his city was Dinhabah. 44And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. 45And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead. 46And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, which smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith. 47And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead. 48And Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River reigned in his stead. 49And Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead. 50And Baal-hanan died, and [1]Hadad reigned in his stead; and the name of his city was [2]Pai: and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab. 51And Hadad died. And the dukes of Edom were; duke Timna, duke [3]Aliah, duke Jetheth; duke 52Oholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon; 53duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar; duke 54Magdiel, duke Iram. These are the dukes of Edom.
Beor, the consonants of the names differing in Heb. only by the final m. See, however, Gray, Numbers (I.C.C.), pp. 315, 324.
46. smote Midian in the field of Moab] An isolated historical notice, interesting as showing the power of Edom at some period. The Midianites centred round the lands E. of the Gulf of Akaba, but bands of them were constantly pushing northwards and harassing the territories of Edom, Moab, and Israel (cf. Num. xxii. 4; Judg. vi.; etc.).
48. Rehoboth by the River] not "the River," par excellence (i.e. the Euphrates), as the R.V. translators supposed; but either the Wady el-Arish, the stream on the boundary of Egypt or Palestine; or else a river in N. Edom, Rehoboth being distinguished from other places of the same name by being the city on its banks.
50. Hadad] As in ver. 46; in Gen. xxxvi. 39, "Hadar." Possibly the king whom David overthrew, 2 Sam. viii. 14, cp. 1 Kin. xi. 14 (perhaps a son of this Hadad).
51 a. And Hadad died] repeated by a copyist's error from ver. 47; the words are not found in Genesis.
51 b—54. The "Dukes" of Edom. (Cp. Gen. xxxvi. 40—43.)
51 b. dukes] The word means "leader of a thousand." The list which follows is probably topographical, not chronological. It seems to give the names of the districts into which Edom was divided at the time when the list was drawn up.
duke Timna, etc.] Render, the duke of Timna, etc.
Aliah] In Gen. xxxvi. 40, "Alvah."
