27-29. The death of Isaac (P).—In JE Isaac was at the point of death when Jacob fled from Esau; whereas, according to the chronology of P, he survived for 80 years. An equally remarkable divergence from the earlier tradition is seen in Esau's living on with his father in Hebron (see on 324), and the unbroken friendship between him and Jacob.—27. Mamrē, Ḳiryath-'Arba', Ḥebrôn. See 1318 232.—29. Cf. 258. 9.—Isaac is buried by Esau and Jacob his sons] as Abraham by Isaac and Ishmael (259). P always lays stress on the harmony of the patriarchal family life.
Ch. XXXVI. Edomite Genealogies, etc. (partly P).
The chapter consists of seven (or eight) sections: I. Esau's wives and children, 1-5; II. His migration to Mount Seir, 6-8; III. A list of Esau's descendants, 9-14; IV. An enumeration of clans or clan-chiefs of Esau, 15-19; V. Two Ḥorite lists: a genealogy, 20-28, and a list of clans, 29. 30; VI. The kings of Edom, 31-39; VII. A second list of clans of Esau, 40-43.—The lists are repeated with variations in 1 Ch. 135-54.
The chapter evidently embodies authentic information regarding
the history and ethnology of Edom. Whether the statistics were
compiled by Israelite writers from oral tradition, or are the scanty
remains of a native Edomite literature, it is naturally impossible to
determine; the early development of political institutions in Edom
makes the latter hypothesis at least credible (see Meyer, INS, 329,
383 f.).
Analysis.—A section headed (
Hebrew characters) would, if homogeneous, be
unhesitatingly ascribed to P; but the repetition of the formula (v.9)
throws doubt on its unity, and betrays the hand of a redactor. The
phraseology of P is most apparent in II. and VII., but can be detected
occasionally elsewhere (2. 5b. 10a. 12b. 13b. 30b: i.e. in I., III., and V.). The
crucial difficulty is the contradiction as to Esau's wives between I. and
27. (Hebrew characters)] Rd. perhaps (Hebrew characters) (Kit.).—(Hebrew characters)] GS + (Hebrew characters).—28.
(Hebrew characters)] G + (Hebrew characters) (as 257).—29 end] S (Syriac characters).—In
P's chronology, Jacob at his father's death had reached
the age of 120 years (cf. 3528 with 2526); he was 40 years old when he
set out for Paddan Aram. The interval of 80 years has to be divided
between his sojourn with Laban and his subsequent residence with
Isaac; but in what proportions we have no data to determine.
