References (179)
And the first came out, reddish (Hebr. admoni)—he was covered all over, [his body was] like a hairy (Hebr. sear) garment [cloak]. And they named him Esau.
[His reddish color is similar to the word for Edomite (Hebr. adomi), the people who would descend from him; see . The word for “hairy” also alludes to the name of the region where Esau would live, the mountainous region of Seir; see .]
And then his brother came—and his hand held on to Esau's heel (Hebr. akev). And he was named Jacob (Hebr. Jaaqov). Isaac was 60 years old when they were born.
[Both sons' names are included in wordplay. Jacob's name alludes to him "holding the heel." The older brother is thus named after his appearance and the younger after his actions. Esau was born reddish, and Jacob was born to grab someone by the heel. The verb aqav has a negative meaning of pushing away, deceiving, and taking away, see ; .]
And the boys grew up. And Esau became a man skilled in hunting [well acquainted with hunting and became a skilled hunter]—a man of the field, while Jacob became a quiet (Hebr. tam) man who stayed among the tents.
[The contrasts between the brothers continue. Esau is adventurous and likes to be outdoors, while Jacob is content to be at home. The word tam also has the meaning of blameless, but here it is more in the sense of "wholeness" in life; he is content to be at home.]
And Isaac loved Esau because he got to eat his game [literally: "for game in his mouth"], while Rebekah loved Jacob.
Jacob had cooked (Hebr. zid) a stew (Hebrew: nazid), [just] when Esau came in from the field and he was exhausted. [The word for cooking (Hebr. zid) is similar to the word for hunting (Hebr. tsod). That is the only similarity in what they do.]
And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me gulp down (devour, swallow – Hebr. laat) some of that red stuff (Hebr. edom), that red stuff there, for I am exhausted!" That is why he was given the name Edom. [The word for eating is only used here in the Old Testament. In later rabbinical literature, it is used about animals that eat. Esau also cannot bring himself to say "the soup"; he just calls it "the red stuff" and wants it right away.]
Esau said, "Look, I am dying, so what does it matter to me—the birthright?"
And Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. Then he ate. Then he drank. Then he got up. And then he left. So Esau despised [lightly abandoned] his birthright.
[The verbs in the verse (5 in a row) reinforce how Esau acts without thinking about the consequences. The birthright was a gift from the Lord (Yahweh). His recklessness becomes a warning example of someone who is unspiritual, see .]
When Esau was 40 years old, he married Judith, the daughter of the Hittite Beeri, and [he also took a second wife] Basemath, the daughter of the Hittite Eilon.
When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim [probably from cataracts] so that he could not see, he called Esau, his older son, and said to him, "My son,"
and he replied, "Here I am." [Hebr. hineni – I am at your disposal, I am ready to take responsibility, see .]
Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. And Esau went out into the field to hunt a deer and bring it home.
Rebecca spoke to her son Jacob and said, "Behold, I heard your father speaking to your brother Esau, saying,
Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.
And Rebekah took the choice (finest, best) clothes [some kind of festive attire] of Esau, her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob.
Then Jacob said to his father [and lied], “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me (what you asked of me). Get up [and come], I beg you, sit down and eat of my game [yet another lie; he had neither hunted nor prepared the meal], so that you (your soul) may bless me.”
Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come closer, I beg you, so that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."
And Jacob went close to his father Isaac, and he felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are Esau's hands."
And he did not recognize him because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands, and he blessed him.
And he said, "Are you really my son Esau?" And he answered, "I am."
And it came to pass, that as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing James, James went out the door of his father's house, and Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
And Isaac, his father, said to him, "Who are you?" He replied, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."
When Esau heard his father's words, he cried out with a loud (very great) and bitter cry, and he said to his father, "Bless me, even me, my father!"
And Isaac answered and said to Esau, "Behold, I have made him a lord, and all his brothers I have given to him as servants, and with grain and wine I have provided for him. What else can I do for you, my son?"
