Genesis 36:20

Gen 36:20 These [are] the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,

Ver. 20. These are the sons of Seir.] Esau was by marriage allied to this Seir: for he married his niece Aholibamah: {Gen 36:2} yet the children of Esau chased away the Horims of Seir, and dwelt in their stead in mount Seir. {Deu 2:12} Wicked men are void of natural affection, in their pursuit of profit or preferment; Abimelech, Absalom, Athaliah, for instance; and that Amida, son of Muleasses, king of Tunis, who rose up against his father, and possessing himself of his kingdom, slew his captains, polluted his wives, took the castle of Tunis; and, after all, put out his father’s and brethren’s eyes, like as Muleasses himself, before, had dealt with his own brethren. {a}

{a} Turk. Hist., fol. 745, 747, 642.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gen 36:20. These are the sons of Seir — In the midst of the genealogy of the Edomites is inserted the genealogy of the Horites, that were the natives of mount Seir before the Edomites took possession of it, Deu 2:12; Deu 2:22. This comes in here, not only to give light to the story, but to be a standing reflection upon the Edomites for intermarrying with them, by which it is likely they learned their ways, and corrupted themselves.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

SONS OF SEIR THE HORITE, Gen_36:20-30.

The Horites were the original occupants of Mount Seir, (Gen_14:6,) but it appears from Deu_2:12; Deu_2:22, that they were subdued by the sons of Esau, and in all probability the remnants of their tribes intermarried with the Edomites, and became so identified with them as to be thus included in this genealogy. The seven sons of Seir the Horite are all mentioned again in Gen_36:29-30 as the dukes of the Horites, corresponding with the sons and dukes of Esau already given. On the identification of some of these names there are differences of opinion. Timna, in Gen_36:22, is generally allowed to be the same as the concubine of Eliphaz, Gen_36:12. It is natural to suppose Aholibamah the daughter of Anah (Gen_36:25) to be the same as the wife of Esau, (Gen_36:2,) but Keil very positively denies their identity. Anah (Gen_36:24) is said to be a son of Zibeon the Horite; but the Anah of Gen_36:2 is the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite. Anah is distinguished for having found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father. There is no good authority for rendering the word ימם, mules; it means rather, warm springs. While he pastured the asses of Zibeon he discovered certain hot springs, probably those of Callirhoe, on the east of the Dead Sea, in the wady Zerka-Main, which are famous for their medicinal qualities and various temperature, ranging from tepid to a degree of heat that cannot be endured in bathing. Hengstenberg suggests that the discovery of these springs gave Anah the surname Beeri, (xxvi, 34,) “the fountain man,” or “well-finder,” and thus constructs an argument to prove the identity of Anah with the father of Esau’s wife. His argument, if not conclusive, should suffice to show how many possible circumstances, now unknown to us, might have occasioned the differences of names which puzzle us in old genealogical tables.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

36:20-30 Seir the Horite was an early inhabitant of the land; his descendants populated the region until Esau moved in and displaced them (Deut 2:12).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Before that Esau did there inhabit.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

In the midst of this genealogy of the Edomites here is inserted the genealogy of the Horites, those Canaanites, or Hittites (compare Gen 26:34), that were the natives of Mount Seir. Mention is made of them, Gen 14:6, and of their interest in Mount Seir, before the Edomites took possession of it, Deu 2:12, Deu 2:22. This comes in here, not only to give light to the story, but to be a standing reflection upon the Edomites for intermarrying with them, by which, it is probable, they learned their way, and corrupted themselves. Esau having sold his birthright, and lost his blessing, and entered into alliance with the Hittites, his posterity and the sons of Seir are here reckoned together. Note, Those that treacherously desert God's church are justly numbered with those that were never in it; apostate Edomites stand on the same ground with accursed Horites. Particular notice is taken of one Anah who fed the asses of Zibeon his father (Gen 36:24), and yet is called duke Anah, Gen 36:29. Note, Those that expect to rise high should begin low. An honourable descent should not keep men from an honest employment, nor a mean employment hinder any man's preferment. This Anah was not only industrious in his business, but ingenious too, and successful; for he found mules, or (as some read it) waters, hot-baths, in the wilderness. Those that are diligent in their business sometimes find more advantages than they expected.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Sons of Seir, the Horite--native dukes, who were incorporated with those of the Edomite race.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 20. These are the sons of Seir the Horite] These Horites were the original inhabitants of the country of Seir, called the land of the Horites, and afterwards the land of the Idumeans, when the descendants of Esau had driven them out. These people are first mentioned Ge 14:6.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(20) The sons of Seir the Horite.—This genealogy is given partly because it contains that of Aholibamah, but chiefly because the Horites were in time fused with the descendants of Esau, and together formed the Edomites.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20. the inhabitants of the land] The aborigines: see Gen_14:6; Deu_2:12.

