Genesis 36:16

Genesis 36:16, in plain English

The list continues with Korah, Gatam, and Amalek as chiefs descended from Eliphaz. These seven chiefs total (including those from the previous verse) all came from Eliphaz's line and ruled in Edom as grandsons of Adah.

Why it's here

Eliphaz as the firstborn son had five sons, and apparently most or all of them became significant enough to be listed as chiefs. The repetition of 'they are the grandsons of Adah' reminds you that Adah's lineage was particularly prominent in Edomite leadership, probably because she was Esau's first wife.

Who's speaking

Moses

Where it sits in the story

The prominence of Eliphaz's line shows how the firstborn advantage worked even across generations. Esau's firstborn son had the most numerous and most prominent descendants, which was the normal pattern in ancient cultures.

The scholarly reading

The verse completes the list of Eliphaz's chiefs by adding Gatam and Amalek, explicitly identifying them as chiefs in Edomite territory and grandsons of Adah.

Language and setting

The inclusion of Amalek in the chief list is striking: despite being born of a concubine (verse 12), Amalek achieved sufficient prominence to be designated a chief in Edomite society. This suggests that legitimacy in Edomite social organization was not rigidly determined by maternal status—a detail that complicates simplistic patriarchal hierarchies. The explicit notation that these are 'chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom' and 'grandsons of Adah' grounds the genealogy simultaneously in personal kinship and territorial political organization.

Voice

The genealogical tradition, finalizing the chief list for Eliphaz's branch.

Significance

By including Amalek among Edomite chiefs despite his partial outside origin, the text preserves a complex picture of Edomite society—not ethnically pure, not rigidly hierarchical, but politically organized under recognized leaders. This detail becomes theologically significant when Israel later encounters Amalek as an enemy: they are not simply foreigners but related tribesmen whose legitimacy Edom itself recognized.

14These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon) whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

15These are the chiefs among the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,

16Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. They are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Adah.

17These are the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

18These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. They are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

Read all of Genesis 36 — Esau's descendants settle in Edom. A genealogy that quietly shows: God kept His promise to bless both brothers.