(Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse subtly highlights how important relationships can be formed outside of traditional marriage. Timna, a concubine, births Amalek, a figure whose descendants will become bitter enemies to Israel, showing that lineage and significant historical impact can originate from unions not explicitly defined as wife and husband. This underscores that the narrative of God's people is often interwoven with those who stand on the periphery.
(Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a lengthy genealogy tracing the descendants of Esau, highlighting his establishment in the land of Seir and the rise of Edomite leadership. It follows Esau's migration away from Jacob due to their vast wealth, detailing his sons and grandsons, and noting the intermingling of Esau's lineage with local populations like the Horites, as exemplified by Timna's union with Eliphaz. This genealogical record serves as a backdrop to Israel's own story, emphasizing God's faithfulness to His promises even amidst seemingly less prosperous beginnings for Jacob's line.
Esau's family tree isn't as straightforward as you might think. Genesis 36 reveals a complex picture of relationships that shaped a nation.
In Genesis 36, we see Esau's lineage intertwined with the indigenous people of the land, particularly the Horites. This verse, mentioning Timna as a concubine to Eliphaz (Esau's son) and mother of Amalek, highlights this blending.
Blending of Peoples:
This isn't just about family trees; it's about how distinct groups merge, creating new identities and often, new conflicts. The Amalekites would later become significant enemies of Israel, a stark reminder of the complex and often contentious relationships that arise from such unions.
Even when focusing on Esau, a figure who seemed to reject his spiritual heritage, God's promises still unfolded. How does that work?
While Jacob is the focus of God's covenant promises, Genesis 36 meticulously details Esau's descendants. This might seem odd, but it serves a crucial theological purpose.
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God's Faithfulness to the Covenant:
This doesn't mean Esau or his descendants were spiritually favored in the same way as Jacob's. Instead, it showcases God's sovereign control over history. He uses all peoples and nations, even those seemingly 'profane' or antagonistic, to fulfill His broader purposes and promises.
Understand the original words
pilegesh · Hebrew Noun
A woman who cohabited with a man and happened to have a lower social status than a primary wife. While recognized, her children did not always possess the full inheritance rights of those born to the primary wife.
ishshah · Hebrew Noun
A woman legally bound to a man through the covenant of marriage, carrying responsibilities and rights within the household structure. In Genesis, these unions often established family lineages and political alliances.
This passage reveals the complex origins of the Edomite nation and their key clans, showing how Esau's descendants, including the lineage that would become the formidable Amalekites, established themselves in Mount Seir through a mix of familial ties and strategic alliances or unions with the existing Horite population.
c. 1800 BC
Esau Settles in Mount Seir
Esau, also known as Edom, leaves Canaan due to his growing family and herds, settling in the hill country of Mount Seir. This marks the beginning of the Edomite nation.
c. 1750 BC— this verse
Intermingling of Esau's Family and Horites
The family of Esau, particularly through intermarriage and concubinage like that of Eliphaz and Timna, begins to integrate with the native Horite inhabitants of Mount Seir. Timna, sister to a Horite leader, bears Amalek to Eliphaz.
c. 1600 BC
Founding of Amalekite Clans
Amalek, grandson of Esau through Eliphaz and Timna, becomes a prominent figure, considered the ancestor of the Amalekite people. These clans would later become significant adversaries to the Israelites.
c. 1500 BC
Rise of Edomite Dukes and Kings
The genealogies of Esau's descendants are recorded, detailing the emergence of 'dukes' and later kings who ruled over the land of Edom before any king reigned over Israel. This highlights the established political structure of the Edomites.
This passage is a prophecy from Balaam describing Amalek as 'the beginning of nations,' suggesting a significant and ancient origin for this people, which resonates with Amalek's lineage being traced back to Esau's son Eliphaz here.
Deuteronomy 2:12This verse explains that the Horites, who originally inhabited Mount Seir, were displaced by the descendants of Esau (Edom). This historical context highlights the intermingling and eventual dominance of Esau's lineage, including the clan of Amalek, in that region.
1 Chronicles 1:36This parallel account in Chronicles lists the sons of Eliphaz and includes Timna, confirming her role as a concubine and the birth of Amalek to Eliphaz, reinforcing the genealogical information found in Genesis.
Genesis 14:7This earlier passage mentions an 'Amalekite' territory. The presence of Amalekites so early suggests that while Genesis 36:12 names a specific ancestor, the people themselves may have been established or prominent even before this genealogical tracing.
Judges 3:8This verse records the first subjugation of Israel by the king of Mesopotamia, and then the Israelites crying out to the Lord, who raised up Othniel to deliver them. This marks the first recorded instance of conflict between the Israelites and the people of Mesopotamia, a region closely associated with the descendants of Esau and their conflicts with Israel.
calvinGenesis 36:1-43: "Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom."
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.
Et accepit Esau uxores suas, et filios suos, et filias suas, et omnes animas domus suae, et pecudes suas, et omnia jumenta sua, et omnem acquisitionem suam, quam acquis…
clarkeGenesis 36:12: "And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife."
Timna was concubine to Eliphaz - As Timna was sister to Lotan the Horite, Genesis 36:22 , we see how the family of Esau and the Horites got intermixed. This might give the sons of Esau a pretext to seize the land, and expel the ancient inhabitants, as we find they did, Deuteronomy 2:12 . Amalek - The father of the Amalekites, afterwards bitter enemies to the J…
This verse subtly highlights how important relationships can be formed outside of traditional marriage. Timna, a concubine, births Amalek, a figure whose descendants will become bitter enemies to Israel, showing that lineage and significant historical impact can originate from unions not explicitly defined as wife and husband. This underscores that the narrative of God's people is often interwoven with those who stand on the periphery.
This passage is part of a lengthy genealogy tracing the descendants of Esau, highlighting his establishment in the land of Seir and the rise of Edomite leadership. It follows Esau's migration away from Jacob due to their vast wealth, detailing his sons and grandsons, and noting the intermingling of Esau's lineage with local populations like the Horites, as exemplified by Timna's union with Eliphaz. This genealogical record serves as a backdrop to Israel's own story, emphasizing God's faithfulness to His promises even amidst seemingly less prosperous beginnings for Jacob's line.
This passage is part of a lengthy genealogy tracing the descendants of Esau, highlighting his establishment in the land of Seir and the rise of Edomite leadership. It follows Esau's migration away from Jacob due to their vast wealth, detailing his sons and grandsons, and noting the intermingling of Esau's lineage with local populations like the Horites, as exemplified by Timna's union with Eliphaz. This genealogical record serves as a backdrop to Israel's own story, emphasizing God's faithfulness to His promises even amidst seemingly less prosperous beginnings for Jacob's line.
"(Timna was a concubine of Eliphaz, Esau’s son; she bore Amalek to Eliphaz.) These are the sons of Adah, Esau’s wife." — This verse subtly highlights how important relationships can be formed outside of traditional marriage. Timna, a concubine, births Amalek, a figure whose descendants will become bitter enemies to Isr…
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Last reviewed October 2026