Oholibamah, Daughter of Anah (אָהֳלִיבָמָה, oholivamah). A wife of Esau and the mother of Jeush, Jalam, and Korah (Gen 36:2, 5). Oholibamah is mentioned only in Gen 36 (Gen 36:2, 5, 14, 18, 25). Her name also appears in lists of the clans or chiefs of Edom (Gen 36:41; 1 Chr 1:52). Oholibamah was a native Canaanite like most of Esau’s wives (Gen 26:34–35; 27:46–28:9). While Genesis 36:2 identifies her as a Hivite, Oholibamah and her family members (presumably her father and grandfather—Anah and Zibeon) appear in the genealogy of the descendants of Seir the Horite in Gen 36:20–30. The “Hivites” (חִוִּי, chiwwiy) and “Horites” (חֹרִי, choriy) may be names for the same native Canaanite people. The Hebrew spellings of the names differ by only one letter, though, so it is also possible there was a scribal error and that “Horite” was meant in Gen 36:2. Esau’s later move to the hill country of Seir—the land of the Horites—may have been motivated by the kinship ties established through his marriage to Oholibamah (Gen 36:6–8, 20–30).

For further discussion of the issues related to identifying Esau’s wives, see the article on Judith, Daughter of Beeri. For more information on Oholibamah’s family, see these articles: Anah, Son of Zibeon; Zibeon, Son of Seir; Horites; Hivites.