Bible Commentaries

Now these [are] ^a the generations of Esau, who [is] Edom.

(a) This genealogy declares that Esau was blessed physically and that his father's blessing took place in worldly things.

Esau took his wives of the ^b daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

(b) Besides those wives spoken of in (Genesis 26:34).

And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and ^c went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.

(c) In this, God's providence appears, which causes the wicked to give place to the godly, that Jacob might enjoy Canaan according to God's promise.

These [were] ^d dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn [son] of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,

(d) If God's promises are so sure towards those who are not of his household, how much more will he perform the same for us?

These [are] the sons of Seir the Horite, who ^e inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,

(e) Esau lived there before that.

And these [are] the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this [was that] Anah that found the ^f mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.

(f) Who not contented with those kinds of beasts, which God had created, discovered the monstrous generation of mules between the ass and the mare.

And these [are] the ^g kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

(g) The wicked rise up suddenly to honour and perish as quickly: but the inheritance of the children of God continues forever, (Psalm 102:28).

And Samlah died, and Saul of ^h Rehoboth [by] the river reigned in his stead.

(h) Which is by the river Euphrates.

Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these [be] the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he [is] Esau the father of the ⁱ Edomites.

(i) Of Edom came the Idumeans.