Genealogies often seem like simple lists, but they can hide complex family dynamics and surprising histories. In tracing the family line of Eliphaz, a casual reading suggests that Timna is simply one of his sons. However, the Torah explains that Timna was not a son, but rather Eliphaz's concubine and the mother of Amalek. The primary approach among commentators is that the author wrote this account briefly, relying on the reader's prior knowledge of the Torah. The true meaning is that Timna, the concubine, gave birth to Amalek [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג]. Amalek is not grouped together with the other sons, but is separated by the mention of his mother to emphasize his distinct status. While the other children were born to a primary wife, Amalek was the son of a concubine [רד״ק].
Other perspectives attempt to resolve the unexpected appearance of Timna in the list of sons. One view suggests there were actually two different individuals named Timna: one was a male child counted among the brothers, and the other was the well-known concubine [רשב ם המובא במלבי״ם]. A different tradition proposes that Timna was Eliphaz's illegitimate daughter, born from the wife of Seir, whom he later took as his own concubine. According to this approach, it is not unusual for a daughter to be included in a genealogy of sons [רש י המובא במלבי״ם]. However, this idea is challenged by the argument that the biblical text does not typically list a daughter among sons without explicitly identifying her as female [רד״ק].
A more complex explanation connects the name Timna to the figure of Chief Korah. In this account, Eliphaz fathered an illegitimate son with Oholibamah, who was Esau's wife. While the mother named the child Korah, Eliphaz secretly called him Timna after his concubine. By using this hidden name, the genealogical record exposes a deep family secret, revealing that Korah was actually the son of Eliphaz [מלבי״ם]. Finally, the family line concludes with Amalek, a figure whose descendants appear repeatedly throughout biblical history as the ultimate and most persistent enemies of the Israelites [ביאור שטיינזלץ].