And Esau said to his father, "Do you not have a blessing, my father? Bless me, even me, my father." And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him. And Esau said (thought) in his heart, "Let the days of mourning for my father pass, then I will kill my brother Jacob."
And the words of Esau, her older son, were told to Rebekah, and she sent for Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, "Behold, your brother Esau is touching you, mourning (Hebr. nacham) [feeling sorrow, but will soon act] and intends to kill you.
And Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-Aram, to Laban the Aramean, the son of Bethuel and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-Aram to take a wife from there, and that he had blessed him and commanded him, saying, "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,"
and Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father,
so he went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, and the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife, in addition to the wives he already had.
And Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir [the land east and south of the Dead Sea], the field of Edom (open countryside).
And he commanded them, saying, "Thus shall you say to my lord Esau: 'Thus says your servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban and stayed there until now.
And the messengers returned to Jacob and said, "We came to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and 400 men with him."
And he said, "If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, then the other camp that remains can escape."
Deliver me, I pray you, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau [the repetition of hand reinforces how he is in Esau's grip], for I am afraid of him, lest he come and smite me, mother with sons. [Literally: 'mother on son' – the whole family.]
And he stayed there that night, and took from what he had brought with him a gift for Esau, his brother.
And he commanded the first ones [those who went in front] and said, "When Esau, my brother, meets you and asks you, saying, 'Who are you, and where are you going, and whose are these before you?
Then you shall answer (say): 'They are your servant Jacob's; they are a gift sent to my lord, to Esau; and behold, he is also behind us.
And he commanded the second and the third and all who followed the flocks, saying, "Thus shall you speak to Esau when you find him
[The Hebrew linguistic construction depicts the scene as Esau quickly approaches, and Jacob acts and divides his family.]
And Jacob lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, Esau was coming, and with him 400 men. And he divided the children to Leah and to Rachel and to the two maidservants.
But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and wept.
And Esau said, "I have enough, my brother; let what you have be yours."
And Esau said, "Let me leave some of my people with you." And he said, "Why this? Let me find favor (undeserved love – Hebr. chen) in the eyes of my lord."
And Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
And God
(Elohim) said to Jacob, "Get up and go up to
(Hebr. alah) Bethel and live there. And make an altar to God
(El) who appeared to you when you fled from the face of your brother
Esau."
[Jacob now leaves Shechem, where he has lived for about 10 years (), and goes to Bethel, 30 km to the south. Bethel was the place where Jacob, at the age of about 30, had previously met the Lord, see . Jacob "goes up," which is also true in terms of altitude, as Bethel is 350 meters higher than Shechem.]And Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days (sated, fulfilled; literally: "sevenfold" – Hebr. savea), and Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him.
[The list of the twelve sons here follows the mothers (Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah) and the order of birth of each mother. Joseph and Benjamin are placed centrally. Below are the sons, also in order of birth:
Leah
1. Reuben
2. Simeon
3. Levi
4. Judah
9. Issachar
10. Zebulun
Rachel
11. Joseph
12. Benjamin
Bilhah (Rachel's maid)
5. Dan.
6. Naphtali
Zilpah (Leah's maid)
7. Gad
8. Asher
There are a total of 28 enumerations in the Old Testament, see also .]
[Here comes a new "toledot unit" that forms the tenth literary unit (of twelve) in Genesis.]
This is the continuation of Esau's story (his genealogy/family tree – Hebr. ), he is also called Edom. [He gave his name to the land of Edom and the people of Edom, see .]
Esau took [three non-Jewish] wives from among the daughters of Canaan [against the will of his father Isaac, see , ]:
Ada, daughter of Elon the Hittite,
and Oholivama, daughter of Anah, granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite
And Ada bore Eliphaz to Esau,
and Basemath bore Reuel,
and Oholivama bore Jeosh, and Jalam, and Korah.
These are the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
And Esau took his wives and his sons and his daughter and all the persons of his house, and his cattle and all his animals and all his possessions that he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went to a land away from his brother Jacob.
And Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom.
[Here comes a new "toledot unit" that forms the eleventh literary unit (of twelve) in Genesis.]
This is the continuing story of Esau (family tree – Hebr. ) as the progenitor of Edom in the hill country of Seir.
These are the names of Esau's sons:
Eliphaz, son of Adah, Esau's wife, Reuel, son of Basemath, Esau's wife.
And Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.
[Amalek becomes the progenitor of the Amalekites. This people is the first to attack the sons of Israel after they came out of Egypt and wandered for about a month from the crossing of the Red Sea. At Rephidim, they defeat the Amalekites (). Later, Moses urges them not to forget to destroy the Amalekites but to remember this (). After that, it is Saul who fights against the Amalekites and is disobedient, which means that he can no longer be king, because he does not destroy all the spoils and fails to kill their king (). In the Book of Esther, the evil Haman is a descendant of an Amalekite. He wants to exterminate all Jews but fails. Amalek is also the spiritual force that throughout history has stood for/represented all kinds of anti-Semitism, i.e., a desire to exterminate the Jews. It has taken many forms throughout history, and even replacement theology (which teaches that the role of the Jews has been completely replaced by Christianity) is a variant of anti-Semitism.]
And these are the sons of Reuel: Nachat and Zerah, Shama and Miza. These are the sons of Basmat, Esau's wife.
And these are the sons of Esau's wife Oholivama, the daughter of Anah, and the granddaughter [] of Zibeon: And she bore to Esau Jeosh, and Jalam, and Korah.
These are the princes of the sons of Esau, the sons of Eliphaz, Esau's firstborn: the prince of Teman, the prince of Omar, the prince of Zepho, the prince of Kenaz,
the chief of Korah, the chief of Gatam, the chief of Amalek. These are the chiefs who came from Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah.
And these are the sons of Reuel, the son of Esau: the prince of Nahath, the prince of Zerah, the prince of Shamma, the prince of Miza. These are the princes who come from Reuel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Basemath, the wife of Esau.
And these are the sons of Oholivama, Esau's wife: the prince of Jeosh, the prince of Jalam, the prince of Korach. These are the princes who come from Oholivama, the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife.
These are the sons of Esau, they and their princes; that is Edom.
Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the tribal princes of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.
These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites.
Bela, the son of Beor, was king of Edom, and his city was called Dinhaba.
These are the names of the chieftains of Esau's tribes according to their families and places: the chieftains Timna, Alva, Jetet,
Magdiel, and Iram.
These were the princes of Edom according to their settlements in the land they possessed. Edom is the same as Esau, the progenitor of the Edomites.
The leaders of Edom are terrified.
Anxiety has seized the mighty men of Moab.
All the inhabitants of Canaan melt away.
[The word for melt signifies a change that cannot be resisted. The people tremble with fear and cannot do anything about the situation.]
And Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom:
"Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the afflictions that have befallen us,
And Edom said to him, "You shall not pass through me, or I will come out against you with the sword."
And he answered, "You shall not pass through." And Edom came out against him with a large army and with a strong (firm, sure, brave) hand.
Edom refused to give Israel safe passage through his borders, so Israel turned away from him.
And the Lord (Yahweh) spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, saying:
They journeyed [south] from Mount Hor toward the Sea of Reeds (Hebr. jam sof) [Red Sea] to go around Edom [because the king of Edom did not allow them to pass, see ]. During the journey [the long detour], the people became impatient,
And Edom shall become a possession,
as shall Seir [the mountain range in Edom, see ],
even his enemies shall become a possession,
but Israel shall create a strong army.
And they journeyed from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom.
Your southern border shall be from the wilderness of Zin to the border of Edom, and your southern border shall begin at the end of the Salt Sea (Dead Sea) to the east,
Command the people and tell them that it is time to cross the border to your brothers, the sons of Esau who live in Seir, and they will be afraid of you, so be of good courage.
