What Happened to Esau?

Most of this chapter is genealogies, and since I'm trying to keep a teenage/ young adult audience interested, I'll skip straight to the interesting part for you. You can read the rest on your own time if you like, but the names can be tongue-twisters.

Beresheet (Genesis) 36:6-8 "Then Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the persons of his household, his cattle and all his animals, and all his goods which he had gained in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the presence of his brother Jacob. For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their livestock. So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. Esau is Edom."

He didn't leave Jacob on bad terms, they just had too many livestock. Grass in a field can only feed so many goats before they start running around and eating everything else.

Did you make it through the genealogies? When reading all those funky names, remember that they're not just random conglomerations of letters, they actually have meanings. Our names still have meanings today, aside from the obvious Faith, Hope, Destiny, etc., think of the other names out there...

I'll name myself and a few of my friends and family as an example: Krystal ("Clear" or "Ice"), Kelsey ("Ship Victory"), Bethany ("House of Figs" or "House of Poverty", depending on where you look), Steven ("Crown"), Jordan ("descend" or "flow down"), Howard ("Guardian"), Jennifer ("Fair"), Rachael ("Ewe"), Denah ("Judgement"), Diana ("Heavenly, Divine"), Rick (Short for Frederick, "Peaceful Ruler"), Danielle/Daniel (God is My Judge), Josiah ("Yahuah Supports"), etc. 

Sometimes names give away part of the character of a person. For example, my dad's name is Howard, which means "Guardian", and he's the protector of his house. I couldn't ask for a better guardian.

Homework: Where is Edom now?

-Kj

P.S. All name definitions come from this website:  www.behindthename.com