Bible Strands
Genesis 36:6
Later, Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the people of his household, along with his livestock, all his other animals, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan, and he moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records Esau gathering his wives, children, household members, livestock, and Canaanite property to relocate. This action occurs after the birth of his sons in Canaan and directly precedes the statement that the land could not sustain their combined herds.
The words — The verb וַ/יִּקַּ֣ח (va/i.yi.Kach) translates literally as "and he took," marking the deliberate collection of his family and assets. The proper name עֵשָׂ֡ו ('e.Sav) identifies the actor as Esau, whose lineage is now physically departing the region.
The thread — The motif of taking a household and possessions to leave a land appears in Genesis 12:5 with Abram departing Haran. The constraint of land unable to support combined livestock and families echoes the separation noted in Genesis 13:6, while the geographic shift aligns with the earlier reference to Esau's territory in Genesis 32:3.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that resource limits, not interpersonal rivalry, forced the geographic division of the brothers. It asks the reader to track how demographic and agricultural reality dictates the narrative's movement.
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
And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob.
Cross-references
- Genesis 32:3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
- Genesis 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
- Genesis 13:6 But the land was unable to support both of them while they stayed together, for they had so many possessions that they were unable to coexist.
- Genesis 13:11 So Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan for himself and set out toward the east. And Abram and Lot parted company.
- Genesis 17:8 And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
- Genesis 25:23 and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
- Genesis 28:4 And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
- Revelation 18:13 of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves.
- Ezekiel 27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your merchandise.