John Gill Commentary Genesis 36:31

"And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel." — Genesis 36:31 (ASV)

And these [are] the kings that reigned in the land of Edom ,
&c.] In the land that was afterwards called the land of Edom; for this land was not so called when these kings began to reign: for, according to Bishop Cumberland ^F6 , and those that follow him ^F7 , these were Horite kings, who, after their defeat by Chedorlaomer, (Genesis 14:5Genesis 14:6) ; in order to secure themselves the better from such a calamity for the future, set up a kingdom, and which appears, by the following account, to be elective; and so Maimonides ^F8 observes, that not one of these kings was of Edom: and these were, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel ;
and there being no kings over Israel until many years after the times of Moses, hence some have thought these words are inserted by some other writer after him; but there is no need to suppose that; for Moses knew, from foregoing prophecies and promises, that kings would arise out of them and reign over them, (Genesis 17:6) (35:11) ; and this he was so certain of, that he himself, by divine direction, gave laws and rules to the children of Israel respecting their future kings, (Deuteronomy 17:14–20) ; besides Moses himself was king in Jeshurun or Israel, (Deuteronomy 33:5) , so that it is the same as if he had said, these are the kings that reigned in Edom, before this time.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F6: Orig. Gent. Antiq. p. 1-24.
• F7: Bedford in his Scripture Chronology, and the Authors of the Universal History.
• F8: Morch Nevochim, par. 3. c. 50. p. 510.