Commentary - Genesis 36:40-43

Bird's-eye view

We come now to the end of the accounting of Esau, and it might be tempting for the modern reader to let his eyes glaze over. We see a list of names, of chiefs and places, and we think it a dry and dusty appendix to the more thrilling stories of Jacob and his brother. But to do this is to misread our Bibles. Every word of God is pure, and that includes the genealogies. These lists are not inspired filler. God does not pad the text. This final accounting of the chiefs of Edom is a solemn record of God's faithfulness to His own word, both the promises and the warnings. Esau was blessed, just as Isaac had prayed, with earthly prosperity and dominion. Here we see that blessing fleshed out in history, with chieftains, territories, and a kingdom. But it is a kingdom of this world, a kingdom of the flesh. It stands in stark contrast to the line of promise, the line of Jacob, which is not yet a kingdom, which is still sojourning. This list, then, is a tale of two seeds, a theme that runs from Genesis 3 onward. It is the history of the city of man, recorded with divine accuracy, setting the stage for its long and tumultuous relationship with the city of God.

In these verses, the Holy Spirit is deliberately and carefully closing the book on the generations of Esau before turning His full attention to the generations of Jacob, which will occupy the remainder of Genesis. This is a structural feature of the book: the line of the flesh is dealt with and then set aside, and the narrative follows the line of promise. We saw it with Cain and Seth, with Ishmael and Isaac, and now with Esau and Jacob. The list of chiefs shows the fulfillment of God's word to Rebekah that two nations were in her womb, and that two manners of people would be separated from her bowels. Here is one of those nations, organized and established in their own land. It is a potent reminder that God's sovereignty extends over all nations, not just Israel. He raises up chiefs in Edom just as surely as He raises up patriarchs in the line of promise. This is the God of history, and these names, though obscure to us, are known to Him, and their recording is for our instruction.

Outline

Context In Genesis

Chapter 36 of Genesis is entirely dedicated to the "generations of Esau, who is Edom." This is a significant chunk of real estate in the inspired text. The chapter meticulously lists his wives, his sons, the sons of Seir the Horite whom the Edomites displaced, the kings who reigned in Edom "before any king reigned over the children of Israel" (Gen. 36:31), and finally, this list of chiefs or dukes. The placement is crucial. It comes immediately after the narrative of Jacob's return, his reconciliation with Esau, and the death of their father, Isaac. With the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac now gone, the narrative pivots. But before it follows Jacob's line down into Egypt, it provides this exhaustive history of Esau's line. This serves to show the final, formal separation of the two brothers and the two nations they represent. Esau has gone into the hill country; he has his possession. Jacob remains a sojourner in the land of promise. This chapter is therefore a theological boundary marker, a divinely authored partition between the sacred history of redemption and the profane history of a related, yet rejected, line.

Key Issues

Verse by Verse Commentary

40 Now these are the names of the chiefs descended from Esau, according to their families and their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,

The text begins with a clear heading: "these are the names of the chiefs descended from Esau." The word for "chief" here is the Hebrew alluph, which can mean chieftain, duke, or leader of a clan. It signifies a political and military authority. This is not just a family tree; it is a political register. Notice the threefold description: "according to their families and their places, by their names." This is not a haphazard list. It is an organized census. God is a God of order, and the history He records is orderly. The naming of these chiefs signifies their reality. These were real men, governing real places, heading real families. History is not a vague stream of events; it is made up of individuals, families, and places, all under the sovereign hand of God. The world thinks history is written by the winners, but the Bible shows us that history is written by the Creator. He names the chiefs of Edom with the same authority that He names the stars. The first three chiefs are listed: Timna, Alvah, and Jetheth. These names may mean little to us, but they represent the fulfillment of God's promise to give Esau a worldly inheritance.

