Bible Strands
Genesis 36:1
This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom).
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator places this heading at the conclusion of the Jacob narrative to introduce a genealogical record. The text immediately precedes a detailed roster of Esau’s family and descendants.
The words — The opening phrase uses וְאֵלֶּה (ve'eleh), meaning "and these," paired with תּוֹלְדֹת (toldot), literally "accounts" or "generations." It identifies עֵשָׂו ('esav) as the subject and explicitly equates him with אֱדוֹם ('edom).
The thread — The lineage of Esau appears in Genesis 25:24 as a twin birth and is expanded in 1 Chronicles 1:35 as a list of his sons. The promise of multiplied descendants in Genesis 22:17 establishes the covenantal backdrop for this tribal record.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to distinguish Esau’s physical lineage from Jacob’s covenant line. It demands recognition that a patriarchal family roster functions as the origin point for a distinct nation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.
Cross-references
- Genesis 22:17 I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.
- 1 Chronicles 1:35 The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
- Genesis 25:24 When her time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb.
- Numbers 20:14 From Kadesh, Moses sent messengers to tell the king of Edom, “This is what your brother Israel says: You know all the hardship that has befallen us,
- Deuteronomy 23:7 Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land.
- Isaiah 63:1 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.”
- Genesis 27:35 But Isaac replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”
- Genesis 32:3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
- Ezekiel 25:12 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt,