36:17 These were the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom; these were the sons 4 of Esau’s wife Basemath.
1 tn The potential nuance for the perfect tense is necessary here, and supported by the parallel clause that actually uses “to be able.”
2 tn The infinitive construct לָשֶׁבֶת (lashevet, from יָשַׁב, yashav) explains what it was that the land could not support: “the land could not support them to live side by side.” See further J. C. de Moor, “Lexical Remarks Concerning Yahad and Yahdaw,” VT 7 (1957): 350-55.
3 tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.
4 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).