Genesis 36:7-8
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What's striking here is that Esau and Jacob's separation isn't just about sibling squabbles; it's a direct consequence of their prosperity outgrowing their environment. This mirrors how sometimes, our own blessings can become too big for our current circumstances, requiring a move to a new place or a new way of living to accommodate them.
For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.)
English Standard Version (ESV)
The chapter is detailing the lineage of Esau, marking him as the father of the Edomites, and begins by explaining Esau's departure from Canaan. This separation is attributed to the immense wealth and livestock of both Esau and Jacob, which made it impossible for them to coexist in the land where they were only sojourners. Consequently, Esau migrated to Mount Seir, establishing his own dominion there before Jacob fully settled.
Have you ever seen wealth tear a family apart? Genesis 36:7 reveals a similar story unfolding for Jacob and Esau. Their growing success became a source of division.
The Overflowing Flock
This verse points to a critical moment where the sheer abundance of possessions forced a separation. Esau and Jacob, once sharing the same space, found their flocks and herds too numerous to coexist.
This illustrates how even God-given prosperity can create difficult circumstances, demanding wise decisions about stewardship and space.
When Esau leaves Canaan, was it just about economics? The text hints at a deeper divine hand guiding the separation, paving the way for God's promises.
Beyond the Economic Strain
While Genesis 36:7 clearly lays out the practical reasons for separation (too many possessions for the land), the broader context suggests God's sovereign hand was at work.
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This reminds us that even in difficult separations and perceived setbacks, God is often working behind the scenes to accomplish His purposes for His chosen people.
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.
Se'ir · Hebrew Proper Noun
A rugged, mountainous region southeast of the Dead Sea; it became the historical territory of the Edomites and is often associated with the descendants of Esau in prophetic literature.
Edom · Hebrew Proper Noun
A proper noun representing the descendants of Esau; it carries a deep-seated historical and theological rivalry with the nation of Israel (the descendants of Jacob), symbolizing the friction between chosen and rejected lines in the context of the patriarchal promises.
This verse highlights a recurring tension in the ancient Near East: the pressure that growing wealth and large nomadic households placed on limited arable land, often forcing separations and migrations, mirroring earlier events with Abraham and Lot.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham and Lot Separate
Abraham and his nephew Lot separate due to disputes between their herdsmen over grazing land, illustrating the challenges nomadic peoples faced when their wealth outgrew available resources.
c. 1700 BC— this verse
Jacob and Esau's Families Grow
Following Isaac's blessings, both Jacob and Esau establish their own large households with significant livestock, leading to growing tensions over resources in Canaan.
c. 1690 BC
Esau Migrates to Mount Seir
Esau, unable to sustain his large household and numerous flocks alongside Jacob's in the limited territory of Canaan, relocates his family to the mountainous region of Seir.
c. 1680 BC
Edomite Kings Reign
Before the Israelites establish kingship, the land of Edom, settled by Esau's descendants, sees a succession of rulers, indicating the formation of a distinct political entity.
This passage also describes a situation where wealth and livestock caused conflict between close relatives, leading to a necessary separation for the sake of peace, mirroring the reason for Esau's departure.
Exodus 3:8This verse describes God's intention to bring Israel into a 'land flowing with milk and honey,' implying a land capable of sustaining a large population and their livestock, contrasting with the limited capacity of Canaan for Esau and Jacob.
Romans 9:13This verse, referencing Esau, highlights God's sovereign choice and the distinction between Esau and Jacob, providing a theological backdrop to the genealogical and historical account of Esau's descendants separating from Jacob's line.
Deuteronomy 2:4-5God instructs Israel to pass by the land of Esau (Edom), explicitly stating that they should not contend with them for territory, underscoring the established separation and distinct holdings of the two peoples.
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,”…
What's striking here is that Esau and Jacob's separation isn't just about sibling squabbles; it's a direct consequence of their prosperity outgrowing their environment. This mirrors how sometimes, our own blessings can become too big for our current circumstances, requiring a move to a new place or a new way of living to accommodate them.
The chapter is detailing the lineage of Esau, marking him as the father of the Edomites, and begins by explaining Esau's departure from Canaan. This separation is attributed to the immense wealth and livestock of both Esau and Jacob, which made it impossible for them to coexist in the land where they were only sojourners. Consequently, Esau migrated to Mount Seir, establishing his own dominion there before Jacob fully settled.
The chapter is detailing the lineage of Esau, marking him as the father of the Edomites, and begins by explaining Esau's departure from Canaan. This separation is attributed to the immense wealth and livestock of both Esau and Jacob, which made it impossible for them to coexist in the land where they were only sojourners. Consequently, Esau migrated to Mount Seir, establishing his own dominion there before Jacob fully settled.
"For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. (Esau is Edom.)" — What's striking here is that Esau and Jacob's separation isn't just about sibling squabbles; it's a direct consequence of their prosperity outgrowing their environment. This mirrors how sometimes, ou…
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Last reviewed October 2026
