Common misinterpretations include conflating this Hadad with the later Hadad who opposed Solomon or mistaking his victory over Midian for Gideon's much later triumph, which occurred in a different era and location; others spiritualize the genealogy into unrelated moral lessons on leadership or dismiss it as mere filler, overlooking its purpose in historically grounding Edom's royal line and affirming biblical chronologies.
Genesis 36:35
King James Version (1769)
35 And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith.
This verse documents the succession of Edomite kings prior to any king reigning over Israel, introducing Hadad son of Bedad who defeated Midianites in Moab's territory and ruled from Avith after Husham's death, emphasizing God's faithfulness in establishing Esau's descendants as a powerful nation with its own monarchy and distinct lineage separate from Israel.