Genesis 36:15

The dukes. The Hebrew word ’aluph, more accurately “prince” or “chief,” was apparently the title taken by Edomite and Horite tribal leaders. Since the related word ’eleph means “thousand,” some scholars have understood ’aluph to be a military title meaning “captain of a thousand” (see Jer. 13:21). In postexilic Hebrew the term came to be applied to Jewish chiefs or governors (Zech. 9:7; 12:5). The names of these “dukes” are not primarily place names as some commentators have suggested. They are, rather, the three sons and ten grandsons of Esau already mentioned in Gen. 36:9-14. In both lists (vs. 9-14 and 15-19) Korah appears as a son of Esau (vs. 14 and 18). In the second list (v. 16) Korah appears also as a grandson of Esau (a son of Eliphaz), but not in the first list (v. 11). Otherwise, the two lists are comparable. Korah’s name is not found in v. 15 of the Samaritan Pentateuch, which had a separate existence after the Babylonian exile, but does appear in the LXX, produced in the 3d century B.C. The fact that Korah is not listed as one of the grandsons of Esau in 1 Chron. 1:36, but is listed as a son (v. 35), confirms the accuracy of the first list of Gen. 36. It appears, therefore, that a copyist’s error has occurred in connection with the Hebrew of Gen. 36:16.