Genesis 36:31 - Meaning and Application

By degrees, the Edomites seem to have pushed the Horites out, taken full control of the land, and set up their own government. They were ruled by kings who governed the whole country. It looks as if these kings came to power by election, not by family line, as Bishop Patrick noted. These kings reigned in Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel, that is, before Moses’ time, since Moses was king in Jeshurun, or Israel (Genesis 36:3).

God had just promised Jacob that kings would come from his family line (Genesis 35:11), yet Esau’s descendants became royal long before Jacob’s did. This reminds us that, in outward success and honor, the children of the covenant are often left behind for a time, while those outside the covenant get ahead. The success of the wicked may come fast, but it does not last. It is quick to ripen and just as quick to rot, while what God has promised, though slower to appear, is certain and lasting. In the end it will speak plainly and will not fail.

This may have tested the faith of God’s people deeply. They heard of the power and splendor of the kings of Edom while they themselves were slaves in Egypt. But those who wait for great things from God must be willing to wait for them. God’s timing is always the best timing.

After that, Edom was governed by dukes, who are named here again. I understand these dukes to have ruled in different parts of the land at the same time. They may have adopted this form of rule from the Horites, who had used it before them (Genesis 36:29), or God may have allowed it to weaken them for their unkindness to Israel, when they refused Israel passage through their land (Numbers 20:18). When power is abused, it is just for God to weaken it by breaking it into smaller parts. Because of a land’s sin, many rulers may rise and fall there. Sin brought Edom down from kings to dukes, from crowns to smaller honors. We read of the dukes of Edom later too (Exodus 15:15), though much later we also read of kings again.

Mount Seir is called the land of their possession (Genesis 36:43). While Israel lived in slavery and Canaan was only their promised land, the Edomites lived in their own homes, and Seir was firmly theirs. The people of this world have their full share now, with nothing left to hope for (Luke 16:25). God’s people often have little in hand now, but they have everything to hope for. Even so, when all is considered, it is better to have Canaan in promise than Mount Seir in possession.