His story doesn't end there. His descendants play a fascinating, sometimes unsettling, role in Jewish legend.
Let's dive in, shall we?
Apparently, the most righteous of Esau's sons was Eliphaz. Now, according to Legends of the Jews, Eliphaz wasn't just any son. He was raised by his grandfather, Isaac, learning the ways of piety. He was even granted the gift of prophecy! This Eliphaz, son of Esau, is believed to be the very same Eliphaz who was a friend of Job.
Think about that. The admonitions he gave Job in their famous disputes? They came from the life of the Patriarchs, from the wellspring of Isaac's teachings. He challenged Job, saying, essentially, "You thought you were like Abraham, tested with ten trials? You falter at one!" He reminded Job that the righteous are often saved, citing Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all of Israel. Job, in turn, threw back at Eliphaz, "Look at your father, Esau!" But Eliphaz retorted, "I am not responsible for my father's sins. I am a prophet, and my message is for you."
Still, God wasn't thrilled with Eliphaz's harsh words to Job. According to the legends, He foretold that Obadiah, a descendant of Eliphaz, would ultimately prophesy against the house of Edom – the Edomites being Esau's descendants. Talk about family drama playing out on a cosmic scale!
And then there's the story of Timna. Timna was a princess who desired to convert and join Abraham's family. But Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all rejected her. Heartbroken, she declared, "I would rather be a maidservant to the dregs of this nation than a mistress of another!" She became a concubine to Eliphaz. From this union came Amalek. Yes, that Amalek. As the legends have it, this was a divine punishment to the Patriarchs for rejecting Timna, because Amalek inflicted so much pain and suffering on Israel. Powerful stuff.
But the strangeness doesn't end there. Consider the tale of Anah, another descendant of Esau. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Anah was pasturing his father's donkeys in the wilderness when a bizarre storm arose from the Red Sea. Out of the wilderness emerged creatures described as being human from the waist down, but from the waist up, some resembled bears, others apes – all with tails like a dukipat (whatever that is!). These creatures rode off with the donkeys, never to be seen again. One of them struck Anah with its tail, sending him fleeing in terror. Wild, right?
And there’s more: this same Anah, born of an incestuous union (his mother was also his father's mother!), is credited with creating mules by crossbreeding horses and donkeys. As punishment for this "unnatural union," God supposedly created the habarbar, a creature born from a snake and a lizard whose bite is deadly.
What does it all mean?
We also learn that the descendants of Esau had eight kings before Israel had even one. But eventually, the tables turned. There was a period when the Jews had eight kings while the Edomites had none, and were even subject to Jewish rule, from the time of Saul to Jehoshaphat.
Interestingly, the legends point out a key difference between the kings of Esau and the kings of Jacob: Jewish kings came from within the Jewish people, while the Edomites often had to seek kings from other nations. For example, the first Edomite king was Balaam (also known as Bela), an Aramean. The second king, Job (also called Jobab), came from Bozrah. According to the legends, Bozrah would be punished for providing Edom with a king, and would be the first to suffer when God judges Edom.
Ultimately, the rule of Edom was destined to be short-lived, while the rule of Israel would endure forever, symbolized by the unending reign of the Messiah.
So, what do we take away from all this? The descendants of Esau represent a complex and often troubling side of our history. They are a reminder that lineage alone doesn't guarantee righteousness, and that even those who seem blessed can stray from the path. The stories are strange, yes, but they hint at deeper truths about choice, consequence, and the enduring promise of redemption.