Genesis 36:31

Summary

The verse introduces a list of kings who reigned in the land of Edom, situating this list temporally before any king reigned over the Israelites. It functions as an editorial heading marking a chronological reference point.

Key words

• 'Elleh ("these", H0428) — demonstrative particle pointing forward to the list that follows in subsequent verses.
• malekhu ("they reigned", H4427A) — qal perfect, marking the reign of the Edomite kings as completed action.
• lifnei (li + fnei, "before", H9005 + H6440G) — construct phrase literally "to the face of," used here temporally to mean "before."
• melokh-melekh ("a king reigned", H4427A + H4428G) — infinitive construct followed by its subject noun, a common Hebrew construction expressing "before a king reigned."
• livnei Yisra'El ("of/to the sons of Israel", H9005 + H1121G + H3478) — construct chain naming Israel as "sons of Israel," the group over whom no king had yet reigned.

What the text says

The verse opens with ve'Elleh ("and these"), a demonstrative formula typical of list introductions in Hebrew narrative, followed by ha-melakhim ("the kings") and the relative clause asher malekhu be'eretz Edom ("who reigned in the land of Edom"). The verb malekhu is a qal perfect, presenting the reigns as a completed set of events rather than an ongoing state.

The temporal clause lifnei melokh-melekh livnei Yisra'El is built with the preposition li attached to fnei ("face of"), an idiom that functions adverbially as "before." This is followed by the infinitive construct melokh ("to reign") with its subject melekh ("a king"), a verb-subject infinitive construction common in Biblical Hebrew for expressing "before X did Y." The final phrase livnei Yisra'El uses the construct noun vnei ("sons of") governing Yisra'El, so the clause reads literally "before a king reigned to/for the sons of Israel."

The construct chain bnei Yisra'El ("sons of Israel") designates the group collectively, distinct from the proper name Edom used alone for the Edomite territory in eretz Edom.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the temporal clause as πρὸ τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι βασιλέα ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ ("before a king reigned in Jerusalem"), specifying "Jerusalem" where the Hebrew has livnei Yisra'El ("over/for the sons of Israel"). The Vulgate follows the Hebrew more closely with "antequam haberent regem filii Israël" ("before the sons of Israel had a king"), matching the construct phrase bnei Yisra'El rather than substituting a place name.