מלכים א, פרק י״א, פסוק כ׳

The birth and royal upbringing of Genubath, the son of Hadad the Edomite and the sister of the Egyptian queen, highlights a deep and strategic alliance. It reveals the close connection forged between the exiled Edomite and the highest levels of Egyptian leadership.

The child's early years were overseen directly by the royal family. While his physical weaning marked the end of his infancy [מצודת ציון], it also signaled a broader reality: Queen Tahpenes herself took on the responsibility of raising him [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Growing up within the walls of the palace, the boy was completely integrated into the royal household. He was educated alongside the sons of Pharaoh, living and being treated exactly like the Egyptian princes [מצודת דוד].

Naturally, this special treatment stemmed from his status as the queen's nephew, but a calculated political motive likely hid behind these family ties. If the ruler at the time was the same Pharaoh who had married his daughter to King Solomon, embracing Hadad—a known enemy of Solomon—served a distinct strategic purpose. By granting such extraordinary favors to Hadad, Pharaoh actively worked to maintain a political balance of power between the Edomite heir and the king of Israel [ביאור שטיינזלץ].