Do not engage in battle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough for the sole of your foot to tread on, because I have given Seir [the land of Edom] to Esau as his possession.
So we departed from our brothers, the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, from the way of the Arabah, from Eilat, and from Ezion-geber. And we turned and took the road through the wilderness of Moab.
[Ezion-geber was a port city in Edom on the northern coast of the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea) in the region around Eilat/Aqaba, perhaps Coral Island. It was Solomon's main port for worldwide trade, see .]
In Seir [southeast of the Dead Sea in Edom] lived the Horites (literally: "cave dwellers" – Hebr. chori), but Esau's sons defeated them and destroyed those who were before them and lived there in their place, as Israel did to the land he possessed, which the Lord (Yahweh) gave to them.
as he did to the sons of Esau who live in Seir when he destroyed the Horites before them, and they overcame them and lived in their place to this day. [See .]
as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God (Yahweh Elohim) has given us."
You shall not hate an Edomite, for he is your brother (descendants of Esau, brother of Jacob/Israel). You shall not hate an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land. [In Joseph's time, God's people survived a famine by moving to Egypt, see .]
[Now follows the division for the tribe of Judah. In the chiastic pattern, those who are not Rachel's children, i.e., Judah and Simeon, are now described. This passage is related to the passage about Simeon, who is also not a child of Rachel, see ]
And the lot for the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families was to the border of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin southward to the extreme border on the south.
And the cities in the outermost parts of the tribe of the sons of Judah toward the border of Edom in the south are:
Kavtsel and Eder and Jagor
And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess it, and Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
Lord (Yahweh), when you go forth from Seir,
when you march forth from the fields of Edom, the earth trembles,
the heavens drip,
even the clouds drip water.
and Israel sent messengers to Edom, saying, 'Let me pass through your land, I beg you,' [] but the king of Edom would not listen. And in the same way he sent to the king of Moab, but he would not, and Israel remained in Kadesh.
And they journeyed through the wilderness and went around (took a detour around) the land of Edom and the land of Moab and came to the east side of Moab, and they camped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not come within the borders of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. [The Arnon River flows through Wadi el-Mojib and empties into the southeastern part of the Dead Sea.]
After Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab and against the sons of Ammon and against Edom and against the kings of Zobah and against the Philistines. And wherever he turned himself, he struck them down.
Now one of Saul's servants was there that day, confined (prevented, confined) before the Lord (Yahweh), and his name was Doeg, the Edomite, the leader of Saul's shepherds.
[Doeg may have taken a Nazirite vow, or it may be the Sabbath, which prevented him from doing anything that day. Eventually, he will tell Saul that David was here and killed all the priests, see , , ; .]
Then Doeg the Edomite, who was set over Saul's servants, answered and said, "I saw the son of Jesse [David] come to Nov [a Levitical city just northeast of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus, see ], to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub. [; ]
And the king said to Doeg, "Turn and kill the priest." So the Edomite Doeg turned and killed the priest, and he killed 85 people that day who wore a linen ephod. [The linen vest worn by the priests was easily recognizable, see .]
Then David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when the Edomite Doeg was there, that he would surely tell Saul []. I have brought death upon all the souls of your father's house.
And he placed garrisons in Edom, throughout Edom he placed his troops, and all the Edomites became servants (slaves) to David. And the Lord (Yahweh) gave David victory wherever he went.
[Archaeological finds in Ein Hatzevah in the Negev show defensive towers dating back to the 10th century BC.]
And King Solomon made (had made) a fleet at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth [present-day Eilat] on the shore of the Sea of Reeds (Hebr. yam sof) [Aqaba Gulf – the eastern arm of the Red Sea] in the land of Edom.
