Genesis 36:31
New International Version
These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned:

New Living Translation
These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites:

English Standard Version
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites.

Berean Standard Bible
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:

King James Bible
And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

New King James Version
Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel:

New American Standard Bible
Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel.

NASB 1995
Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel.

NASB 1977
Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king of the sons of Israel reigned.

Amplified Bible
And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:

Christian Standard Bible
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:

Holman Christian Standard Bible
These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites:

American Standard Version
And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

English Revised Version
And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
These were the kings who ruled Edom before any king ruled the people of Israel:

International Standard Version
This is a list of the kings who ruled the territory of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelis.

Majority Standard Bible
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:

NET Bible
These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites:

New Heart English Bible
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the children of Israel.

Webster's Bible Translation
And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

World English Bible
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the children of Israel.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And these [are] the kings who have reigned in the land of Edom before the reigning of a king over the sons of Israel.

Young's Literal Translation
And these are the kings who have reigned in the land of Edom before the reigning of a king over the sons of Israel.

Smith's Literal Translation
And these the kings which reigned in the land of Edom, before a king reigned over the sons of Israel.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the kings that ruled in the land of Edom, before the children of Israel had a king were these:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now before the sons of Israel had a king, the kings who ruled in the land of Edom were these:

New American Bible
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites.

New Revised Standard Version
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel:

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And these are the Kings that reigned in the land of Adum before a King would reign over the children of Israel.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
these are the kings which reigned in Edom, before a king reigned in Israel.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Kings of Edom
31These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: 32Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.…

Cross References
1 Chronicles 1:43-50
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: Bela son of Beor. His city was named Dinhabah. / When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place. / When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. ...

Deuteronomy 17:14-15
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” / you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.

1 Samuel 8:5-9
“Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.” / But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. / And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. ...

1 Samuel 10:19
But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions, and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.”

1 Samuel 12:12
But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king.

1 Kings 11:14
Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.

1 Kings 14:21
Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.

2 Kings 8:20-22
In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. / So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes. / So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.

2 Kings 3:9
So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out, and after they had traveled a roundabout route for seven days, they had no water for their army or for their animals.

Psalm 2:6
“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”

Psalm 89:27
I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.

Hosea 13:10-11
Where is your king now to save you in all your cities, and the rulers to whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”? / So in My anger I gave you a king, and in My wrath I took him away.

Matthew 2:1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, / asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

Matthew 27:11
Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.

John 18:33-37
Pilate went back into the Praetorium, summoned Jesus, and asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” / “Are you saying this on your own,” Jesus asked, “or did others tell you about Me?” / “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed You over to me. What have You done?” ...


Treasury of Scripture

And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

the kings.

Genesis 17:6,16
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee…

Genesis 25:23
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Numbers 20:14
And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us:

before there.

Genesis 35:11
And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

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Children Edom Israel Israelite Israelites Kings Reigned Reigning Ruling
Genesis 36
1. Esau's three wives.
6. His removal to mount Seir.
9. His sons.
15. The dukes which descended of his sons.
20. The sons and dukes of Seir the Horite.
24. Anah finds mules.
31. The kings of Edom.
40. The dukes that descended of Esau.














These are the kings
This phrase introduces a list of monarchs, indicating a structured and established governance in Edom. The Hebrew word for "kings" is "מְלָכִים" (melachim), which denotes rulers with authority and power. This suggests that Edom had a developed political system, possibly influenced by neighboring cultures. The mention of kings here highlights the historical reality of Edom as a significant entity with its own leadership, contrasting with the tribal leadership of Israel at the time.

who reigned
The Hebrew root "מָלַךְ" (malak) means to rule or reign, emphasizing the sovereignty and control these kings had over Edom. This word underscores the legitimacy and recognized authority of these rulers. It also implies a continuity of leadership, suggesting that Edom was a stable and enduring kingdom. This stability is noteworthy, as it contrasts with the later period of the Judges in Israel, where leadership was more sporadic and less centralized.

