Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 36:15
These [were] dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn [son] of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,
15 19. The Tribal Chiefs of Esau
15. the dukes ] Better, as marg., chiefs. The word “duke” has been introduced into the English version from the Lat. dux which translates the LXX . The Heb. allph is connected with eleph = 1000, or “a clan”; and hence is used for “the chieftain of a clan,” or “a chiliarch,” especially in Edom: cf. Exo 15:15; Zec 9:7; Zec 12:5-6.
“Duke,” in Old English, was not limited to the highest rank of nobility. It meant “leader” or “chief.” Cf. Wiclif, Matt. ii. 6, “And thou Bethleem for of thee a duyk shall go out”; Latimer, Serm., p. 31, “Gideon a duke which God raised up.”
duke Teman ] A better idea would be conveyed to English readers, if the rendering were “the chieftain of Teman, of Omar, &c.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 15. Dukes of the sons of Esau] The word duke comes from the Latin dux, a captain or leader. The Hebrew alluph has the same signification; and as it is also the term for a thousand, which is a grand capital or leading number, probably the alluphey or dukes had this name from being leaders of or captains over a company of one thousand men; just as those among the Greeks called chiliarchs, which signifies the same; and as the Romans called those centurions who were captains over one hundred men, from the Latin word centum, which signifies a hundred The ducal government was that which prevailed first among the Idumeans, or descendants of Esau. Here fourteen dukes are reckoned to Esau, seven that came of his wife, Adah, four of Bashemath, and three of Aholibamah.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
1715
These were dukes, princes or heads of their several families and little principalities, according to the manner of those times, who ruled their dominions, either severally, each his own, or jointly, by common advice, or it may be under one chief prince, their superior either in title or in power. And in this division Eliphaz, as he was Esaus first-born, so he had more than a double portion, his six sons being made dukes, as Esaus immediate sons were. Compare 1Ch 5:1.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15-19. dukesThe Edomites,like the Israelites, were divided into tribes, which took their namesfrom his sons. The head of each tribe was called by a term which inour version is rendered “duke”not of the high rank andwealth of a British peer, but like the sheiks or emirs of the modernEast, or the chieftains of highland clans. Fourteen are mentioned whoflourished contemporaneously.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
These were dukes of the sons of Esau,…. Ben Melech says, the difference between a duke and a king was, that a king is crowned and a duke is not crowned; but Jarchi interprets the word of heads of families, which seems probable; so that as Esau’s sons and grandsons are before related, here it is suggested that they had large and numerous families, of which they were the heads and governors; and in this and the following verses, Ge 36:16; the sons and grandsons of Esau by his several wives are rehearsed as in the preceding verses, with the title of “duke” given to each of them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Tribe-Princes Who Descended from Esau. – was the distinguishing title of the Edomite and Horite phylarchs; and it is only incidentally that it is applied to Jewish heads of tribes in Zec 9:7, and Zec 12:5. It is probably derived from or , equivalent to , families (1Sa 10:19; Mic 5:2), – the heads of the families, i.e., of the principal divisions, of the tribe. The names of these Alluphim are not names of places, but of persons-of the three sons and ten grandsons of Esau mentioned in Gen 36:9-14; though Knobel would reverse the process and interpret the whole geographically. – In Gen 36:16 Korah has probably been copied by mistake from Gen 36:18, and should therefore be erased, as it really is in the Samar. Codex.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verses 15-19:
“Duke” alluph, denotes tribal leaders or phylarchs. The Septuagint word is hegemones, chieftians of a thousand men. The term came to be applied to chiefs among the Jews after the return from Babylonian captivity, Zec 9:7; 12:5.
This list shows that the descendants of Esau must have reached a considerable number, within a relatively short time.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(15) Dukes.Duke is the Latin word dux, a leader; but the Hebrew word alluph signifies a tribal prince, It is derived from eleph, a thousand, used in much the same way as the word hundred with us for a division of the country. Probably it was one large enough to have in it a thousand grown men, whereas a hundred in Saxon times was a district in which there were a hundred homesteads. For this use of it, see Mic. 5:2. Each alluph, therefore, would be the prince of one of these districts, assigned to him as the possession of himself and his seed.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
THE DUKES OF ESAU, Gen 36:15-19.
