Genesis 36:18

And the children of Shobal were these; Alvan, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 23. Isti sunt filii Sobal: Halvan, et Manahath, et Hebal, Sepho, et Onam. 24. And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. 24. Et isti sunt filii Sibhon: Ajah et Hanah: hic est Hanah, qui invenit mulos in deserto, quum passceret asinos Sibhon patris sui. 25. And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. 25. Et isti sunt filii Hanah: Disan, et Aholibamah filia Hanah. 26. And these are the children of Dishon; Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran. 27. The children of Ezer are these; Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan. 27. Isti sunt filii Eser: Bilhan, et Zaavan, et Acan. 28. The children of Dishan are these; Uz, and Aran. 28. Isti sunt filii Disan: Us et Aran. 29. These are the dukes that came of the Horites; duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah, 29. Isti sunt duces Horaeorum: dux Lotan, dux Sobal, dux Sibhon, dux Hanah. 30. Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan: these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir. 30. Dux Dison, dux Eser, dux Disan: isti sunt duces Horaeorum, in ducibus eorum, in terra Sebir. 31. And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel. 31. Et isti sunt reges, qui regnaverunt in terra Edom, antequam regnaret rex super filios Israel. 32.

36:1-43 Esau and his descendants. - The registers in this chapter show the faithfulness of God to his promise to Abraham. Esau is here called Edom, that name which kept up the remembrance of his selling his birth-right for a mess of pottage. Esau continued the same profane despiser of heavenly things. In outward prosperity and honour, the children of the covenant are often behind, and those that are out of the covenant get the start. We may suppose it a trial to the faith of God's Israel, to hear of the pomp and power of the kings of Edom, while they were bond-slaves in Egypt; but those that look for great things from God, must be content to wait for them; God's time is the best time. Mount Seir is called the land of their possession. Canaan was at this time only the land of promise. Seir was in the possession of the Edomites. The children of this world have their all in hand, and nothing in hope, Lu 16:25; while the children of God have their all in hope, and next to nothing in hand. But, all things considered, it is beyond compare better to have Canaan in promise, than mount Seir in possession.

15-19. dukes—The Edomites, like the Israelites, were divided into tribes, which took their names from his sons. The head of each tribe was called by a term which in our version is rendered "duke"—not of the high rank and wealth of a British peer, but like the sheiks or emirs of the modern East, or the chieftains of highland clans. Fourteen are mentioned who flourished contemporaneously.

Verse 18. - And these are the sons of Aholi-bamah Esau's wife; duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah: these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah the daughter of Allah, Esau's wife. In the two previous instances it is the grandsons of Esau that become the alluphim or heads of tribes, while in this it is the sons, which Havernick regards as a mark of authenticity (vide 'Introd.,' § 20). Genesis 36:18

The first dukes of Edom. The Alluph or duke is the head of the tribe among the Edomites, like the Nasi or prince among the Israelites. The ten grandsons of Esau by Adah and Basemath take rank with his three sons by Oholibamah. This favors the presumption that she was his fourth and latest wife. "Duke Corah." This appears to be inserted by a slip of the pen, though it occurs in the Septuagint and Onkelos. It is missing, however, in the Samaritan Pentateuch. It would make twelve dukes, whereas it appears from the closing verses of the chapter that there were only eleven. It is possible, however, that there may have been a Corah descended from Eliphaz who attained to a dukedom; and that Amalek separated himself from the rest of the Edomites and asserted his independence. In the absence of explanatory testimony we must leave this point undecided as we find it.

The Tribe-Princes Who Descended from Esau. - אלּוּפים was the distinguishing title of the Edomite and Horite phylarchs; and it is only incidentally that it is applied to Jewish heads of tribes in Zechariah 9:7 , and Zechariah 12:5 . It is probably derived from אלף or אלפים, equivalent to משׁפּחות, families ( 1 Samuel 10:19 ; Micah 5:2 ), - the heads of the families, i.e., of the principal divisions, of the tribe. The names of these Alluphim are not names of places, but of persons-of the three sons and ten grandsons of Esau mentioned in Genesis 36:9-14 ; though Knobel would reverse the process and interpret the whole geographically. - In Genesis 36:16 Korah has probably been copied by mistake from Genesis 36:18 , and should therefore be erased, as it really is in the Samar. Codex.

[Bible] 36:18. And these the sons of Oolibama, the wife of Esau: duke Jehus, duke Ihelon, duke Core. These are the dukes of Oolibama, the daughter of Ana, and wife of Esau. 36:19. These are the sons of Esau, and these the dukes of them: the same is Edom. 36:20. These are the sons of Seir, the Horrite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, and Sobal, and Sebeon, and Ana, 36:21. And Dison, and Eser, and Disan. These are dukes of the Horrites, the sons of Seir, in the land of Edom. 36:22. And Lotan had sons: Hori and Heman. And the sister of Lotan was Thamna. 36:23. And these the sons of Sobal: Alvan, and Manahat, and Ebal, and Sepho, and Onam. 36:24. And these the sons of Sebeon: Aia and Ana. This is Ana that found the hot waters in the wilderness, when he fed the asses of Sebeon, his father: 36:25. And he had a son Dison, and a daughter Oolibama. 36:26. And these were the sons of Dison: Hamdan, and Eseban, and Jethram, and Charan. 36:27. These also were the sons of Eser: Balaan, and Zavan, and Acan. 36:28. And Dison had sons: Hus and Aram. 36:29. These were dukes of the Horrites: duke Lotan, duke Sobal, duke Sebeon, duke Ana, 36:30. Duke Dison, duke Eser, duke Disan: these were dukes of the Horrites that ruled in the land of Seir. 36:31. And the kings that ruled in the land of Edom, before the children of Israel had a king, were these: 36:32. Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city Denaba. 36:33. And Bela died, and Jobab, the son of Zara, of Bosra, reigned in his stead. 36:34. And when Jobab was dead, Husam, of the land of the Themanites, reigned in his stead. 36:35. And after his death, Adad, the son of Badad, reigned in his stead, who defeated the Madianites in the country of Boab; and the name of his city was Avith. 36:36. And when Adad was dead, there reigned in his stead, Semla, of Masreca. 36:37. And he being dead, Saul, of the river Rohoboth, reigned in his stead. 36:38. And when he also was dead, Balanan, the son of Achobor, succeeded to the kingdom.