Genesis 36:16

Summary

Genesis 36:16 concludes a list of tribal chiefs ('alluf, H0441B) descended from Eliphaz, son of Esau and Adah, specifying that Korah, Gatam, and Amalek were chiefs in the land of Edom, and summarizing that these were the sons of Adah.

Key words

• 'alluf ("chief", H0441B) — masculine singular noun repeated three times (before Korah, Gatam, Amalek) as a title formula, then appearing again in construct plural form 'alupei ("chiefs of") governing the name Eliphaz.
• 'eleh ("these", H0428) — demonstrative particle used twice, each time introducing a summarizing clause ("these are the chiefs...", "these are the sons...").
• 'alupei ("chiefs of", H0441B construct plural) — the construct form links the preceding list of names back to Eliphaz, showing they are his chiefs rather than independent figures.
• bene ("sons of", H1121G construct plural) — construct plural linking the whole preceding group to Adah as their point of origin.
• 'Eretz ("land of", H0776G construct) — construct noun placing the chiefs' domain, joined to 'Edom ("Edom", H0123G).

What the text says

The verse is built on two summarizing formulas, each introduced by the demonstrative 'eleh ("these", H0428). The first summary states that Korah, Gatam, and Amalek are among "the chiefs of Eliphaz" ('alupei 'Elifaz), using the construct plural of 'alluf (H0441B) to attach the list of individual chiefs — each named with the singular 'alluf as a repeated title — to their ancestor Eliphaz. This construct relationship is grammatically explicit: the plural noun is bound to the following proper name, meaning "chiefs belonging to / descending from Eliphaz," located "in the land of" (be'eretz, H0776G construct) Edom (H0123G).

The second summary shifts the reference point one generation further back, stating these are "the sons of" (bene, H1121G construct plural) Adah — Eliphaz's mother. The construct plural bene does not specify degree of descent (son vs. grandson); it only marks a genealogical link to Adah as point of origin, without indicating whether the referents are her immediate offspring or later descendants.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew and Vulgate list three names (Korah, Gatam, Amalek: dux Core, dux Gathan, dux Amalech), while the LXX text given contains only two names, "ἡγεμὼν Τόρε, Ἀμαλήκ" ("chief Tore, Amalek"), omitting a separate entry corresponding to Gatam and rendering the first name as Tore rather than a form matching Korach (H7141H).

Regarding bene (H1121G, "sons of"), the Hebrew and Vulgate render it literally as "sons" (filii), while the BSB translates it as "grandsons," reflecting an interpretive choice about the generational distance between the named chiefs and Adah that the construct form itself does not specify.