Bible Commentaries
Genesis 36

Verses 1-43

The Descendants of Esau

Gen_36:1-43 gives a brief history of the descendants of Esau. Since they were not part of the promised seed line, inspiration's pen does not pause long over the details. Verses 6-8 do explain why Esau moved. The land could not support the families of Jacob and Esau. So, he moved his family to Seir, a region south of the Dead Sea. As the text notes, they actually dwelt in a mountain known as Seir. The Edomites, as Esau's descendants were known, took kings prior to the time Israel did. In fact, Edom may have been one of the nations Israel wanted to imitate when she asked for a king.