Wealth Can Tear Us Apart. Genesis 36:1-8

May the mumbling commence!

Oh, boy!  It’s what we’ve all been waiting for – the Name Game, the Edomite Name Game.  

Because, after the coming together at Isaac’s death, separation happened over too much wealth.  Wealth separates, plain and simple.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            This is the family tree of Esau, who is called Edom.

            Esau married women of Canaan: Adah, daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah, daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; and Basemath, daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

            Adah gave Esau Eliphaz;

            Basemath had Reuel;

            Oholibamah had Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

            These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

            Esau gathered up his wives, sons and daughters, and everybody in his household, along with all his livestock – all the animals and possessions he had gotten in Canaan – and moved a considerable distance away from his brother Jacob.  The brothers had too many possessions to live together in the same place; the land couldn’t support their combined herds of livestock.  So Esau ended up settling in the hill country of Seir (Esau and Edom are the same).  (Genesis 36:1-8)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom). 

Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite – also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth. 

Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan. 

Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan, and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob.  Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock.  So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir.  (Genesis 36:1-8)

Esau is Edom.  That’s clear.  The statement bookends this passage.  Peterson misses this by not translating them parallel.  This clear statement is needed to explain the origin of the Edomites.

And there it is again – a hidden gem among the genealogies.  Wealth separates.  It separated Lot and Abram.  It separated Esau and Jacob.

Let’s be careful not to cling to our possessions.  Let’s be careful not to hurt others on our quest for possessions.  People are more important than possessions.  Our relationship to God is more important than possessions.

Help us to learn this lesson, O Holy Spirit!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out