41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon,

The list continues. Oholibamah is a name we have seen before in this chapter, as one of Esau's wives. It is likely that this chief is named after her or is the head of the clan that descended from her. This shows how families grew into clans and clans into political entities. Elah and Pinon follow. We should pause here and consider the nature of what we are reading. This is the table of nations for the Edomite people. Just as Genesis 10 laid out the descendants of Noah who would populate the world, this chapter lays out the descendants of Esau who will populate the land of Seir. This is profane history, yes, but it is history that intersects with redemptive history at numerous points down the line. The Edomites will be a recurring thorn in the side of Israel. They will be the subject of prophetic judgment, most notably in the book of Obadiah. This list is not just an ending; it is also a beginning. It is the beginning of a nation that will have a long and troubled relationship with the people of God. God is setting the board for the conflicts that are to come, and He is showing us that He knows every player by name.

42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,

Here we have three more chiefs. The name Teman is particularly significant. Eliphaz, one of Job's friends, was a Temanite. Teman became a prominent city and region in Edom, known for its wisdom (Jer. 49:7). This reminds us that the nations outside the covenant line were not devoid of culture, or wisdom, or strength. Esau was blessed with dew of heaven and fatness of the earth (Gen. 27:39). His descendants built cities, established governments, and developed a reputation. The blessing of common grace is real. God causes His sun to shine and His rain to fall on the just and the unjust. The kingdom of Edom, with its chiefs and its wisdom, is a testament to this. But it is a kingdom built on a foundation other than the promise of God in Christ. Its wisdom is the wisdom of this world, and its strength is the strength of the flesh. These are the things that are destined to perish. The record of their names in Scripture serves as a monument to the temporary nature of all earthly power that is not submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of the Edomites), according to their places of habitation in the land of their possession.

The list concludes with Magdiel and Iram, and then a summary statement that ties it all together. "These are the chiefs of Edom." The parenthetical note is important: "(that is, Esau, the father of the Edomites)." The entire national structure flows from one man. This is the principle of federal headship at work in the world. Nations have fathers, and the character of the father is often stamped upon the nation. Esau was a profane man, a man of the field, a man who despised his birthright for a bowl of soup. And the nation that springs from him is a profane nation, an earthly nation, a nation that will consistently oppose the people of the birthright. The final clause is also packed with meaning: "according to their places of habitation in the land of their possession." Esau has his possession. He has what he wanted. He traded the future promise for a present possession. And God gave it to him. God is no man's debtor. Esau chose the land of Seir, and God established him there with his chiefs and his clans. Jacob, by contrast, has no land of possession yet. He is a pilgrim, a sojourner, living in tents. He has the promise, but not the possession. This is the fundamental contrast between the church and the world. The world has its inheritance now. The church waits for an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us.

Application

So what do we do with a list of Edomite chiefs? First, we must learn to read our Bibles with the conviction that every word is from God and is profitable. These genealogies are not roadblocks to the good parts; they are part of the good parts. They teach us about the absolute sovereignty of God over all of human history. God is not just the God of Israel; He is the God of Edom too. He determines the times and boundaries of all nations (Acts 17:26). The affairs of state in ancient Edom were as much under His control as the affairs of the covenant community. This should give us a profound sense of confidence. The God who recorded the names of these obscure chieftains is the same God who governs the affairs of our world today. Nothing happens apart from His decree.

Second, this passage forces us to reckon with the nature of blessing. Esau was blessed. He had land, power, posterity. By all worldly metrics, he was a success. He got his inheritance, and he got it quickly. This is the blessing of the flesh. It is tangible, it is immediate, and it is temporary. Jacob's blessing was of a different sort. It was a promise. It was a future hope. It required faith. We are constantly tempted to be like Esau, to trade the future glory for a present comfort, to trade the birthright for a bowl of soup. This list of Edomite chiefs stands as a warning. You can have your kingdom now. You can be a chief in the land of your possession. But that land is not the Promised Land, and that kingdom is not the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.

Finally, we see here the great separation. The line of Esau is accounted for and then the narrative moves on. This is a picture of the final judgment. There is a great accounting, and then a great separation. The history of the world is the story of two seeds, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Though they are intertwined in this life, a day is coming when they will be separated forever. The kingdom of Edom will pass away. All the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God. This list reminds us that history is moving toward that great conclusion. Let us therefore live as children of the promise, not as chiefs in the land of a temporary possession. Let us set our minds not on things on the earth, but on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.