Gradual Dominance: Esau’s Descendants and The Rulers of Edom: Genesis 36

In this scripture an account of Esau’s wives and their resulting descendents is described. Their move to the “hill country of Seir” as a result of a need to separate from the mutual abundance Esau shared with Jacob is also described. Finally, who were regional chiefs and who were kings is also described.

My questions are these:

• Why are there two conflicting accounts in of Esau’s wives between Genesis 26 and Genesis 36?
• What similarities exist between Esau and Adam, Cain and Lot?
• Why is so much of Genesis 36 taken up with specifying the rulers and descendents of Esau and his new country?

sealchan said:

In this scripture an account of Esau’s wives and their resulting descendents is described. Their move to the “hill country of Seir” as a result of a need to separate from the mutual abundance Esau shared with Jacob is also described. Finally, who were regional chiefs and who were kings is also described.

My questions are these:

• Why are there two conflicting accounts in of Esau’s wives between Genesis 26 and Genesis 36?
• What similarities exist between Esau and Adam, Cain and Lot?
• Why is so much of Genesis 36 taken up with specifying the rulers and descendents of Esau and his new country?

Click to expand...

No takers? lol Maybe this isn't the sexiest post on the forum...but you might be surprised by what can be found in most any scripture...for believers and non-believers to consider.

Regarding the first question, here is the conflict in reporting on Esau's wives...

Genesis 26
When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite

Genesis 36
Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite— also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

Granted that in Genesis 26 we might allow that Esau only married two wives at that time, we have one match but the other wife in Genesis 26 doesn't match either of the other two offered in later scripture. And Oholibamah's father seems to be different in each case.

What gives?

It would appear that either there was an unfortunate failure on the part of the editor to fail to correct these contradictions or it was felt that both sources were authentic and although contradictory had to be kept intact. Perhaps the separation of ten chapters was the best the author's could come up with in order to minimize the impact of the contradiction. In any case this would appear to be a fairly clear cut example of literalistic error in the Bible.

Regarding the second question...like Adam was compelled through his "choice" to move east from Eden (Genesis 3: 23-24) and just as Lot spurred by conflicts arising from too many animals decided to move east away from Abraham down to the Eden like plains along the Jordan (Genesis 13: 8-13) so too does Esau choose to move from Jacob east to the hill country of Seir.
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Three times this motif of separation is also "linked" to a quarrel. In the case of Adam, his sons quarrel and one kills the other. In the case of Lot and Abraham, their respective herders quarrel and to avoid conflict they separate. Finally, after a great lifelong quarrel is resolved, Esau and Jacob separate for merely practical purposes of having sufficient ground for their herds to graze.

This is another example of a repeated motif with a subtly changed context that the authors of Genesis have carefully and skillfully woven. It shows literary craft is a strong hand in the Word of God rather than the less poetic hand of literal history.

sealchan said:

No takers? lol Maybe this isn't the sexiest post on the forum...but you might be surprised by what can be found in most any scripture...for believers and non-believers to consider.

Regarding the first question, here is the conflict in reporting on Esau's wives...

Genesis 26
When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite

Genesis 36
Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite— also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

Granted that in Genesis 26 we might allow that Esau only married two wives at that time, we have one match but the other wife in Genesis 26 doesn't match either of the other two offered in later scripture. And Oholibamah's father seems to be different in each case.

What gives?

Click to expand...

You're not alone here. Issac and Rebekah wasn't fond of his new wife ether.

It appears that the last section of Genesis 36 takes great pains to enumerate two different family trees and then it carefully notes how the two family trees became "knitted" together through inter-marriage. I find this interesting as recent scholarship suggests that the Israelites never conquered the promised land but actually gradually achieved dominance in the region. No archeological evidence for a series of devastating attacks has been found. Also, the continual threat of the worship of foreign idols seems to plague the Jew's throughout their history in the Jewish Testament. It seems like the Jewish religion grew up in a long, gradual struggle to achieve dominance over other competing religions.

I look forward to studying how this detailed description of Esau/Edom plays out in the story ahead...

Genesis 26 just gives the names of Esaus first two wives.

Genesis 36 The genealogy would only list wives who had male children who survived and whose line continued to bear male children.

sealchan said:

In this scripture an account of Esau’s wives and their resulting descendents is described. Their move to the “hill country of Seir” as a result of a need to separate from the mutual abundance Esau shared with Jacob is also described. Finally, who were regional chiefs and who were kings is also described.

My questions are these:

• Why are there two conflicting accounts in of Esau’s wives between Genesis 26 and Genesis 36?
• What similarities exist between Esau and Adam, Cain and Lot?
• Why is so much of Genesis 36 taken up with specifying the rulers and descendents of Esau and his new country?

Click to expand...

If you have the time and follow the descendents of Esau's thru the bible,
you will find Russia as being the descendents of Esau's.

Faithofchristian said:

If you have the time and follow the descendents of Esau's thru the bible,
you will find Russia as being the descendents of Esau's.

Click to expand...

Why do you think that is significant? Do you see Russia as the Esau to the U.S.'s Jacob/Israel?