[This passage frames the chiasmus in chapters 3-11. It was precisely the marriages to foreign women that he was not to do (; ), and this proved to be his downfall. In recent years, archaeologists have begun to analyze fingerprints on clay shards. In excavations where there are Canaanite temples (including Tell Burna 2022), it has been seen that idols, figurines, masks, and vessels for religious use were made by female potters, while ordinary vessels were made by men. Here, archaeology confirms that foreign women were involved in creating these occult objects.]
And King Solomon loved many foreign women, in addition to (besides) the daughter of Pharaoh [who is excluded, see ] – Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites –
And the Lord (Yahweh) raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, who was of the royal family of Edom (a descendant of the king of Edom).
For it came to pass, when David was in Edom, that Joab, the commander of the army, went up to bury the slain, and he struck down all the men of Edom.
for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months until he had destroyed (cut down) every man (all males) in Edom,
and Hadad fled, he and some Edomites from his father's servants with him, and they went to Egypt, when Hadad was a young boy (probably 5-10 years old).
And there was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.
And he said, "Which way shall we go up?" And he answered, "The way through the wilderness of Edom."
So they set out—the king of Israel [Joram], the king of Judah [Jehoshaphat], and the king of Edom [a vassal king appointed by Joram, see ]—and they made a detour that took seven days, until finally there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them. [They had hoped to find water in Wadi el Ahsy on the border of Moab.]
And Jehoshaphat said, "The word of the Lord (Yahweh) is with him." So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went down to him.
And it came to pass in the morning, at the time of the offering of the sacrifice, that behold, water came [flowing] along the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, he took with him 700 men who drew swords to break into the king of Edom, but they could not.
In his days, Edom rebelled against Judah's control (literally: "from under Judah's hand") and set up its own king. [Edom had been under Judah for 150 years since the time of David, see ; . This was a great loss, Isaac's prophetic words being fulfilled, see .]
And Joram went over to Zair, and all his chariots with him, and he rose up by night and smote the Edomites who surrounded him and the chariot drivers, and the people fled to their tents.
And Edom rebelled against Judah's control (literally: "from under Judah's hand") to this day. And Libnah rebelled at the same time.
He defeated Edom in the Valley of Salt, 10,000 men, and took Sela in battle and gave it the name Joqteel, as it is called today.
You have indeed defeated Edom, and now your heart is lifted up. Be satisfied (enjoy this honor, literally: 'let yourself be weighed down' – Hebr. hikavod) and stay in your house, for why should you meddle in evil, so that you and Judah with you fall?" [In the parable, Amaziah, king of the Southern Kingdom, is compared to a wild, insignificant thistle, which can easily be trampled down by wild animals. It is a warning not to be proud.]
And Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac's sons were Esau and Israel.
The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before there was a king in Israel:
Bela, the son of Beor, and his city was called Dinhaba.
When Hadad died, these were the chiefs of Edom: Chief Timna, Chief Alja, Chief Jetet,
the chief of Magdiel, the chief of Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.
King David also dedicated these to the Lord (Yahweh), as he had done with the silver and gold he had brought home from all the other peoples: from the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines, and Amalekites.
After Avishai, the son of Zeruiah, had defeated the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, 18,000 men,
he stationed troops in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. So the Lord gave David victory wherever he went.
At that time Solomon went to Ezion-geber [a port city near Eilat/Aqaba, possibly Coral Island 13 km south of Eilat] and to Eilat on the seashore in the land of Edom.
During his reign, Edom rebelled against Judah's rule and set up its own king.
Then Joram went there with his commanders and all his chariots. He broke camp at night and defeated the Edomites who had surrounded him and the commanders of their chariots.
So Edom rebelled against the rule of Judah, and it has been separate from it to this day. At the same time, Libnah [in the Lowlands/Shephelah] also rebelled against the rule of Joram, because he had forsaken the Lord (Yahweh), the God of his fathers.
When Amaziah returned from his victory over the Edomites, he brought back the gods that the people of Seir worshipped and set them up as his own gods. He worshipped before them and burned incense to them.
