Genesis 36:42

Summary

The verse continues a list of Edomite tribal leaders, naming three chiefs in succession: Kenaz, Teman, and Mibzar. Each name is preceded by the title 'aLluf ("chief", H0441B), repeated three times in a fixed formulaic pattern.

Key words

• 'aLluf ("chief", H0441B) — masculine singular noun, repeated identically before each proper name; it functions as a title marking tribal or clan leadership rather than royal kingship.
• Qenaz ("Kenaz", H7073G) — proper name of a person, in apposition to 'aLluf, identifying who holds the title.
• Teiman ("Teman", H8487G) — proper name of a person, structurally parallel to Qenaz.
• Mivtzar ("Mibzar", H4014) — proper name of a person, closing the triad in the same repeated construction.

What the text says

The verse is built on a simple repeated syntactic unit: noun + proper name, repeated three times without any connecting particle (asyndeton). Each occurrence of 'aLluf ("chief", H0441B) stands in construct-like apposition to the following name, producing a rhythmic, list-like structure typical of genealogical or administrative registers in the Hebrew Bible. There is no verb in the verse; it is a pure nominal chain, which is common in Hebrew king-lists and chief-lists where the grammar itself signals enumeration rather than narrative action.

The repetition of 'aLluf before each name, rather than a single title governing all three names, emphasizes that each individual independently holds the rank of chief — the title is not shared or implied by proximity but restated for each entry. This grammatical choice reflects a formal listing convention rather than a stylistic redundancy.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text lists three names — Qenaz, Teiman, Mivtzar — each with the title 'aLluf. The LXX (Swete) renders these as ἡγεμὼν Κενέζ, ἡγεμὼν Θαιμάν, ἡγεμὼν Μαζάρ, using ἡγεμών ("leader/chief") to translate 'aLluf, and additionally appends further names (ήλ, ἡγεμὼν Ζαφωεί) and a summarizing note about Edom's chiefs and their territories, which do not appear in the Hebrew verse itself. The Vulgate (Clementine) follows the Hebrew structure closely, using dux ("leader") before each name: dux Cenez, dux Theman, dux Mabsar. Some modern translations (BSB, SBLIBRE) omit the repeated title altogether, presenting only the bare list of names — Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar — without rendering 'aLluf explicitly for each entry.