Ramban on Genesis 36:40

וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת אַלּוּפֵי עֵשָׂו מִתְּחִלָּה (בראשית ל"ו:ט"ו-י"ט) מָנָה בְּנֵי בָּנָיו שֶׁהָיוּ אַלּוּפִים בַּדּוֹר הַהוּא, וְאַחַר כֵּן הִצְלִיחוּ מִזַּרְעוֹ לִמְלוּכָה, וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן פָּסְקָה מַלְכוּתָם וְחָזְרוּ וְנָתְנוּ אֶת אֵלּוּ אַלּוּפִים לְרֹאשׁ, וְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר בְּדִבְרֵי הַיָּמִים (א א נא) "וַיָּמָת הֲדָד וַיִּהְיוּ אַלּוּפֵי אֱדוֹם אַלּוּף תִּמְנָע", כָּךְ פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ו:מ'). וּמָה שֶׁאָמַר "לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתָם לִמְקֹמֹתָם בִּשְׁמוֹתָם לְמוֹשְׁבוֹתָם בְּאֶרֶץ אֲחֻזָּתָם" (בראשית ל"ו:מ"ג), כִּי הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הָיוּ כָּל הָאַחִים אַלּוּפִים יוֹשְׁבִים כֻּלָּם בְּעִיר אַחַת מוֹשְׁלִים בָּעָם כְּאֶחָד, אוֹ כְּעִנְיַן נְשִׂיאֵי שֵׁבֶט וְרָאשֵׁי בָּתֵּי אָבוֹת, אֲבָל אֵלּוּ אַחֲרוֹנִים הָיוּ אַלּוּפִים לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתָם, כִּי כָל אֶחָד הָיָה אַלּוּף לְכָל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת בְּנֵי עֵשָׂו וּבְכָל מְקוֹמוֹת מוֹשְׁבוֹתָם, וְהוּא לְבַדּוֹ נִקְרָא בַּדּוֹר אַלּוּף, אֵין אַחֵר נִקְרָא כֵן בְּכָל אֶרֶץ אֲחֻזָּתָם, כִּי הָיוּ כִּמְלָכִים לְאַרְצָם אֲבָל לֹא יָשְׁבוּ לְכִסֵּא לָהֶם וְלֹא נָתְנוּ עֲלֵיהֶם הוֹד מַלְכוּת. וְנִכְתְּבָה הַפָּרָשָׁה בְּדֶרֶךְ הַנְּבוּאָה לְדַעַת רַבִּים (רש"י וראב"ע והרד"ק). וְאֵינֶנּוּ נָכוֹן, כִּי הַנְּבוּאָה לָמָּה תַּזְכִּיר אֶת אֵלֶּה, וְעַד אֵיזֶה זְמַן תִּמְנֶה וְתַפְסִיק בָּהֶם. אֲבָל הַנָּכוֹן שֶׁכָּל אֵלֶּה לִפְנֵי הַתּוֹרָה, וְנֹאמַר שֶׁמָּשְׁלוּ כְּאֶחָד, וְיִהְיֶה פֵּרוּשׁ לִמְקֹמֹתָם שֶׁמָּשַׁל כָּל אֶחָד בִּמְקוֹמוֹ, אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה מֶמְשַׁלְתָּם זְמַן מוּעָט, וּשְׁנוֹת רְשָׁעִים תִּקְצֹרְנָה (משלי י כז): AND THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE CHIEFS THAT CAME TO ESAU. At first³¹²Verses 15-19 here. Scripture enumerated Esau’s grandsons who were chieftains in that generation, and afterwards some of his descendants succeeded in attaining sovereignty. After that their kingdom ceased, and the Edomites once again appointed these chieftains as their head. And so it is said in the book of Chronicles:³¹³I, 1:51. And Hadad died. And the chiefs of Edom were: the chief of Timna. So did Rashi explain it here in his commentary on this verse.
And that which Scripture says here, according to their families, after their places, by their names, [and in Verse 43], after their habitations in the land of their possessions means that among the previous chiefs, [mentioned above in Verses 15-19], all the brothers who were the chiefs dwelled in one city, ruling one people, or their position was analogous to the princes of the tribes and the heads of families [in Israel]. But these latter ones were chiefs according to their families, meaning that each one was chief of all the families of Esau’s descendants, and in all of their dwelling places, for in that generation he alone was called “chief,” no other person being so called in all the land they possessed. Thus they were as kings in their countries, but they were not enthroned, and the glory of royalty was not bestowed upon them.
In the opinion of many commentators³¹⁴See Rashi on Verse 31. In his opinion, before there reigned any king (Verse 31) refers to Saul, king of Israel. Moses who wrote the Torah could therefore know it only by prophecy. this section was written as a prophecy. But this is not correct. Why should prophecy mention these kings, and until what point in time was Scripture to enumerate them and stop? Rather the correct interpretation is that all these ruled before the Torah was given in the days of Moses. Now we may say that they all ruled in one time, and then the explanation of after their places would be that each one ruled in his place, or else their rule lasted but a short time, as Scripture says, But the years of the wicked shall be shortened.³¹⁵Proverbs 10:27.