You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and your heart has become arrogant, and you want to gain glory. But now stay at home. Why do you provoke disaster? You will fall, and Judah with you."
But Amaziah did not listen to this, for it came from God that they should be given into the hands of their enemies because they had consulted the gods of Edom.
for in addition to everything else, the Edomites had again come and defeated Judah and taken captives.
Your tongue devises destruction,
it works deceitfully like a sharp sword.
You have made the ground shake, you have made it crack (so that ravines are formed);
heal its broken bones [poetic description where the ravines in the ground are described as broken bones]
for it (the ground) suffers from tremors.
Have you not cast us out, God (Elohim)?
Will you no longer go out with our army?
Give us help against our adversary,
for human help (the hope that a human being can save us) is useless.
Geval [probably south of the Negev, near Petra]
and Ammon [descendants of Lot, see , east of the Jordan River]
and Amalek [in the Negev, south of Judah, see : the first enemy the Israelites encountered after leaving Egypt, see ],
the Philistines [present-day Gaza, bitter enemies especially during the time of Saul and David]
with the inhabitants of Tyre [Lebanon],
Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
Have you not, God (Elohim), rejected us?
Will you no longer go out with our army?
Remember, Lord (Yahweh), against the sons of Edom,
the day of Jerusalem [when the city fell],
they said, "Break down, break down,
even its foundations."
They shall fly down over the shoulders of Philistia in the west,
together they shall crush the sons of the east,
they shall stretch out their hand over Edom and Moab,
and the sons of Ammon shall obey them.
For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens,
behold, it shall come down upon Edom
and upon my banished people for judgment.
The sword of the Lord (Yahweh) is dripping with blood,
it is covered (made thick) with fat,
[it drips] with the blood of lambs and goats,
[completely smeared] with the fat of rams' kidneys,
for the Lord (Yahweh) has a sacrifice in Bozrah
and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
[The prophet opens with the question of who it is that suddenly stands before him from the city of Bozrah in Edom, see . Isaiah now sees the Lord as a warrior returning to Zion, see , ; ; .]
Who is this coming from Edom [south of the Dead Sea]
in garments dyed red from Bozrah [meaning: sheepfold/fortress; a city in Edom]?
This one who is magnificent in his attire,
majestic in his grandeur and strength?
"It is I, who speak in righteousness,
mighty to save."
Against Egypt and against Judah and against Edom and against the sons of Ammon and against Moab and against all who have cut the corners of their hair, who dwell in the desert. [The Greek historian Herodotus mentions Arab desert peoples who cut the corners of their hair (see the work History, 3:8 – from the 4th century BC). The hairstyle is an outward sign of idolatry, see ; ; ; .] For all nations are uncircumcised, but the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart [].
Edom and Moab and the sons of Ammon,
and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the sons of Ammon, and to the king of
Tyre, and to the king of
Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who came to Jerusalem to Zedekiah
(Hebr. Tsidqijah), king of Judah,
And all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom and in all the countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over them.
To Edom. Thus says the Lord of hosts (Yahweh Sebaot):
Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
Has [good] counsel departed (wandered away) from the wise?
Has wisdom perished?
Flee, turn back, take refuge [in caves or far out in the wilderness],
you inhabitants of Dedan,
for I am bringing disaster on Esau,
the time when I will punish him.
But I have stripped Esau,
I have uncovered his secret places
so that he cannot hide.
His seed (offspring) is lost, and his brothers and his neighbors
and he is no more. []
And Edom shall become a wonder,
all who pass by shall be astonished and hiss at all its plagues.
Therefore, listen to the counsel of the Lord (Yahweh) that he has given to Edom,
and his purposes that he has promised to the inhabitants of Teman,
surely the least of the flock shall drive him away,
surely their dwelling place shall be appalled at them.
