How is Anah related to Zibeon?
Daughter - Genesis 36:2, 14 -
2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; (KJV)
2 Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite (NIV)
14 And these were the sons of Aholibamah, the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon, Esau's wife: and she bare to Esau Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. (KJV)
14 The sons of Esau's wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam and Korah. (NIV)
These verses, in the King James Version, seem to state that Anah was the daughter of Zibeon. When read in the New International Version, the verses state "and granddaughter of Zibeon," which seems to only add to the confusion. My thought was that one would need to go to the original Hebrew to unlock the mystery about this, and I was right.
The Hebrew word used in these verses is bat. This word denotes a female (as in Bat-mitzvah), and it can be used to describe either a daughter or granddaughter. With this in mind, and when used in context with verse 36:24 (see below), it becomes apparent that both words in these verses are referring to Oholibamah. Therefore, we see that Oholibamah is Anah's daughter and Zibeon's granddaughter.*
*Note: Something else to keep in mind. Biblical genealogies often refer to "sons" and "daughters" in the listing. This doesn't mean all the people listed were born directly to the patriarch. Many times, descendants of a person are referred to in this way.
The Hebrew word used in these verses is bat. This word denotes a female (as in Bat-mitzvah), and it can be used to describe either a daughter or granddaughter. With this in mind, and when used in context with verse 36:24 (see below), it becomes apparent that both words in these verses are referring to Oholibamah. Therefore, we see that Oholibamah is Anah's daughter and Zibeon's granddaughter.*
*Note: Something else to keep in mind. Biblical genealogies often refer to "sons" and "daughters" in the listing. This doesn't mean all the people listed were born directly to the patriarch. Many times, descendants of a person are referred to in this way.
Brother - Genesis 36:20, 21-
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,21 And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. (KJV)
20 These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,21 And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan: these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom. (KJV)
20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs. (NIV)
Verses 20 and 21 list the sons of Seir the Horite. The listing shows that there are brothers named Zibeon and Anah. Enough said on that point.
Son - Genesis 36:24 & I Chron. 1:40
24 And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.25 And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. (KJV)
24 The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. 25 The children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. (NIV)
40 The sons of Shobal; Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon; Aiah, and Anah. (KJV)
40 The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (NIV)
Now these last verses state that Anah is the son of Zibeon. At first, I had a bit of trouble processing all of this in my head, then it occurred to me. Zibeon could have named his son after his brother. That happens even today, and I imagine it was a pretty common practice back then. How do you honor a close relative? Name one of your children after them. To my mind, this is well within the realm of possibility for this situation.
So when this is read in context with verse 20, Anah was the brother of Zibeon and the uncle of Anah, father of Oholibamah.
24 And these are the children of Zibeon; both Ajah, and Anah: this was that Anah that found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the asses of Zibeon his father.25 And the children of Anah were these; Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah. (KJV)
24 The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. 25 The children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. (NIV)
40 The sons of Shobal; Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon; Aiah, and Anah. (KJV)
40 The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (NIV)
Now these last verses state that Anah is the son of Zibeon. At first, I had a bit of trouble processing all of this in my head, then it occurred to me. Zibeon could have named his son after his brother. That happens even today, and I imagine it was a pretty common practice back then. How do you honor a close relative? Name one of your children after them. To my mind, this is well within the realm of possibility for this situation.
So when this is read in context with verse 20, Anah was the brother of Zibeon and the uncle of Anah, father of Oholibamah.
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