[And He Walks With Me] Genesis 36

6-8        This would seem to confirm that Esau and Jacob separated out of necessity rather than hostility. See note on 33:14.

9-19        The genealogy of Esau highlights the transition of his family from his twelve sons (9-14) to a tribal structure (15-19).^[80]

12        It is interesting that Amalek is the only one of Esau’s grandsons pointed out in this genealogy. Amalek would become the forefather of the Amalekites, who were Israel’s first major enemy after the Egyptian army was destroyed in the Red Sea (Exodus 17:8-16).

20-30        The genealogy of Seir the Horite serves as a sort of parenthetical to document the origins of the people who originally lived in the land Esau’s descendants took over and eventually called Edom. Some of these original inhabitants were destroyed by Esau’s descendants, while others intermarried with them and became part of the nation of Edom.^[81]

31-43        These verses record the transition of Esau’s descendants from a cluster of tribes into a monarchy.

31        before any king reigned over the Israelites points out that Edom was established as a monarchy well before Israel. Given that Genesis is generally attributed to Moses, this verse is likely an addition by some later editor.

[80] Sproul 2016, Genesis 36:9-14, Genesis 36:15-19

[81] Sproul 2016, Genesis 36:20-30