Genesis 36-37 (English Standard Version)
Genesis 36
Esau’s Descendants
1These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).2Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, 3and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth.4And Adah bore to Esau, Eliphaz; Basemath bore Reuel; 5and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
6Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, his livestock, all his beasts, and all his property that he had acquired in the land of Canaan. He went into a land away from his brother Jacob. 7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. 8So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.)
9These are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. 10These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau.11The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12(Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife. 13These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife.14These are the sons of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: she bore to Esau Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
15These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: the chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16Korah, Gatam, and Amalek; these are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah. 17These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: the chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these are the chiefs of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau’s wife. 18These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: the chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah; these are the chiefs born of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife. 19These are the sons of Esau ( that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom. 22The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan’s sister was Timna.23These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. 24These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah; he is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness, as he pastured the donkeys of Zibeon his father. 25These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah. 26These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 27These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. 28These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 29These are the chiefs of the Horites: thechiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan; these are the chiefs of the Horites, chief by chief in the land of Seir.
31 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites. 32Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, the name of his city being Dinhabah. 33Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. 34Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 35Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place, the name of his city being Avith. 36Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place.37Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place. 38Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. 39Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place, the name of his city being Pau; his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.
40These are the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their clans and their dwelling places, by their names: the chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,43Magdiel, and Iram; these are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of Edom), according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession.
Pastor’s Commentary:
Here we have a rather complex rendering of the family tree of Esau. The different lists list names for different reasons. One is a list of kings. Others are lists of descendants of Esau. The scriptures include this so that Esau’s descendants could see where they fit into this great story of God’s deliverance of His people. The people of Esau are related through Isaac. Therefore, they too are children of Abraham and have a part in the promise. That’s what’s recorded here. Of course, there would be times of tension between Esau’s descendants and Jacob’s descendants. Esau would even “break the yoke of oppression” that Jacob placed on him. But they are included here as a reminder that they, too, are important to their grandfather’s God.
We, too, have been grafted into Abraham’s family by faith in God’s Promised One, Jesus, our Savior. He is the one who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest, take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Cast your burdens upon Him, and let Him carry you!
Genesis 37
Joseph’s Dreams
1Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
2These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
5Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6He said to them, "Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf." 8His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." 10But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?" 11And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." And he said to him, "Here I am." 14So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word." So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.15And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, "What are you seeking?" 16"I am seeking my brothers," he said. "Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock." 17And the man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. 20Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams." 21But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life." 22And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him"— that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him. 28Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30and returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?" 31Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, "This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not." 33And he identified it and said, "It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces." 34Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him. 36Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
Pastor’s Commentary:
It was hatred and jealousy that led Joseph’s brothers down the twisted path of sin. Their father had his favorite, to be sure. He could trust that Joseph would tattle on his older brothers if they did anything wrong. Jacob also gave Joseph a beautiful robe.
Not only that, but Joseph had a peculiar way of saying he was superior to his brothers. God gave him two dreams that seemed to indicate that Joseph’s brothers would bow down in front of him. Joseph was not very old, only seventeen at this time. No wonder his brothers, who were for the most part several years older, despised him. Their hatred grew as Joseph grew up.
Finally, an opportunity came as they saw Joseph coming to check up on them again. They threw him into a well. They were about to kill him, but Ruben intervened. He was the oldest, and wanted to get back into his father’s good graces. He had slept with one of his father’s wives and therefore felt he needed to do something for his father to atone for his sin. They decide not to kill him, but to leave him in the pit to die by himself. Even so, God was looking out for Joseph.
Still, after Ruben leaves, there is another option. The brothers sell Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to a band of Ishmaelites. Still, they need to explain Joseph’s disappearance to his father. They take Joseph’s garment and dip it in the blood of a sheep. They make holes and tears in it, to make it look like some beast destroyed Joseph. Jacob falls for the trick without any prompting. “Surely a wild animal has devoured my son!” No one could comfort him.
Meanwhile, however, Joseph is sold into Potiphar’s house. Potiphar was the captain of the guard of Pharaoh’s army. God would continue to bless Joseph, even though he was in slavery.
This all serves to remind us of another person who was sold by his brothers into prison for silver. Jesus of Nazareth was betrayed by one of his disciples. He suffered great injustice, and He was completely innocent of every charge against him. He was even killed. But He rose again from the dead.
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