in the land of Edom
Edom, derived from the Hebrew "אֱדוֹם" (Edom), meaning "red," is a region southeast of Israel, traditionally associated with Esau, Jacob's brother. The land's name reflects its geographical and cultural identity, often characterized by its rugged terrain and red sandstone. Historically, Edom was a significant player in the region, with trade routes passing through it. This phrase situates the narrative in a real, historical context, reminding readers of the tangible and physical reality of biblical events.

before any king reigned over the Israelites
This phrase provides a chronological marker, indicating that Edom had established kingship before Israel did. The Hebrew word "לִפְנֵי" (lifnei) means "before," suggesting precedence in time. This highlights the contrast between Edom's early monarchy and Israel's later development of a centralized monarchy under Saul. It serves as a reminder of God's unique timing and plan for Israel, where leadership was initially through judges and prophets, emphasizing divine guidance over human kingship. This distinction underscores the theological theme of Israel's reliance on God as their ultimate king, even as they later adopt a monarchical system.

(31) The kings.--In the triumphal song of Moses on the Red Sea we still read of "dukes of Edom" (Exodus 15:15; but when Israel had reached the borders of their land, we find that Edom had then a king (Numbers 20:14). But in the list given here, no king succeeds his father, and probably these were petty monarchs, who sprang up in various parts of the country during a long period of civil war, in which the Horites were finally as completely conquered as were the Canaanites in Palestine under the heavy hands of Saul and Solomon. In the time of the dukes, there were also Horite dukes of the race of Seir, ruling districts mixed up apparently with those governed by the descendants of Esau. But all these now disappear.

Verse 31. - And these (which follow) are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any (literally, before the reigning of a) king over (or, to) the children of Israel.

1. The reference to Israelitish kings in this place has been explained as an evidence of post-Mosaic authorship (Le Clerc, Bleek, Ewald, Bohlen, et alii), or at least as a later interpolation from 1 Chronicles 1:43 (Kennicott, A. Clarke, Lange), but is sufficiently accounted for by remembering that in Genesis 35:11 kings had been promised to Jacob, while the blessing pronounced on Esau (Genesis 27:40) implied that in his line also should arise governors, the historian being understood to say that though the promised kings had not yet arisen in the line of Jacob, the house of Esau had attained at a somewhat early period to political importance (Calvin, Michaelis, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, Gerlach, Havernick, and others).

2. The difficulty of finding room for the dukes (seven, four and three, all grandsons of Esau, vers. 15-19), the kings (eight in number, vers. 32-39), and again the dukes (in all eleven, vers. 40-43), that intervened between Esau and Moses disappears if the kings and dukes existed contemporaneously, of which Exodus 15:15, as compared with Numbers 20:14, affords probable evidence.

3. As to the character of the Edomitish kings, it is apparent that it was not a hereditary monarchy, since in no case does the son succeed the father, but an elective sovereignty, the kings being chosen by the dukes, alluphim, or phylarchs (Keil, Hengstenberg, Kalisch, Gerlach), though the idea of successive usurpations (Lange) is not without a measure of probability.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
These
וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ (wə·’êl·leh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

are the kings
הַמְּלָכִ֔ים (ham·mə·lā·ḵîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4428: A king

who
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

reigned
מָלְכ֖וּ (mā·lə·ḵū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 4427: To reign, inceptively, to ascend the throne, to induct into royalty, to take counsel

in the land
בְּאֶ֣רֶץ (bə·’e·reṣ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of Edom
אֱד֑וֹם (’ĕ·ḏō·wm)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 123: The name of a condiment

before
לִפְנֵ֥י (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

any king
מֶ֖לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

ruled
מְלָךְ־ (mə·lāḵ-)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 4427: To reign, inceptively, to ascend the throne, to induct into royalty, to take counsel

over the Israelites:
לִבְנֵ֥י (liḇ·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son


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OT Law: Genesis 36:31 These are the kings who reigned (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 36:30
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