Genesis 36:26 Kommentar

In this chapter we have an account of the posterity of Esau, who, from him, were called Edomites, that Esau who sold his birthright, and lost his blessing, and was not loved of God as Jacob was. Here is a brief register kept of his family for some generations. 1. Because he was the son of Isaac, for whose sake this honour is put upon him. 2. Because the Edomites were neighbours to Israel, and their genealogy would be of use to give light to the following stories of what passed between them. 3. It is to show the performance of the promise to Abraham, that he should be "the father of many nations," and of that answer which Rebekah had from the oracle she consulted, "Two nations are in thy womb," and of the blessing of Isaac, "Thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth." We have here, I. Esau's wives (Gen 36:1-5). II. His remove to mount Seir (Gen 36:6-8). III. The names of his sons (Gen 36:9-14). IV. The dukes who descended of his sons (Gen 36:15-19). V. The dukes of the Horites (Gen 36:20-30). VI. The kings and dukes of Edom (Gen 36:31-43). Little more is recorded than their names, because the history of those that were out of the church (though perhaps it might have been serviceable in politics) would have been of little use in divinity. It is in the church that the memorable instances are found of special grace, and special providence; for that is the enclosure, the rest is common. This chapter is abridged, Ch1 1:35, etc.

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 36 This chapter gives us a genealogical account of Esau's family, of his wives and sons, with whom he removed from Seir, Gen 36:1; of his sons' sons, or grandsons, who were dukes in the land of Edom, Gen 36:11; after which is inserted a genealogy of Seir the Horite, into whose family Esau married, and of his children, and the dukes among them, Gen 36:20; then follows a list of the kings of Edom, before there were any in Israel, Gen 36:31; and the chapter is closed with a brief narration of the dukes of Esau, according to their families, Gen 36:40.

And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom,.... In the land that was afterwards called the land of Edom; for this laud was not so called when these kings began to reign: for, according to Bishop Cumberland (f), and those that follow him (g), these were Horite kings, who, after their defeat by Chedorlaomer, Gen 14:5; in order to secure themselves the better from such a calamity for the future, set up a kingdom, and which appears, by the following account, to be elective; and so Maimonides (h) observes, that not one of these kings were of Edom: and these were: before there reigned any king over the children of Israel; and there being no kings over Israel until many years after the times of Moses, hence some have thought these words are inserted by some other writer after him; but there is no need to suppose that; for Moses knew, from foregoing prophecies and promises, that kings would arise out of them and reign over them, Gen 17:6; and this he was so certain of, that he himself, by divine direction, gave laws and rules to the children of Israel respecting their future kings, Deu 17:14; besides Moses himself was king in Jeshurun or Israel, Deu 33:5, so that it is the same as if he had said, these are the kings that reigned in Edom, before this time. (f) Orig. Gent. Antiq. p. 1-24. (g) Bedford in his Scripture Chronology, and the Authors of the Universal History. (h) Morch Nevochim, par. 3. c. 50. p. 510.

The genealogy of Esau, i.e., his sons, by his Canaanitish wives Adah, Aholibamah, and Bashemath, Gen 36:1-3. The children of Adah and Bashemath, Gen 36:4. Of Aholibamah, Gen 36:5. Esau departs from Canaan and goes to Mount Seir, Gen 36:6-8. The generations of Esau, i.e., his grandchildren, while in Seir, Gen 36:7-19. Anah finds mules (Yemim) in the wilderness, Gen 36:24. The generations of Seir, the Horite, Gen 36:29-30. The kings which reigned in Edom, Gen 36:31-39. The dukes that succeeded them, Gen 36:40-43.

POSTERITY OF ESAU. (Gen. 36:1-43) these are the generations--history of the leading men and events (compare Gen 2:4). Esau who is Edom--A name applied to him in reference to the peculiar color of his skin at birth [Gen 25:25], rendered more significant by his inordinate craving for the red pottage [Gen 25:30], and also by the fierce sanguinary character of his descendants (compare Eze 25:12; Oba 1:10).