Here the chief tribe-fathers of the Edomites are named again, under the title of dukes, Hebrews, alluphim, ( ,) phylarchs, chiefs, or princes . These were all military chieftains, great patriarchal sheiks, who were celebrated by their descendants not merely as fathers but as heroes . As being merely a presentation of the same persons under a different title, they are omitted from the list in 1 Chronicles which proceeds with the sons of Seir.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Dukes of Edom We find in Gen 36:15-19 a list of the “dukes,” or “chiefs,” that came from the sons of Esau.
Gen 36:15 Word Study on “duke” – Strong says the Hebrew word “duke” “alluwph” (H441) ( ) means, “a “friend, gentle,” or “a chieftain.” Strong says it comes from the primitive root “aw-lof” ( ) (H502), which means, “to associate with, to learn, to teach.” The Enhanced Strong says this word is used 69 times in the Old Testament, being translated “duke 57, guide 4, friends 2, governors 2, captains 1, governor 1, ox 2.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Dukes of the House of Esau
v. 15. These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz, the first-born son of Esau: Duke Teman, Duke Omar, Duke Zepho, Duke Kenaz, v. 16. Duke Korah, Duke Gatam, and Duke Amalek; these are the dukes that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah. v. 17. And these are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: Duke Nahath, Duke Zerah, Duke Shammah, Duke Mizzah; these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath, Esau’s wife, v. 18. And these are the sons of Aholibamah, Esau’s wife: Duke Jeush, Duke Jaalam, Duke Korah; these were the dukes that came of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah, Esau’s wife.
v. 19. These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Gen 36:15. These were dukes Leaders, or praefects; heads of their respective clans or families. As signifies a thousand, as well as a leader, it is probable, that when mankind at the beginning were divided under distinct leaders, this (a thousand) was the number of men of which each government or state consisted: as we find here, that some of the sons of Esau were aluphim, heads of thousands, before there was a king.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Respecting the title here; see Gen 27:40 . Reader! observe, that while Jacob’s children were husbandmen, Esau’s race were nobles. And yet what said GOD? See Mal 1:2 . But how sure that promise, Isa 56:5 ?
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Gen 36:15-19
15These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau, are chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, 16chief Korah, chief Gatam, chief Amalek. These are the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah. 17These are the sons of Reuel, Esau’s son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath. 18These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. 19These are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and these are their chiefs.
Gen 36:15-19 This is a list of the tribal leaders who came from Esau. The term “chief” (BDB 49 II) is the Hebrew word for “thousand” (BDB 48 II), which is used for
1. a family or clan unit, Jos 22:14; Jdg 6:15; 1Sa 23:23; Zec 9:7
2. a military unit, Exo 18:21; Exo 18:25; Deu 1:15
3. a literal thousand, Gen 20:16; Exo 32:28
4. symbolism, Gen 24:60; Exo 20:6 (Deu 7:9; Jer 32:18)
5. Ugaritic (a cognate Semitic language), the same consonants as alluph, which means “chieftain” (cf. Gen 36:15). This would mean that for Num 1:39 there were 60 chieftains and 62,700 men from Dan. The problem comes when there are obviously too many chieftains for the number of men in some tribes.
Many of the number problems of the OT can be explained by our inability to be certain of the translation of some of these Hebrew words. Many of Esau’s sons are mentioned in this list of chieftains, which shows how his family took over the leadership of this geographical area.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
dukes. Hebrew chiefs, or, chieftains.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
First aristocracy of dukes, from am cir, 2429, to am cir, 2471; from bc cir. 1575, to bc cir. 1533.
dukes: The word duke is from the Latin dux, a captain or leader, from duco, to lead, guide; which is the exact import of the Hebrew ( [Strong’s H441]), alluph, from , to lead, guide; and is here applied to heads of families, chieftains, or princes, who were military leaders. Gen 36:18, 1Ch 1:35
Eliphaz: Job 21:8, Psa 37:35
duke Teman: Gen 36:4, Gen 36:11, Gen 36:12, 1Ch 1:36, 1Ch 1:45, 1Ch 1:51-54, Job 2:11, Job 4:1, Jer 49:7, Jer 49:20, Eze 25:13, Amo 1:12, Oba 1:9, Hab 3:3
Reciprocal: Gen 36:34 – Temani Gen 36:40 – dukes Gen 36:43 – the dukes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
36:15 These [were] {d} dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn [son] of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,
(d) If God’s promises are so sure towards those who are not of his household, how much more will he perform the same for us?