Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

James Christian:
 
The state of Edom did not exist in the Patriarchal Age.  There is no  
reference to the state of Edom, or to Edomites, in the Patriarchal 
narratives,  
except in the very late addendum at Genesis 36: 8-43.  The famous statement  
at Genesis 36: 31 "And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, 
 before there reigned any king over the children of Israel" could not 
possibly  have been composed in the Patriarchal Age, which long pre-dates 
both 
the kings  of Israel and the kings of Edom.  That part of chapter 36 of 
Genesis is  very late, and was not originally part of the Patriarchal 
narratives 
at  all.  Most scholars today see Genesis 36: 8-43 as long post-dating the  
composition of the rest of the Patriarchal narratives, and they're right 
about  that.
 
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois