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24 The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. Anah is the man who found the hot springs in the desert while he was caring for his father’s donkeys. 25 The children of Anah were Dishon and Aholibamah daughter of Anah. 26 The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. 27 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28 The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran. 29 These were the names of the Horite leaders: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These men were the leaders of the Horite families who lived in the land of Edom. 31 These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before the Israelites ever had a king: 32 Bela son of Beor was the king of Edom. He came from the city of Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah became king. Jobab was from Bozrah. 34 When Jobab died, Husham became king. He was from the land of the Temanites. 35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who had defeated Midian in the country of Moab, became king. Hadad was from the city of Avith. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah became king. He was from Masrekah. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul became king. He was from Rehoboth on the Euphrates River. 38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Acbor became king. 39 When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad became king. He was from the city of Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, who was the daughter of Me-Zahab. 40 These Edomite leaders, listed by their families and regions, came from Esau. Their names were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Aholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram. They were the leaders of Edom. (Esau was the father of the Edomites.) The area where each of these families lived was named after that family. ~ Genesis 36:24-43
Today, we return to our study of Genesis 36 which is the recording of the genealogy of Esau. This is the ninth genealogy in the book of Genesis. Six lists make up this chapter. To this point in our study of this chapter, we have considered the first three. Today, we will consider the last three. Thus far, one thing has been made clear: Esau's family tree was much more imposing than Jacob's, but this is the last that we hear of Esau and his lineage in the Scriptures. And, despite their failures and weaknesses, the children of Israel were used of God to deliver the Messiah to the world as He had promised.
In v.24-30 of today's passage we read, "24 The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah. Anah is the man who found the hot springs in the desert while he was caring for his father’s donkeys. 25 The children of Anah were Dishon and Aholibamah daughter of Anah. 26 The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran. 27 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28 The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran. 29 These were the names of the Horite leaders: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These men were the leaders of the Horite families who lived in the land of Edom."
Although the descendants of Seir, the Horites, lived in this territory since before the time of Abraham, it was conquered and overcome by Esau and his descendants. While the nation would be called Edom, the land was still called Seir. This fourth listing focuses on the descendants of Anah who was credited for finding a "hot springs" in the desert. This story has been lost to us but when details are given like this, the veracity of the story is underscored to some degree. If we were to visit that area today we would discover quite a few hot springs. It is worth noting that for centuries, hot springs have been discovered throughout Israel.
In v.31-39 of today's passage we read, "31 These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before the Israelites ever had a king: 32 Bela son of Beor was the king of Edom. He came from the city of Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah became king. Jobab was from Bozrah. 34 When Jobab died, Husham became king. He was from the land of the Temanites. 35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who had defeated Midian in the country of Moab, became king. Hadad was from the city of Avith. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah became king. He was from Masrekah. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul became king. He was from Rehoboth on the Euphrates River. 38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Acbor became king. 39 When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad became king. He was from the city of Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, who was the daughter of Me-Zahab."
The fifth list in this passage is of the kings of Edom. These kings were elected, no doubt for their leadership ability, rather than inheriting the position. Some Bible historians believe the phrase "before the Israelites ever had a king" was added as an editorial comment long after Moses first wrote Genesis. Other scholars feel that since there is no reference to the death of Hadar, the final king listed in v.39, he may have been the king of the Edomites at the time of Moses.
In v.40-43 of today's passage we read, "40 These Edomite leaders, listed by their families and regions, came from Esau. Their names were Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Aholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram. They were the leaders of Edom. (Esau was the father of the Edomites.) The area where each of these families lived was named after that family."
This last list chronicles the chiefs of Esau who reigned after the coming together of the people of Seir and Edom. Here, Moses highlighted the joint influence of both groups, thus showing the transition from the people of Seir to the people of Edom who eventually completely replaced them. Although the line of promise, from Adam, through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is highlighted, God had still watched over the other people of the world in the process. Not one of them were lost to Him. These lists were written and recorded to show that the promises that were made to Esau were fulfilled exactly as they were given.
The Horites were cave dwellers who hid from God’s presence, just as Adam and Eve hid from the Lord when He came to them in the Garden of Eden. The awareness of their sin caused them to draw back from the One they had only a short time earlier beheld face to face. In the loss of relationship and intimacy came death which came in two forms: spiritual and physical. This was something promised would happen and it was immediate. Before he ate of the fruit, the Lord told Adam that on the day he ate of it, he would die. After the Fall man slowly began to learn that if his spiritual death wasn’t corrected before physical death came, then he would remain separated from God for all of eternity. This is why God devised His plan to send His Son, the Lord Jesus to come to this earth as the Lamb of God who would take on death and defeat it for all who would believe on Him.
