Poole on 1 Chronicles 1:43-50: The Kings of Edom

[circa 1676 BC] Verse 43:[1] Now these are the (Gen. 36:31, etc.) kings that reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel; Bela the son of Beor: and the name of his city was Dinhabah.

[These are the kings, etc.] This is the difference between Kings and Dukes, that Kings were with the diadem, without which were Dukes (Vatablus).

[Before there was a king, etc.] That is, long before the time of Saul (Tirinus). Compare Genesis 36:31 (Piscator). The children of Esau established Kings earlier than the Israelites, who were descending from pious Jacob. For, to whom corporal blessings were divinely given, they emerge more quickly than those whom God decreed to make partakers of heavenly blessings (Osiander).

Now these are the kings, etc.: Of this and the following verses, see on Genesis 36:31, etc., whence this whole relation is taken.

[Bela the son of Beor[2]] Not that diviner in Numbers 22:5,[3] although the name of the father agrees; for this Bela was an Idumean, but that of Mesopotamia, Deuteronomy 23:4 (Tirinus).

Verse 44:[4] And when Bela was dead, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.

[Jobab reigned in his stead] At that time, therefore, the kingdom was not hereditary (Lapide, Tirinus), but either elective, or acquired by right of war (Tirinus). Moreover, this Jobab was the same as that most patient Job[5] (Tirinus, a great many interpreters in Menochius).

[Of Bozrah] Which was of the principal cities of Idumea (Menochius).

Verse 45:[6] And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.

[Of the land of the Temanites] Teman was the metropolis of Idumea (Menochius out of Adrichomius[7]).

Verse 46:[8] And when Husham was dead, Hadad the son of Bedad, which smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.

[He smote Midian] He understands either the Midianites, or the city of Midian (Menochius).

Verse 47:[9] And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.

Verse 48:[10] (Gen. 36:37) And when Samlah was dead, Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead.

[Shaul of Rehoboth, which was situated by the river] Hebrew: of Rehoboth the river[11] (Montanus, Mariana, Pagnine), or of the river (Syriac, Arabic, Mariana, Tigurinus); of Rehoboth, a city of the river (Munster), which was across the river (Septuagint). Perhaps the name of the city and of the river was the same. To others Rehoboth is an appellative, which signifies a plain;[12] and they interpret it of some plain that is in the vicinity of a river. See the things said on Genesis 10:11 (Menochius).

Verse 49:[13] And when Shaul was dead, Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.

Verse 50:[14] And when Baal-hanan was dead, Hadad (or, Hadar, Gen. 36:39[15]) reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pai (or, Pau, Gen. 36:39); and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.

[His wife, etc.] The name of his wife, and of his wife’s mother and grandmother, is mentioned, which was not done in the other Kings. It must be that there was something extraordinary in these (Menochius).

[The daughter of Matred, who in turn is the daughter of Me-zahab] The Vulgate also renders Genesis 36:39 in this way. But in opposition to this translation stands both the Hebraic distinction, whereby מַטְרֵ֔ד/Matred is distinguished from the following בַּת/daughter by a Zaqeph (֔),[16] and the usual manner of speaking, whereby in genealogies the names of men are enumerated; whence it is perceived that Matred is the name of a man (Piscator). Therefore, others translate it, the daughter of Me-zahab (thus Junius and Tremellius, Piscator), that is, the granddaughter, as in Exodus 2:20, 21 (Piscator).

[1] Hebrew: וְאֵ֣לֶּה הַמְּלָכִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר מָלְכוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ אֱד֔וֹם לִפְנֵ֥י מְלָךְ־מֶ֖לֶךְ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בֶּ֚לַע בֶּן־בְּע֔וֹר וְשֵׁ֥ם עִיר֖וֹ דִּנְהָֽבָה׃ [2] Hebrew: בֶּ֚לַע בֶּן־בְּע֔וֹר. [3] Numbers 22:5: “He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor (אֶל־בִּלְעָ֣ם בֶּן־בְּע֗וֹר) to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me…” [4] Hebrew: וַיָּ֖מָת בָּ֑לַע וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו יוֹבָ֥ב בֶּן־זֶ֖רַח מִבָּצְרָֽה׃ [5] See James 5:11. [6] Hebrew: וַיָּ֖מָת יוֹבָ֑ב וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו חוּשָׁ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ הַתֵּימָנִֽי׃ [7] Christian Adrichomius (1533-1585), a Roman priest, wrote an important geography of Palestine (Theatrum Terræ Sanctæ et Biblicarum Historiarum). [8] Hebrew: וַיָּ֖מָת חוּשָׁ֑ם וַיִּמְלֹ֙ךְ תַּחְתָּ֜יו הֲדַ֣ד בֶּן־בְּדַ֗ד הַמַּכֶּ֤ה אֶת־מִדְיָן֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה מוֹאָ֔ב וְשֵׁ֥ם עִיר֖וֹ עֲיֽוֹת׃ [9] Hebrew: וַיָּ֖מָת הֲדָ֑ד וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו שַׂמְלָ֖ה מִמַּשְׂרֵקָֽה׃ [10] Hebrew: וַיָּ֖מָת שַׂמְלָ֑ה וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו שָׁא֖וּל מֵרְחֹב֥וֹת הַנָּהָֽר׃ [11] Hebrew: מֵרְחֹב֥וֹת הַנָּהָֽר׃. [12]רְחֹבוֹת/Rehoboth is related to רָחַב, to be spacious. [13] Hebrew: וַיָּ֖מָת שָׁא֑וּל וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו בַּ֥עַל חָנָ֖ן בֶּן־עַכְבּֽוֹר׃ [14] Hebrew: וַיָּ֙מָת֙ בַּ֣עַל חָנָ֔ן וַיִּמְלֹ֤ךְ תַּחְתָּיו֙ הֲדַ֔ד וְשֵׁ֥ם עִיר֖וֹ פָּ֑עִי וְשֵׁ֙ם אִשְׁתּ֤וֹ מְהֵיטַבְאֵל֙ בַּת־מַטְרֵ֔ד בַּ֖ת מֵ֥י זָהָֽב׃ [15] Genesis 36:39: “And Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar (הֲדַר) reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pau (פָּעוּ); and his wife’s name wasMehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.” [16] The Zaqeph is a strong disjunctive accent.