Genesis 36:20

Summary

The verse opens a genealogical list identifying the sons of Seir the Horite, described as inhabitants of the land, and names four of them: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, and Anah.

Key words

• ve.nei- ("sons of", H1121A) — masculine plural construct form, linking directly to Se'ir, marking this as the head of a genealogical list ("sons of Seir").
• cho.Ri ("Horite", H2752) — a gentilic noun (masculine singular) identifying Seir's ethnic/tribal affiliation, attached to the definite article ha- ("the Horite").
• yo.she.Vei ("inhabitants of", H3427) — a qal participle, masculine plural construct, from the root meaning "to dwell/sit"; the participle form frames this as an ongoing characteristic ("the ones dwelling") rather than a single past action, and its construct state links it to ha-'aretz ("the land").
• 'A.retz ("land", H0776G) — feminine singular noun with the definite article, the object of the construct phrase, specifying which territory is meant.
• 'E.leh ("these", H0428) — demonstrative particle opening the verse, standard formula introducing a genealogical list.

What the text says

The verse begins with the demonstrative 'E.leh ("these"), a formulaic opening for genealogical lists in this text. It is followed by a construct chain: ve.nei-Se'ir ha-Chori ("sons of Seir the Horite"), where ve.nei- is grammatically bound to the proper name Se'ir, and ha-Chori functions as an appositional gentilic modifying Seir himself, identifying him by ethnic group rather than modifying "sons."

The phrase yo.she.Vei ha-'Aretz ("inhabitants of the land") is a second construct chain, using a qal active participle (yo.she.Vei) in construct with ha-'Aretz. Because Hebrew participles denote characteristic or ongoing states rather than completed action, this phrase presents the dwelling in the land as a defining feature of this group, appositionally describing the "sons of Seir" just introduced. The four names that follow — Lotan, Shoval, Tziv'on, 'Anah — are joined by the conjunction ve- ("and") before the last three, a simple paratactic listing typical of genealogical enumeration in this text.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders ha-Chori ("the Horite") as a genitive noun phrase τοῦ Χορραίου ("of the Chorraean"), and does not explicitly translate Se'ir as a separate name in the same construct position seen in the Hebrew — instead reading "sons of the Chorraean" without directly naming Seir in that clause, unlike the Hebrew which names both Se'ir and ha-Chori together. The Vulgate follows the Hebrew structure more closely, rendering "Seir Horræi" (Seir, of the Horites). The LXX also renders Tziv'on (H6649H) as Σεβεγών (Sebegon), a transliteration variant from the Hebrew form and from the Vulgate's "Sebeon."