Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 36:43
Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these [be] the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he [is] Esau the father of the Edomites.
43. the Edomites ] Heb. Edom; cf. Gen 36:9.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 43. He is Esau the father of the Edomites.] That is, The preceding list contains an account of the posterity of Esau, who was the father of Edom. Thus ends Esau’s history; for after this there is no farther account of his life, actions, or death, in the Pentateuch.
1. As Esau is so considerable a person in polemic divinity, it may be necessary, in this place especially, to say something farther of his conduct and character. I have already, in several places, endeavoured, and I hope successfully, to wipe off the odium that has been thrown upon this man, (see the notes on chap. xxvii. and chap. xxxiii.), without attempting to lessen his faults; and the unprejudiced reader must see that, previously to this last account we have of him, his character stands without a blot, except in the case of selling his birthright, and his purpose to destroy his brother. To the first he was led by his famishing situation and the unkindness of his brother, who refused to save his life but on this condition; and the latter, made in the heat of vexation and passion, he never attempted to execute, even when he had the most ample means and the fairest opportunity to do it.
Dr. Shuckford has drawn an impartial character of Esau, from which I extract the following particulars: “Esau was a plain, generous, and honest man, for we have no reason, from any thing that appears in his life or actions, to think him wicked beyond other men of his age or times; and his generous and good temper appears from all his behaviour towards his brother. When they first met he was all humanity and affection, and he had no uneasiness when he found that Jacob followed him not to Seir, but went to live near his father. And at Isaac’s death we do not find that he made any difficulty of quitting Canaan, which was the very point which, if he had harboured any latent (evil) intentions, would have revived all his resentments. He is indeed called in Scripture the profane Esau; and it is written, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated; but there is, I think, no reason to infer, from any of those expressions, that Esau was a very wicked man, or that God hated or punished him for an immoral life. For,
(1) The sentence here against him is said expressly to be founded, not upon his actions, for it was determined before the children had done good or evil.
(2) God’s hatred of Esau was not a hatred which induced him to punish him with any evil, for he was as happy in all the blessings of this life as either Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob; and his posterity had a land designed by God to be their possession, as well as the children of Jacob, and they were put in possession of it much sooner than the Israelites; and God was pleased to protect them in the enjoyment of it, and to caution the Israelites against invading them with a remarkable strictness, De 2:4-5. And as God was pleased thus to bless Esau and his children in the blessings of this life, even as much as he blessed Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, if not more, why may we not hope to find him with them at the last day, as well as Lot or Job or any other good and virtuous man, who was not designed to be a partaker of the blessing given to Abraham?
(3) All the punishment inflicted on Esau was an exclusion from being heir to the blessing promised to Abraham and to his seed, which was a favour not granted to Lot, to Job, to several other very virtuous and good men.
(4) St. Paul, in the passage before cited, only intends to show the Jews that God had all along given the favours that led to the Messiah where he pleased; to Abraham, not to Lot; to Jacob, not to Esau; as at the time St. Paul wrote the Gentiles were made the people of God, not the Jews. 5. Esau is indeed called profane, (,) but I think that word does not mean wicked or immoral, or . he was called profane for not having that due value for the priest’s office which he should have had; and therefore, though I think it does not appear that he was cut off from being the heir of the promises by any particular action in his life, yet his turn of mind and thoughts do appear to have been such as to evidence that God’s purpose towards Jacob was founded on the truest wisdom.” – SHUCKFORD’S Connections, vol.ii., p.174, c.
The truth is, the Messiah must spring from some ONE family, and God chose Abraham’s through Isaac, Jacob, c., rather than the same through Ishmael, Esau, and the others in that line but from this choice it does not follow that the first were all necessarily saved, and the others necessarily lost.
2. To some the genealogical lists in this chapter will doubtless appear uninteresting, especially those which concern Esau and his descendants but it was as necessary to register the generations of Esau as to register those of Jacob, in order to show that the Messiah did not spring from the former, but that he did spring from the latter. The genealogical tables, so frequently met with in the sacred writings, and so little regarded by Christians in general, are extremely useful.
(1) As they are standing proofs of the truth of the prophecies, which stated that the Messiah should come from a particular family, which prophecies were clearly fulfilled in the birth of Christ.
(2) As they testify, to the conviction of the Jews, that the Messiah thus promised is found in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who incontestably sprang from the last, the only remaining branch of the family of David.
