687. Etser
Lexical Summary
Etser: Restraint, control, or holding back.

Original Word: אֶצֶר
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Etser
Pronunciation: AY-tser
Phonetic Spelling: (ay'-tser)
KJV: Ezer
NASB: Ezer
Word Origin: [from H686 (אָצַר - laid up in store)]

1. treasure
2. Etser, an Idumaean

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Ezer

From 'atsar; treasure; Etser, an Idumaean -- Ezer.

see HEBREW 'atsar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from atsar
Definition
"treasure," a chief of the Horites
NASB Translation
Ezer (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
אֵ֫צֶר proper name, masculine (treasure; or covenant Arabic ) a chief of the Horites Genesis 36:21,27,30; 1 Chronicles 1:38,42.

Topical Lexicon
Name and Occurrences

Ezer (אֶצֶר) appears five times in the inspired record, each time in genealogical catalogues that trace the origin and settlement of the Horite clans in the hill country of Seir (Genesis 36:21, 27, 30; 1 Chronicles 1:38, 42). In every instance the name designates a distinct Horite chieftain and the clan that descended from him.

Genealogical Context within Horite and Edomite Lineage

1. Seir the Horite fathered seven sons, among whom “Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan” are named (Genesis 36:21).
2. Ezer’s own sons are listed: “These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan” (Genesis 36:27; cf. 1 Chronicles 1:42, where Jaakan appears in place of Akan, reflecting a dialectal spelling).
3. Later in the chapter Scripture records, “Chief Ezer” among the settled tribal leaders of Seir (Genesis 36:30).
4. The Chronicler, writing centuries afterward, duplicates Moses’ register (1 Chronicles 1:38, 42), thereby confirming the antiquity and accuracy of the tradition.

These passages place the clan squarely within the Horite confederacy that pre-dated, then coexisted with, the Edomites descended from Esau. The genealogies therefore preserve a snapshot of an ethnic melting pot in southern Transjordan just before Israel entered the land.

Tribal and Geographical Associations

The Horites were cave-dwellers (from חֹר, “cave”) inhabiting the rugged terrain of Seir. Their territory stretched from the Arabah to the Gulf of Aqaba. Ezer’s family likely controlled a specific sub-district or trade route within that mountainous region, perhaps near the copper-rich Timna valley. When Esau’s descendants later displaced or absorbed the Horites (Deuteronomy 2:12), the clan of Ezer would have merged into Edomite society, contributing to the composite nation that interacted—and often conflicted—with Israel.

Thematic Significance in Scripture

1. Divine Omniscience over the Nations: By preserving the name of so small a clan, Scripture testifies that no people group escapes God’s notice (Psalm 147:4).
2. Covenant Perspective: The meticulous record of non-Israelite lineages alongside Abraham’s line accentuates the faithfulness of God to His promise that “all the families of the earth” would be blessed through the seed of Abraham (Genesis 12:3).
3. Justice and Providence: The later judgment pronounced on Edom by the prophets (e.g., Obadiah) encompassed the descendants of Ezer as part of a larger national entity that opposed Israel, illustrating the outworking of divine righteousness in history.

Prophetic and Redemptive Connections

The geographical domain once ruled by Horite chiefs—including Ezer—became part of the broader Edomite landscape through which Messiah Himself passed (Matthew 2:13–15, echoing Hosea 11:1). While Ezer’s name never reappears after the genealogies, his clan’s territory forms part of the backdrop for God’s unfolding plan of redemption culminating in Jesus Christ. The prophets’ repeated references to Bozrah, Teman, and Seir carry forward the account begun with Seir’s sons, marking God’s sovereign dealings from patriarchal times to the coming Kingdom (Isaiah 63:1–6).

Lessons for Ministry and Faith

• God values and records every people group; faithful ministry must likewise regard all nations as objects of His redeeming love.
• Though genealogies may seem tedious, they establish the historical reliability of Scripture and anchor faith in concrete space-time realities.
• The fate of Ezer’s descendants within Edom warns against prideful opposition to God’s covenant family (Obadiah 10–15) while encouraging believers to pursue humble alignment with His purposes.

Key References

Genesis 36:21; Genesis 36:27; Genesis 36:30; 1 Chronicles 1:38; 1 Chronicles 1:42

Forms and Transliterations
אֵ֑צֶר אֵ֔צֶר אֵ֖צֶר אצר וְאֵ֖צֶר ואצר ’ê·ṣer ’êṣer Etzer veEtzer wə’êṣer wə·’ê·ṣer
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 36:21
HEB: וְדִשׁ֥וֹן וְאֵ֖צֶר וְדִישָׁ֑ן אֵ֣לֶּה
NAS: and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan. These
KJV: And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan:
INT: and Dishon and Ezer and Dishan These

Genesis 36:27
HEB: אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵי־ אֵ֑צֶר בִּלְהָ֥ן וְזַעֲוָ֖ן
NAS: are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan
KJV: The children of Ezer [are] these; Bilhan,
INT: These are the sons of Ezer Bilhan and Zaavan

Genesis 36:30
HEB: דִּשֹׁ֛ן אַלּ֥וּף אֵ֖צֶר אַלּ֣וּף דִּישָׁ֑ן
NAS: Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan.
KJV: Dishon, duke Ezer, duke Dishan:
INT: Dishon chief Ezer chief Dishan

1 Chronicles 1:38
HEB: וַֽעֲנָ֑ה וְדִישֹׁ֥ן וְאֵ֖צֶר וְדִישָֽׁן׃
NAS: Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan.
KJV: and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan.
INT: Anah Dishon Ezer and Dishan

1 Chronicles 1:42
HEB: בְּֽנֵי־ אֵ֔צֶר בִּלְהָ֥ן וְזַעֲוָ֖ן
NAS: The sons of Ezer [were] Bilhan, Zaavan
KJV: The sons of Ezer; Bilhan, and Zavan,
INT: the sons of Ezer Bilhan Zaavan

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 687
5 Occurrences


’ê·ṣer — 3 Occ.
wə·’ê·ṣer — 2 Occ.

686
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