20–30. The Horites—the aboriginal inhabitants of the country—“the sons of Seir, the Horite,” were possibly so called from the word ḥor, “a hole”; cf. 1Sa_13:6; 1Sa_14:11. This derivation has long been maintained, and is possibly correct, the Horites being regarded as troglodytes, or cave-dwellers. In Oba_1:3 Edom is apostrophized, “O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock.” On the other hand another derivation has recently commended itself, Hor being identified with the Egyptian Haru which is found in Egyptian inscriptions for “Syria.” But there is good support from the rocks of Petra and the excavations at Gezer for the “cave-dweller” explanation of the word.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And these are the children of Zibeon,.... The third son of Self, and who had two sons:

both Ajah and Anah; of the latter it is observed:

this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father; who observed, while he was feeding his father's asses in the wilderness, that the he asses coupled with mares, or horses with the she asses, and produced another sort of creatures called mules; and by this means found out the way how such creatures might be produced, and practised it: so Aelianus says (d), that mules are not the produce of nature, but you may call it an adulterous invention of human contrivance and boldness, and a theft: this is the common interpretation, and to which our version leads: but against it it may be observed, that the word for "mules" is different from this here used, nor is this word ever used of mules, nor does it appear that there were any creatures of this sort before the days of David; nor is the word translated "found" ever used of that which before was not in being, but of what already existed; nor is there any mention of horses or mares in this account also; had it referred to a mixture of these creatures with asses, it would not have been omitted. Some think therefore the words are to be rendered, "he found waters in the wilderness"; sources and collections of waters which were not usual in a wilderness, and of great worth and use in desert lands, as Edom was, and in those hot countries, and the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "hot waters"; but then to the fixing of either of these versions, the word must be altered either in its points or letters, for which there is no authority. The Targum of Onkelos renders it mighty ones or giants, and may signify the "Emim", the "aleph" being changed for "yod", as Aben Ezra observes; and then the sense is, that these gigantic people, who were so called from the terror they taught upon their neighbours, and, who dwelt near the Horim in Seir, Deu 2:10, as they used to steal from their flocks, Anah lighted on them in the wilderness, and fell upon them, and took them; and with this agrees the Samaritan version, "he found giants, in the wilderness"; and so Abendana interprets the words: Aben Ezra observes that many interpret the word of plants or herbs; and a very learned (e) man is of opinion that the word used is the name of an useful herb or plant, first discovered by Anah. This Anah, though a keeper of his father's asses, is afterwards called Duke Anah; it being the custom of the sons of great personages to be the keepers of flocks and herds; See Gill on Gen 29:9.

(d) De Animal. l. 12. c. 16. (e) Wagenseil, in Sota, p. 217, 218.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

1840

The sons of Seir are here mentioned, partly because of their alliance with Esau’s family, Gen 35:2,20,22,24,25, and partly because the government was translated from his to Esau’s family.

Who inhabited the land, and ruled there, till Esau and his posterity drove them out, Deu 2:12,22.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Vers. 20, 21. These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land. The primitive inhabitants of Idumea were Horites (vide, Gen_14:6) of whom the ancestor, Seir ("Rugged"), either gave his name to, or took his name from, the district in which he lived. Though ultimately driven out by the Edomites, (Deu_2:12) they were probably only gradually dispossessed, and not until a portion of them had coalesced with their conquerors, as Esau himself had a Horite wife, Aholibamah, and his son Eliphaz a Horite concubine of the name of Thuna. They were, as the name Horite, from chor, a hole or cavern, imports a race of troglodytes or cavemen, who dwelt in the sandstone and limestone eaves with which the land of Edom abounds. The cave palaces, temples, and tombs that have been excavated in Mount Seir are still astonishing in their grandeur. Lotan, up" (Gesenius)and Shobal, (Gesenius)and Zibeon, and Anah (this Anah was the uncle of the Anah mentioned in ver. 25), and Dishan, (Gesenius, Furst)and Eser, (Gesenius) and Dishan : same as Dishon (Gesenius, Furst); "Threshing" (Murphy)these are the dukes of, the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

