Genesis 36:7
For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The text highlights that their wealth and livestock exceeded the capacity of their temporary land, forcing a separation. This isn't just about owning too much; it's about the land itself, as strangers, being unable to sustain the sheer abundance they possessed.
The narrative is detailing the descendants of Esau, contrasting his lineage with that of Jacob. This verse explains that Esau and Jacob had become too wealthy and numerous to live together in the land they were sojourning in. Because they were only guests in Canaan and their livestock was so vast, the land couldn't sustain them, leading to Esau's departure to Mount Seir.
Have you ever felt like your blessings became a burden? Sometimes, when things go too well, it can actually push people apart.
This verse reveals a surprising consequence of prosperity: it can make peaceful coexistence impossible. Esau and Jacob, who had grown incredibly wealthy with their livestock, found themselves in a situation where their possessions were 'too great for them to dwell together.'
The Limits of Space
Think about it: huge herds of animals require vast amounts of land for grazing. As their wealth grew, so did their flocks and herds. The land they were living in, Canaan, was already occupied and they were only 'strangers' or sojourners there. This meant they didn't have the right to claim unlimited land. The available pasture simply couldn't support the sheer volume of their livestock for both families to share.
A Necessary Separation
This wasn't necessarily a sign of badness, but a practical reality of nomadic life. Just like Abraham and Lot had to separate when their livestock became too numerous (Genesis 13:6), Esau and Jacob faced the same challenge. Their abundance, while a blessing, created a logistical problem that forced a separation, setting them on different paths.
Being a 'stranger' in a land can add a whole new layer of complexity to life, especially when you're thriving.
The phrase 'the land wherein they were strangers' is crucial here. Esau and Jacob weren't the owners of Canaan; they were guests, or sojourners. This status significantly limited their options.
Rights of Occupancy
As sojourners, they didn't have the inherent right to demand or expand their territory indefinitely. They were dependent on the goodwill of the existing inhabitants and the limits of the land itself. When their prosperity outgrew the available space, they couldn't simply claim more land as their own.
Practical Choices
This precarious position likely influenced Esau's decision to move to Mount Seir. While the text emphasizes the practical need for space due to their livestock, Esau's connection to his wife's homeland in Seir (as mentioned in later verses) might have provided a more established place where he felt he had greater rights or a more defined territory. Being a stranger in Canaan meant their abundant blessings were constrained by their legal and social status in that land.
Understand the original words
megurim · Hebrew Noun
A state of temporary residence or pilgrimage in a land that is not one's permanent home; it emphasizes the believer's status as a stranger or sojourner while on earth, awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promises.
The verse highlights a common nomadic challenge: limited resources forcing migration. Esau's departure echoes Abraham and Lot's earlier separation, showing a pattern of resource management among patriarchal families. It also sets the stage for the future relationship between Israel and Edom, as Esau's descendants establish a kingdom before Israel's monarchy.
~1800 BC
Abraham and Lot Separate
Abraham and his nephew Lot separate due to disputes between their herdsmen over grazing land. Lot chooses the fertile Jordan plain, while Abraham settles in the land of Canaan.
~1700 BC— this verse
Jacob and Esau's Families Grow
Jacob and Esau, grandsons of Abraham, both have growing households and livestock. They are sojourners in the land of Canaan, meaning they do not own the land and must rely on its inhabitants for grazing rights.
~1680 BC
Esau Settles in Mount Seir
Esau, finding the land of Canaan insufficient for his numerous possessions and livestock, moves with his family to Mount Seir. This allows Jacob to remain and inherit the land promised to Abraham.
~1670 BC
Edomite Kings Reign
Before any king ruled over Israel, kings began to reign in the land of Edom, with Bela of Bozrah being the first. This indicates the establishment of Edomite political structures.
This passage mirrors Genesis 36:7 by describing a similar situation where Abraham and Lot's growing wealth and livestock caused conflict, leading to their separation. It highlights a recurring theme of resource scarcity forcing divisions among nomadic peoples.
Exodus 1:7This verse speaks of Israel multiplying greatly in Egypt, showing how prolific growth can lead to challenges within a land, echoing the idea in Genesis 36:7 that a land 'could not bear them' due to their abundance.
Deuteronomy 2:4-5God explicitly instructs Israel not to contend with the descendants of Esau (Edom) because He has given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. This shows how Esau's descendants eventually established themselves in the land they needed due to their burgeoning numbers and livestock, fulfilling the situation described in Genesis 36:7.
Acts 17:26Paul speaks of God determining the 'times from the beginning appointed, and the bounds of their habitation,' which resonates with the idea that the limitations of their land and the growth of their families were divinely ordained circumstances leading to Esau's move.
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…
cambridgeGenesis 36:7: "For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle."
7 . For their substance was too great ] The departure of Esau into Seir is here explained as necessitated by the growing wealth of Esau and Jacob in Canaan: cf. the separation of Abraham and Lot in ch. 13. Obviously the explanation given here does not agree with the representation in Genesis 32:3 and Genesis 33:14-16 . “Substance,”…
The text highlights that their wealth and livestock exceeded the capacity of their temporary land, forcing a separation. This isn't just about owning too much; it's about the land itself, as strangers, being unable to sustain the sheer abundance they possessed.
The narrative is detailing the descendants of Esau, contrasting his lineage with that of Jacob. This verse explains that Esau and Jacob had become too wealthy and numerous to live together in the land they were sojourning in. Because they were only guests in Canaan and their livestock was so vast, the land couldn't sustain them, leading to Esau's departure to Mount Seir.
The narrative is detailing the descendants of Esau, contrasting his lineage with that of Jacob. This verse explains that Esau and Jacob had become too wealthy and numerous to live together in the land they were sojourning in. Because they were only guests in Canaan and their livestock was so vast, the land couldn't sustain them, leading to Esau's departure to Mount Seir.
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"For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock." — The text highlights that their wealth and livestock exceeded the capacity of their temporary land, forcing a separation. This isn't just about owning too much; it's about the land itself, as strang…
