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Genesis 36 lists eight kings who ruled in Edom before Israel had a king. Jubilees repeats the list almost identically but places it right after Jacob kills Esau and conquers Edom, highlighting that no son of Esau ever became king.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 36:31
Hebrew Bible
31 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites: 32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah. 33 When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place. 34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. 35 When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place; the name of his city was Avith. 36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place. 37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the River reigned in his place. 38 When Shaul died, Baal Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. 39 When Baal Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Jubilees 38:15
Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Bible Expansions
15 And these are the kings that reigned in Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel [until this day] in the land of Edom. 16 And Balaq, the son of Beor, reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Danaba. 17 And Balaq died, and Jobab, the son of Zara of Boser, reigned in his place. 18 And Jobab died, and 'Asam, of the land of Teman, reigned in his place. 19 And 'Asam died, and 'Adath, the son of Barad, who struck down Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place, and the name of his city was Avith. 20 And 'Adath died, and Salman, from 'Amaseqa, reigned in his place. 21 And Salman died, and Saul of Ra'aboth (by the) river, reigned in his place. 22 And Saul died, and Ba'elunan, the son of Achbor, reigned in his place. 23 And Ba'elunan, the son of Achbor died, and 'Adath reigned in his place, and the name of his wife was Maitabith, the daughter of Matarat, the daughter of Metabedza'ab. 24 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom.
Date: 170–125 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
... Jubilees reproduces Genesis 36:31-39 word for word, apart from three differences. First, in Jubilees 38:15 the writer gives the text of Genesis 36:31 (and 1 Chronicles 1:43), but at the end he adds: ‘until today in the land of Edom’ (the extra phrase is supported by both the Ethiopic and the Latin versions of Jubilees). Second, in 38:23 (Genesis 36:39 // 1 Chronicles 1:50) Jubilees lacks ‘the name of his city being Pau.’ And third, Jubilees, unlike Genesis, adds to the end of the section (verse 24) a summary statement ‘These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom’—a line repeated from the beginning of the list (Jubilees 38:15 // Genesis 36:31a). ...
James C. VanderKam, Jubilees 2: A Commentary on the Book of Jubilees Chapters 22-50 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2018), 1001–1002.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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