Genesis 36:30

Summary

Genesis 36:30 concludes a list of Horite chiefs descended from Seir, naming Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan as 'aLuf ("chief", H0441B). The verse closes the list with a summary formula identifying these as the chiefs of the Horites according to their chieftainships in the land of Seir.

Key words

• 'aLuf ("chief", H0441B) — masculine singular noun, repeated three times (positions 1, 3, 5) before each proper name, marking each individual as head of a clan or tribal division.
• 'Eleh ("these", H0428) — demonstrative particle opening the summary clause, pointing back to the preceding list of names.
• 'aluFei ("chiefs of", H0441B) — masculine plural construct form of the same root as 'aLuf, here governing "the Horite" (position 8) to form the phrase "chiefs of the Horite."
• choRi ("Horite", H2753H) — gentilic noun with definite article ha (H9009), identifying the people-group to which these chiefs belong.
• 'aluFeihem ("their chiefs", H0441B + H9028) — plural construct of 'aLuf with third-person plural possessive suffix, followed by preposition le ("to", H9005), producing the phrase "according to their chiefs" or "by their chieftainships."

What the text says

The verse has two parts. The first (positions 1–6) repeats the pattern 'aLuf + proper name three times, listing Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan as chiefs — this mirrors the structure used throughout Genesis 36 for enumerating tribal heads. The second part (positions 7–16) is a closing formula: 'Eleh ("these") + 'aluFei ("chiefs of") + ha-choRi ("the Horite") identifies the preceding names as belonging to the Horite people. This is followed by le-'aluFeihem ("to/according to their chiefs"), a construct phrase with a possessive suffix that indicates division or grouping by chieftainship, and finally be-'Eretz Se'ir ("in the land of Seir", H0776G + H8165A), a construct phrase naming the territory.

The doubling of the root 'aLuf — once as singular before each name, once as plural construct in the summary — creates a grammatical link between the individual chiefs and the collective category "chiefs of the Horite," a structural feature not always visible in translation since English typically renders both forms simply as "chief(s)."

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text ends with be-'Eretz Se'ir ("in the land of Se'ir", H8165A). The LXX renders the place name as Ἐδώμ (Edom) rather than Seir, differing from the Hebrew toponym at this point. The Vulgate follows the Hebrew, rendering "in terra Seir." Additionally, the LXX gives the second chief's name as Σόαρ (Soar) where the Hebrew has 'Etzer ("Ezer", H0687), and adds "γεισῶν" as a third name variant differing from diShan ("Dishan", H1789G) in the Hebrew.