This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Jeremiah’s Prophecy against Edom: Chapter 49. The town of Kadesh to the west (Numbers 20:16) 4. Edom may have drunk on God's holy mountain numerous times. For instance, in verse 6, "Oh, how Esau shall be searched out!" After Nebuchadnezzar took the population of Judah captive to Babylon, the Edomites quickly occupied Judah. Obadiah 1:5-6 indicates that such selectivity will not be the case when Edom is punished. An examination of the biblical, archaeological, and Near Eastern sources reveals that the Edomites and Israelites had a close, yet contentious relationship throughout their long history. Normally, if a thief enters a home, he takes only those things of value and interest; he does not take every item in the house. Edomites likely drank in feasting and gloating over Israel when Babylon and later Rome captured and destroyed Jerusalem. According to the Bible, the two tribes were literally born with enmity toward each other. The evidence from Obadiah reveals that the Edomites will continue their anti-Israel crime spree until God Himself intervenes in the last days. Similarly, when grape gatherers go through a vineyard, they take the best for their purposes, leaving the rest on the vine. (verse 5) is a typical Hebrew expression of grief. Edom, God proclaims, shall certainly drink of the wine of His wrath. (These were both symbols of royalty). Nevertheless, all of these different peoples—Edom, Ishmael, Amalek, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Tyre, and Assyria—are among the major players in the Middle East today. “And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men. Edom also appears in the book of Genesis: Jacob's brother Esau is the patriarch of the Edomites and Esau himself is called Edom as well (Gen. 25-36). O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, happy the one who repays you as you have served us! Edom’s End. . Of course the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians are the best known and were the most powerful of their enemies, but they had numerous other foes. The biblical origins of the Israelite-Edomite conflict can be found in the book of Genesis, long before there were Israelites or Edomites. The Philistines were their primary enemy when the Kingdom of Israel was being created and the Neo-Hittites were a common enemy at the height of their power. Through this ancient land of Edom the Israelites marched as they came into the … Deuteronomy 2:12, 22 records that the Edomites destroyed and perhaps absorbed a branch of Horites living in Seir, taking their land for themselves. Indeed, God's relationship with Israel is a driving factor behind Edom's hot anger—it is essentially jealousy! Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. The Bible chroniclers were no doubt influenced in a negative way by the Edomites’ move into Judah, so a group that was already viewed somewhat negatively became one of the most notorious enemies of the Israelites. "His hidden treasures shall be sought after" suggests a functionary making a thorough search for valuables. They were all related by marriage and blood! The conquest of Edom opened to Israel the ports of the Red Sea, whence the expeditions of Solomon and Jehoshaphat set out. A closer examination reveals that the source of their conflict was more about the resources than religion. The Descendants of Jacob's Brother Esau (Edom): Genesis 36, which records the family tree of Esau, lists many names still associated with the land of Edom in Southern Jordan, and also mentions individuals whose unfavorable interactions with the people of Israel are recorded for us elsewhere as the Old Testament unfolds. "Oh, how you will be cut off!" See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. 34, Jer. It will be as if the thieves came and stole everything—to the bare walls! I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance," says the Lord GOD. This great amount of material in the Bible is very valuable from both the historical and historiographical points of view. Any confederacy Esau has with others will be short-lived, and this is especially true knowing the deceitful character of his associates! The evidence from Obadiah reveals that the Edomites will continue their anti-Israel crime spree until God Himself intervenes in the last days. In biblical terms, we know it as the "eye for an eye" principle (Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus 24:19-20; Matthew 5:38). [5] Nothing else is mentioned and the Hebrews turned around and found a different route. Edom appears in written sources relating to the late Bronze Age and to the Iron Age in the Levant, such as the Hebrew Bible and Egyptian and Mesopotamian records. Isaiah 11:14 tells us that Israel shall “fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines”: What does “Fly upon the shoulders” mean? All About Edom (Part Five): Obadiah and God's Judgment. Putting Psalm 83 together with what we know about these nations' ancestries and with what we see on the evening news, these prophecies are coming to pass before our eyes! Edom was to the south of Israel. The Assyrians first began moving into the territory during the rule of Adad-nirari II (810-783 BC). The book states that the twins were never equal, even when they were still in the womb. The first historical point of conflict between the Hebrews and Edomites took place in the Late Bronze Age, around the year 1200 BC, when the Hebrews left Egypt in the Exodus. . He writes, "And Edom [shall be] a desolate wilderness, because of violence against the people of Judah, for they have shed innocent blood in their land." The abhorrence of Esau towards Jacob for tricking him into giving up his share of the inheritance was passed on to their descendants. The State of Israel, of course, has endured a heavy share of the militant Islamic violence since its founding in 1948. In writing this book of beginnings, Moses took the effort to include an entire chapter on the Edomites alone. Some of the clusters might not have ripened, or some might simply be missed. “Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from they bowels; the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.” [3]. The area is … “The Re-Interpretation of the Edomite-Israelite Encounter in Deuteronomy II.”, Assis, Elie. 35, Obadiah), this nation serves as Israel's antagonist and the representative of the enemy nations. . Edom heads the list of Israel's enemies in Psalm 83. We will discover what Scripture has to say about this below. Ezekiel’s Prophecy against Edom … The Edomites and Israelites fought over land. Jacob and Esau in the Book of Genesis. He continues in Obadiah 16: "For as you drank on my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink continually; yes, they shall drink, and swallow, and they shall be as though they had never been." If any people would form and lead a confederacy against the Israelites, it would be Edom. Balaam prophesied that a "star" would come out of Jacob and a scepter would rise out of Israel. So Why Were the Edomites and Israelites Enemies? In Jehoshaphat's time the king is called a "deputy" (1 Kings 22:47). Who has initiated the conflict over these last several years? They may be those whom the Bible calls elsewhere "Horites" and whom history terms "Hurrians," a people centered in northern Mesopotamia, who had once been a dominant people in the region. a much more aggressive and violent expression. Moab to the north (Deuteronomy 2:13-18) 2. Although little is known about Edomite religion, the Israelite’s god was probably known in Edom and shared attributes with the Edomites’ primary god. The Amalekites, descended from Amalek, a grandson of Esau, fall naturally into the anti-Israel alliance. . The Edomites were further mentioned as a nation defeated and invaded by Saul and later by David. 3. He was careful to include specific details about who was born to whom and who ruled this or that area. Although Esau originally had the birthright of Israel, he sold it to Jacob for some porridge when he was hungry. The Old Testament may help explain some of the hostility between the two groups, but it provides little concrete evidence for hostilities. [13]. . From the days of Esau himself, a burning hatred of Israel has been nourished among the Edomites.