These are the sons of Seir - In the midst of the genealogy of the Edomites is inserted the genealogy of the Horites, those Canaanites, or Hittites, (compare chap. xxvi, 34,) that were the natives of mount Seir. Mention is made of them, chap. xiv, 6, and of their interest in mount Seir before the Edomites took possession of it, Deut. ii, 12, 22. This comes in here, not only to give light to the story, but to be a standing reflexion upon the Edomites for intermarrying with them, by which it is likely they learned their way, and corrupted themselves. Esau having sold his birth-right, and lost his blessing and entered into alliance with the Hittites, his posterity and the sons of Seir are here reckoned together. Those that treacherously desert God's church are justly numbered with those that were never in it: apostate Edomites stand on the same ground with accursed Horites. Notice is taken of one Anah, who fed the asses of Zibeon his father, ver. 20, and yet is called duke Anah, ver. 29. Those that expect to rise high should begin low. An honourable descent should not keep men from an honest employment, nor a mean employment baulk any man's preferment.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

(parallel, Ch1 1:38-42). Descendants of Seir the Horite; - the inhabitants of the land, or pre-Edomitish population of the country. - "The Horite:" ὁ Τρωγλοδύτης, the dweller in caves, which abound in the mountains of Edom (vid., Rob. Pal. ii. p. 424). The Horites, who had previously been an independent people (Gen 14:6), were partly exterminated and partly subjugated by the descendants of Esau (Deu 2:12, Deu 2:22). Seven sons of Seir are given as tribe-princes of the Horites, who are afterwards mentioned as Alluphim (Gen 36:29, Gen 36:30), also their sons, as well as two daughters, Timna (Gen 36:22) and Aholibamah (Gen 36:25), who obtained notoriety from the face that two of the headquarters of Edomitish tribe-princes bore their names (Gen 36:40 and Gen 36:41). Timna was probably the same as the concubine of Eliphaz (Gen 36:12); but Aholibamah was not the wife of Esau (cf. Gen 36:2). - There are a few instances in which the names in this list differ from those in the Chronicles. But they are differences which either consist of variation in form, or have arisen from mistakes in copying.

(Note: Knobel also undertakes to explain these names geographically, and to point them out in tribes and places of Arabia, assuming, quite arbitrarily and in opposition to the text, that the names refer to tribes, not to persons, although an incident is related of Zibeon's son, which proves at once that the list relates to persons and not to tribes; and expecting his readers to believe that not only are the descendants of these troglodytes, who were exterminated before the time of Moses, still to be found, but even their names may be traced in certain Bedouin tribes, though more than 3000 years have passed away! The utter groundlessness of such explanations, which rest upon nothing more than similarity of names, may be seen in the association of Shobal with Syria Sobal (Judith 3:1), the name used by the Crusaders for Arabia tertia, i.e., the southernmost district below the Dead Sea, which was conquered by them. For notwithstanding the resemblance of the name Shobal to Sobal, no one could seriously think of connecting Syria Sobal with the Horite prince Shobal, unless he was altogether ignorant of the apocryphal origin of the former name, which first of all arose from the Greek or Latin version of the Old Testament, and in fact from a misunderstanding of Psa 60:2, where, instead צובה ארם, Aram Zobah, we find in the lxx Συριά Σοβάλ, and in the Vulg. Syria et Sobal.)

Of Anah, the son of Zibeon, it is related (Gen 36:24), that as he fed the asses of his father in the desert, he "found היּמם" - not "he invented mules," as the Talmud, Luther, etc., render it, for mules are פּרדים, and מצא does not mean to invent; but he discovered aquae calidae (Vulg.), either the hot sulphur spring of Calirrhoe in the Wady Zerka Maein (vid., Gen 10:19), or those in the Wady el Ahsa to the S.E. of the Dead Sea, or those in the Wady Hamad between Kerek and the Dead Sea.

