Edom

Edom was an ancient kingdom and people located south of the Dead Sea in Transjordan. Its borders were the Levant to the south, Moab to the northeast, the Arabah Valley to the west, and the Arabian Desert to the southeast. It is now part of modern-day Israel and Jordan. This late Bronze Age and early Iron Age kingdom is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and in Egyptian and Mesopotamian records. In the New Testament, “Edom” was known as “Idumea,” and King Herod was from this region.

The Edomites’ ancestor was Esau, the elder son of Isaac and the elder twin brother of Jacob (Israel). When Esau was born, he was “red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau” (Genesis 25:25). The Hebrew word “Esau” means “hairy,” and “Edom” means “red.” Genesis 36:1 states, “These are the generations of Esau (that is, Edom).”

The original homeland of the Edomites was Mount Seir (Genesis 36:8-9). Just like their ancestor, the Edomites were very worldly, secular, proud, arrogant, and cruel. What was particularly serious was that they directed these traits against the Israelites. They harbored a special bitterness toward God’s chosen people that persisted for generations. At the very beginning, Esau, the firstborn, gave up his birthright to his younger brother Jacob for a bowl of red lentil stew. Later, because Jacob deceived their father Isaac to steal his blessing, Esau’s heart was filled with hatred for his brother, planting the seeds of distrust and enmity. The hatred between the Edomites and the Israelites permeates almost every page of their history. The most prominent event occurred during the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness. When they were threatened by enemies, Moses politely requested permission from Edom to pass through their territory to escape their pursuers, but the Edomites refused (Numbers 20:14-22).

Later, in the time of the prophet Obadiah, the Edomites’ hostility toward the Israelites reignited with a vengeance. They not only openly opposed them but also used cunning and deceit to harm them. When Jerusalem was in distress, the Edomites did not help but instead delighted in their misfortune, watching as the Israelites were plundered and killed (Obadiah 1:10-14), speaking arrogantly “on the day of their disaster.” When the Jews fell into the hands of Babylon, the Psalmist recorded the Edomites’ malicious glee: “Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, ‘Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!'” (Psalm 137:7). Later, the Edomites went from merely watching to joining Israel’s enemies, entering the city gates, taking their plunder, blocking escape routes, and handing over the remaining survivors to their enemies (Obadiah 1:13-14).

Because of the Edomites’ repeated wickedness, God’s judgment could no longer be delayed. Obadiah clearly prophesied that Edom would be eternally eradicated: “You shall be cut off forever,” declaring God’s righteous judgment. The Edomites were later assimilated by other peoples and disappeared from history.