Esau;
central axis) Gen 36:15c-18, The names of the chiefs that came of the sons of Adah + Basemath + Oholibamah;
2b) Gen 36:19a These are the sons of Esau;
2a) Gen 36:19b And these are their chiefs;
central axis) Gen 36:19c {s} The same is Edom;
2a) Gen 36:20-30 {p} The sons / chiefs of Seir the Horite;
1a) Gen 36:20-21 The sons of Seir the Horite in the land of Edom;
1a) Gen 36:20a These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land;
central axis) Gen 36:20b-21a Lotan + Shobal + Zibeon + Anah + Dishon + Ezer + Dishan;
2a) Gen 36:21b These are the chiefs that came of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom;
1b) Gen 36:22a And the children of Lotan were Hori + Hemam;
central axis) Gen 36:22b And Lotan’s sister was Timna;
2b) Gen 36:23-28 And these are the children of Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, Dishan;
2a) Gen 36:29-30 {p} The chiefs that came of the Horites in the land of Seir;
1a) Gen 36:29a These are the chiefs that came of the Horites;
central axis) Gen 36:29b-30a The chief of Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, Dishan;
2a) Gen 36:30b {p} These are the chiefs that came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir;
central axis) Gen 36:31-39 THE KINGS OF EDOM;
2b) Gen 36:40-43a THE CHIEFS OF ESAU/ EDOM;
1a) Gen 36:40a And these are the names of the chiefs that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names;
central axis) Gen 36:40b-43a The chief of Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, Iram;
2a) Gen 36:43b These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession;
2a) Gen 36:43c {p} This is Esau THE FATHER OF THE EDOMITES.
The chapter takes pains to establish that Esau left Canaan with his wives and sons, and established his family in the mountain land of Seir the Horite. His sons intermarried with the seed of Seir, and the two peoples became one people — the people of Edom — as can be seen by comparing the names of their chiefs, and the places over which they were chiefs. The nation of Edom (for the central axis of the record of kings establishes that the people came to have their own national identity and territory) then has Esau as its father.
Now why spend so much space establishing this record? Esau despised his birthright – the covenant of his fathers Abraham and Isaac with God. Esau and Edom are prophetic types throughout Scripture, and their history with Israel is speaking a prophecy of things yet to come …
Leave a Reply