These registers were religiously preserved among the Jews till the destruction of Jerusalem, after which they were all destroyed, insomuch that there is not a Jew in the universe who can trace himself to the family of David; consequently, all expectation of a Messiah to come is, even on their own principles, nugatory and absurd, as nothing remains to legitimate his birth. When Christ came all these registers were in existence. When St. Matthew and St. Luke wrote, all these registers were still in existence; and had they pretended what could not have been supported, an appeal to the registers would have convicted them of a falsehood. But no Jew attempted to do this, notwithstanding the excess of their malice against Christ and his followers; and because they did not do it, we may safely assert no Jew could do it. Thus the foundation standeth sure.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Duke Magdiel, Duke Iram,…. Magdiel also, Jerom w says, was in the country of Gabalena, formerly possessed by the dukes of Edom; and the Targum of Jonathan says, this duke was called Magdiel from the name of his city, which was a strong “migdal” or tower: and Jarchi’s note upon this word is, this is Rome; so the Jewish writers elsewhere say x, that Esau had an hundred provinces from Seir to Magdiel; as it is said, “Duke Magdiel, Duke Iram”, this is Rome:
these [be] the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations, in the land of their possession; the former race of dukes, as has been observed, were dukes in the land of Edom, were sojourners in the land, at least had not sovereign dominion, or were not the only dukes in it; there were dukes of the race of Seir at the same time; but now these having driven out the Horites, were sole possessors and sovereign lords; and thus while Israel and his posterity were sojourners in a strange land, Esau and his family were possessors and lords of a country they could call their own:
he [is] Esau the father of the Edomites; that is, Edom, the dukes of whose race are before reckoned up; the same is Esau, who had the name of Edom from selling his birthright for a mess of red pottage: and this is the man from whom the Edomites or Idumeans sprung, often hereafter spoken of in the Scripture, though no more in this history. He is said y to be killed by the tribes of Israel, at the funeral of Jacob, he coming forth with a great army to hinder his interment in the cave of Machpelah: it is a tradition of the Jews z, he was slain by Judah.
w De loc. Heb. 3. fol. 93. B. x Pirke Eliezer, c. 38. y Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 5. 1. z T. Hieros. Gittin, fol. 47. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Gen 36:43. He is Esau, &c. This would read better, if rendered, as it ought to be, THIS is Esau, the father of Edom, i.e.. This is his family, and the account of his posterity. After this we meet with no farther mention of Esau in the Mosaic history.
REFLECTIONS.We have here an account of Esau and his posterity, and see therein the promise to Abraham fulfilled in part, that he should be the father of many nations. He is called Edom, or red, in memory of the profane sale of his birthright for the red pottage. Note; If men by ill doings get an ill name, they must thank themselves for it. His wives and family are mentioned, and his place of abode Mount Seir: there he fixes, and leaves Jacob in peaceable possession of Canaan. Probably God had now convinced him of the unchangeableness of the decree concerning the promised Seed and the possession of the land of Canaan, and he submitted to it. Though God hated him in this sense, by excluding him from the succession, it does not follow either from Scripture or reason that he was on this account eternally lost.
The genealogy of the Horites also, who inhabited Seir, is mentioned in this chapter. By Esau’s intermarriage they soon became one people, and, it is to be feared, had one religion. Bad connections by marriage usually end in our following our wives’ gods.
In external prosperity, Jacob is far behind his brother. A numerous race of dukes and governors reign in Edom, while Jacob’s posterity are servants in AEgypt. Note; We must wait with patience for the fulfilment of the promises. Esau has a present possession, Jacob only a land in prospect. Let us not envy the children of the world; they have their all in hand, while we have ours in hope: and death, which must cast them out of their possessions, shall bring us to our inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and which fadeth not away, reserved for us in heaven.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
REFLECTIONS
There is much spiritual improvement to be drawn from the perusal of this Chapter by every gracious soul, when GOD the HOLY GHOST awakens the heart to the observation. Jacob’s seed, no doubt, while they were bond-slaves in Egypt felt their misery the more, while calling to mind the splendour of Esau’s race in Edom. But how mistaken are our views of things, and what false calculations do we make in our estimation of happiness. Esau’s children were great indeed among men. But the seed of Jacob were beloved in the sight of GOD. JESUS hath made them kings and priests to GOD and the FATHER, and they shall reign with him forever. Dear LORD! give me that sweet promise and I ask no more. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne. Rev 3:21 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 36:43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these [be] the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he [is] Esau the father of the Edomites.
Ver. 43. These be the dukes of Edom. ] As the principality of Edom began with dukes, and rose to kings; so it returneth to dukes again, after the death of Hadad, in Moses’s time. 1Ch 1:51 It is likely, saith an interpreter, that, upon the unkind dealing of that Hadad, in denying to let Israel pass through his land, the Lord removed the dignity of kings from that commonwealth, and let it be ruled by dukes again; whereof eleven are here by name rehearsed. So sensible is God, and so severe, in punishing the least unkindness done to his people. Julius Pflugius, complaining to the Emperor, by whom he had been employed, of great wrong done him by the Duke of Saxony, received this answer: Have a little patience; tua causa erit mea causa. So saith God to his abused. “He reproveth,” yea, deposeth “even kings for their sakes”; Psa 105:14 and accounts that the whole “world is not worthy of them!” Heb 11:38 nay, not worth one of them, how mean soever regard of outwards; as Chrysostom expounds it.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the dukes: Gen 36:15, Gen 36:18, Gen 36:19, Gen 36:30, Gen 36:31, Exo 15:15, Num 20:14
their: Gen 36:7, Gen 36:8, Gen 25:12, Deu 2:5
father: Gen 25:30, Gen 36:43, Gen 45:8, 1Ch 4:14
the Edomites: Heb. Edom
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 36:43. In the land of their possession While the Israelites dwelt in the house of bondage, and their Canaan was only the land of promise, the Edomites dwelt in their own habitations, and Seir was in their possession. The children of this world have their all in hand, and nothing in hope, while the children of God have often their all in hope, and next to nothing in hand. But, all things considered, it is better to have Canaan in promise than mount Seir in possession.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
36:43 Duke Magdiel, duke Iram: these [be] the dukes of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession: he [is] Esau the father of the {i} Edomites.
(i) Of Edom came the Idumeans.