Genesis 36:20
These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse subtly highlights that the "sons of Seir the Horite" were the original inhabitants and rulers of the land. It emphasizes their presence before Esau's descendants, the Edomites, eventually took over, hinting at a deeper history and a shift in power within that territory.
After Esau separated from Jacob due to their vast wealth, he settled in the land of Seir and established a lineage. This passage shifts focus from Esau's immediate descendants to the original inhabitants of Seir, the Horites, listing their leaders who were eventually absorbed into or displaced by the Edomite people. The text details these Horite families, highlighting their names and lineage as the precursors to Esau's people in that territory.
Genesis 36 lists names that might seem like just a genealogy. But who were these people, and why is their lineage important?
The chapter introduces us to Seir the Horite and his descendants. The text highlights that they were the 'original inhabitants of the land' before Esau and his family arrived.
Who Were the Horites?
Amidst a list of names, one individual, Anah, is given a peculiar detail. What does this 'finding' tell us?
The lineage of Seir includes names like Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, and Anah. While most are listed as simple descendants, Anah receives a specific note: 'this was that Anah who found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.'
The Significance of Anah's Discovery:
Understand the original words
Chori · Hebrew Noun/Proper Noun
Refers to the ancient inhabitants of the region of Seir. The Horites were the pre-Edomite occupants of the land, eventually displaced or absorbed by the descendants of Esau.
Seir · Hebrew Proper Noun
A mountainous region southeast of the Dead Sea. It is associated with the dwelling place of Esau and his descendants and is used as a synonym for the territory of Edom.
This genealogy isn't just a list of names; it grounds the Edomite nation in a specific land and history, showing how Esau's descendants eventually took over from the original Horite inhabitants.
c. 1800 BC
Horites Inhabit Seir
The Horites, a people possibly dwelling in caves (hence 'Horite' from a word meaning 'hole'), were the original inhabitants of the mountainous region of Seir. They established a society with dukes ruling over their clans.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham Encounters Horites
Abraham's contemporary, possibly near the time of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, encounters the Horites in the region of Seir, indicating their established presence.
c. 1650 BC— this verse
Esau Moves to Seir
After the death of Isaac, Esau, feeling the land of Canaan was too crowded with Jacob's growing household and livestock, migrated with his family and possessions to the hill country of Seir.
c. 1650 BC
Edomites Displace Horites
Esau and his descendants gradually took control of the land of Seir, displacing or integrating with the native Horites. This process led to the formation of the Edomite nation.
This passage directly references the Horites, stating they were the original inhabitants of Seir who were displaced by Esau's descendants, just as Genesis 36:20 lists the sons of Seir as the inhabitants of the land.
Genesis 14:6This earlier mention of the Horites in Seir links them to the region before Esau's arrival, highlighting their historical presence as the native inhabitants before the lineage described in Genesis 36:20 became dominant.
Genesis 36:24This verse provides a crucial detail about Anah, one of Seir's sons, mentioning he discovered 'mules' (or possibly springs), which adds a layer to the characterization of the Horite people and their place in the land.
Obadiah 1:3-4This prophetic book speaks of the pride of Edom (descendants of Esau) dwelling 'in the clefts of the rock,' which aligns with the archaeological understanding of the Horites as cave-dwellers and connects the ancestral land of Seir to later judgment on Edom.
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 36:20: "These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,"
These are the sons of Seir the Horite - These Horites were the original inhabitants of the country of Seir, called the land of the Horites, and afterwards the land of the Idumeans, when the descendants of Esau had driven them out. These people are first mentioned Genesis 14:6 .
This verse subtly highlights that the "sons of Seir the Horite" were the original inhabitants and rulers of the land. It emphasizes their presence before Esau's descendants, the Edomites, eventually took over, hinting at a deeper history and a shift in power within that territory.
After Esau separated from Jacob due to their vast wealth, he settled in the land of Seir and established a lineage. This passage shifts focus from Esau's immediate descendants to the original inhabitants of Seir, the Horites, listing their leaders who were eventually absorbed into or displaced by the Edomite people. The text details these Horite families, highlighting their names and lineage as the precursors to Esau's people in that territory.
After Esau separated from Jacob due to their vast wealth, he settled in the land of Seir and established a lineage. This passage shifts focus from Esau's immediate descendants to the original inhabitants of Seir, the Horites, listing their leaders who were eventually absorbed into or displaced by the Edomite people. The text details these Horite families, highlighting their names and lineage as the precursors to Esau's people in that territory.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Genesis 36:20 is available in the Sola app.
c. 1400 BC
Horite Dukes Listed
Genesis lists the sons and dukes of Seir, the Horite, highlighting their leadership structure before their eventual displacement by Esau's descendants.
c. 1200 BC
Edomite Kings Listed
The text records kings who ruled in Edom before any king reigned over Israel, showing the establishment of a distinct Edomite monarchy following their settlement in Seir.
"These are the sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah," — This verse subtly highlights that the "sons of Seir the Horite" were the original inhabitants and rulers of the land. It emphasizes their presence before Esau's descendants, the Edomites, eventuall…
