Genesis 36:15-19

"These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the first-born of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, chief Gatam, chief Amalek: these are the chiefs that came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Adah. And these are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah: these are the chiefs that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife. And these are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau's wife: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah: these are the chiefs that came of Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. These are the sons of Esau, and these are their chiefs: the same is Edom."

The apparent misplacement of the name "Korah" in the two lists is another variation that remains unexplained. It is of no great importance.

It is significant that these "chiefs" were, except for the three sons of Oholibamah, "grandsons," not "sons" of Esau. This usage of these terms is prevalent throughout the Bible.

"Chiefs ..." is substituted in the ASV and later versions for "Dukes" as in the KJV. Scholars tell us that the Hebrew word here "is [~'aluph], a term related to [~'eleph], (thousand, or tribe),"[15] hence, the ruler or commander of a thousand men. Similarly, the Greeks had [@chiliarch] for the same authority.

The mention of Timna the concubine of Eliphaz was probably due to the importance of her son Amalek whose tribe later became the inveterate enemies of Israel, although some deny this identification with the Amalekites in the days of Saul.

One of the most important of these chiefs was Teman, the oldest son of Eliphaz, who later developed into a powerful tribe, becoming so important that the whole land of Edom was sometimes called Teman (Amos 1:12; Obadiah 1:1:9).