Genesis 36:31
ESV
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the Israelites.
NIV
These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned:
NASB
Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel.
CSB
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:
NLT
These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites :
KJV
And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.
NKJV
Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel:
What does Genesis 36:31 mean?
This opens a passage listing those who ruled over Edom during a specific era: the years before Israel had any kings. It's unclear whether this era extended right up to the time of Israel's first king (1 Samuel 8:4–5) or if it happened much earlier.Esau (Genesis 36:1) and his family conquered the land of Seir (Genesis 14:6; Deuteronomy 2:12). His twin brother, Jacob, was renamed Israel (Genesis 35:10), but his descendants will not arrive in the Promised Land for several centuries (Exodus 1:1–5; 12:40), after which time they will be ruled by "judges," not kings (Judges 21:25).
