Discovery BoxGenesis 35:29--36:2 
Context35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. 1 He died an old man who had lived a full life. 2 His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
36:1 What follows is the account of Esau (also known as Edom). 3
36:2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: 4 Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter 5 of Zibeon the Hivite,
1 tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
2 tn Heb “old and full of years.”
3 sn Chapter 36 records what became of Esau. It will list both his actual descendants as well as the people he subsumed under his tribal leadership, people who were aboriginal Edomites. The chapter is long and complicated (see further J. R. Bartlett, “The Edomite King-List of Genesis 36:31-39 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-50,” JTS 16 [1965]: 301-14; and W. J. Horowitz, “Were There Twelve Horite Tribes?” CBQ 35 [1973]: 69-71). In the format of the Book of Genesis, the line of Esau is “tidied up” before the account of Jacob is traced (37:2). As such the arrangement makes a strong contrast with Jacob. As F. Delitzsch says, “secular greatness in general grows up far more rapidly than spiritual greatness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:238). In other words, the progress of the world far out distances the progress of the righteous who are waiting for the promise.
4 tn Heb “from the daughters of Canaan.”
5 tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.