(Note: It is possible that there may be something significant in the fact that it was "as he was feeding his father's asses," and that the asses may have contributed to the discovery; just as the whirlpool of Karlsbad is said to have been discovered through a hound of Charles IV, which pursued a stag into a hot spring, and attracted the huntsmen to the spot by its howling.)

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Horite

Lit. Rock dweller.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Horites

v. 20. These are the sons of Seir, the Horite, who inhabited the land; after him the country was named, and with his descendants those of Edom mingled: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah (this name being both masculine and feminine),

v. 21. and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan; these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir, in the land of Edom. The Horites, or descendants of Seir, the original inhabitants of the wilderness of Zin, were cave-dwellers arid shared the many caves in that country with their herds and flocks.

v. 22. And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam (or Homam, 1Ch 1:39); and Lotan’s sister was Timna.

v. 23. And the children of Shobal were these: Alvan (or Alian, 1Ch 1:40),and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho (or Shephi, 1Ch 1:40),and Onam.

v. 24. And these are the children of Zibeon: both Ajah, and Anah; this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon, his father. While he had charge of his father’s asses in the wilderness, he discovered some warm springs, a number of which are found in that country to this day.

v. 25. And the children of Anah were these: Dishon, and Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

v. 26. And these are the children of Dishon: Hemdan (or Amram, 1Ch 1:41),and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

v. 27. The children of Ezer are these: Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan (or Jakan, 1Ch 1:42).

v. 28. The children of Dishan are these: Uz, and Aran.

v. 29. These are the dukes that came of the Horites: Duke Lotan, Duke Shobal, Duke Zibeon, Duke Anah,

v. 30. Duke Dishon, Duke Ezer, Duke Dishan; these are the dukes that came of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir. These were all descendants of Seir, the Horite, as they were divided and called after their individual princes.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Seir

The word "Seir" is the name of a man and of a country.

the Horite

The word "Horite" refers to a people group. See how you translated it in Genesis 14:6.

the inhabitants of the land

"who lived in the land of Seir, which is also called Edom"

Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan ... Hori and Heman

These are names of men. (See: How to Translate Names)

Timna

This is the name of a woman. (See: How to Translate Names)

translationWords

Edom

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

ישבי הארץ THE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND — i.e. who had been its inhabitants before Esau came there. Our Rabbis explained (Shabbat 85b) that they are called יושבי הארץ because they were experts in making the land habitable (by skillful cultivation) saying: this entire rood of ground is suitable for planting olives, that entire rood for vines — because they tasted the soil and so discovered what was suitable for planting in it.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

THESE ARE THE SONS OF SE’IR ‘HACHORI’ (THE HORITE). Hachori was the name of a man who was the father of an ancient nation which was called by his name, just as the Amorite and the Perizzite, as it is said, When He destroyed the Horites from before them. And he was called Se’ir because of the name of the land which was Se’ir — a name derived from Esau who was a hairy man — from the day Esau came there. The name Edom likewise stemmed from Esau. However, Scripture seems to distinguish between “Se’ir” and “Edom” for it says, These are the sons of Se’ir the Horite who were the inhabitants of the land from the first, not the sons of Se’ir the Edomite who came there. With the help of G-d, I will yet explain the genealogy of the Horite in the book of Mishneh Torah. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote: “Scripture mentions this in order to delineate the genealogy of Se’ir and Esau since Israel was to be commanded, concerning the sons of Esau, [not to abhor them or take their land].”, 23:8; 2:5. And Rashi wrote: “It would have been unnecessary to write the genealogy of the Horites had it not been that Scripture wishes to mention Timna, thereby showing the esteem in which Abraham was held.”

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

אלה בני שעיר החרי ישבי הארץ, who used to dwell in that land before the sons of Esau and their offspring came to live there. This story has as its objective that the whole earth and all that is in it belongs to the one and only G’d Who has created it, and Who therefore may allocate it to whoever He wishes. He may deprive one nation of its homeland and give it to another. In this situation G’d expelled the nation which had lived in the region known as Mont Seir and allowed Esau and his clan to displace them. According to Bereshit Rabbah, or to Shabbat 85 and quoted by Rashi, the word חרי is derived from ריח, smell, fragrance. The people described as having lived in that land were such expert farmers that they could determine merely by their sense of small which piece of land was best suited to grow different crops.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.