Behold, he will come up like an eagle
and swoop down and spread his wings toward Bozrah,
and the heart of the mighty men of Edom (men in their prime, full of their own strength and power)
will be like the heart of a woman in labor on that day.
Rejoice and be glad, daughter of Edom,
who dwells in the land of Uz (Hebr. Ots) [city in Edom, see ; ].
The cup [symbolic of God's judgment] will also pass over you,
you will become drunk and make yourself naked [; ].
[The twenty-first Hebrew letter is: ש – . The character depicts two teeth and often symbolizes crushing and destroying something. In this verse, the word "Rejoice" begins with this letter, creating a contrast, because it is first joy that then turns into sorrow in practice.]
The punishment for your sins is complete (has come to an end), daughter of Zion [the Temple Mount in Jerusalem],
he will no longer drive you away (into exile).
But he will punish your transgressions, daughter of Edom,
he will expose your sins.
[The twenty-second Hebrew letter is: ת – . The character represents a dot, a signature, or a cross. As the last letter, it is a signature and often symbolizes that which concludes and completes. The word "completed" begins with this letter, and since this is the last verse in the chapter and also the last verse that is alphabetical in the Lamentations, it also gives extra weight to the fact that the mourning process has come to an end. As far as Jerusalem is concerned, the punishment is now complete. The people have examined themselves and instead of mourning, they are beginning to look ahead. Here, the processing phase is left behind and it is time to enter the reorientation phase.]
Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh):
Because Edom has acted with great vengeance against the house of Judah and has deeply insulted them and taken vengeance on them,
therefore, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off man and beast, and I will make it desolate. From Teman to Dedan they shall fall by the sword.
And I will execute my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my fury, and they shall know my vengeance, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh).
There is Edom, her kings and all her princes, who despite all their power have been laid with those slain by the sword; they shall lie with the uncircumcised and with those who go down to the pit.
As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You shall be destroyed, O mountains of Seir, and all Edom, and all that is in it. And they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).
Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Surely, in my burning zeal, I have spoken against the remnant of the peoples, and [especially] against Edom—all of it! With malicious joy and utter contempt (scorn of the soul), they have taken possession of my land (Hebr. erets) [Israel], so that the pastureland has been plundered.
He will also invade the glorious land [Israel], and many [countries or peoples] will fall, but these will escape his hand [tyranny]: Edom, Moab, and the foremost of the children of Ammon. [These three areas are ancient countries southeast of Israel, present-day Jordan.]
Egypt (Hebr. Mitsrajim – 'the land of confinement') shall become a wasteland
and Edom a fruitless desert
because of the lawlessness (violence, terror – Hebr. chamas) against the children of Judah (sons)
because you have shed innocent blood in their land.
Thus says the Lord
(Yahweh):
"For three transgressions of
[the Philistine city] Gaza,
yes, for four, I will not change my mind,
because they carried away captives, they exiled an entire population
and handed them over to Edom.
Thus says the Lord (Yahweh):
"For three transgressions of [the city of] Tyre,
yes, for four, I will not change my mind,
because they carried away an entire population into exile and handed them over to Edom
and did not remember the covenant with their brothers.
Thus says the Lord (Yahweh):
"For three transgressions of Edom,
yes, for four, I will not relent,
because he pursued his brother [Esau was Jacob's brother, see ; ] with the sword
and cast away all mercy (compassion, Hebr. rachamim)
and his anger tore and tore without ceasing
and he kept his anger forever.
Thus says the Lord (Yahweh):
"For three transgressions of Moab,
yes, for four, I will not relent,
because they burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime.
[In the previous word to Ammon, it was unborn children who were killed, see , here it is the dead who are desecrated. These two prophetic words show how to desecrate the life that God has given.]
so that they may take possession of what remains of [Israel's bitter enemy] Edom
[the Edomites were descended from Esau, Jacob's brother]
and of all the nations over whom my name has been mentioned,"
declares (says, proclaims) the Lord (Yahweh), he who does this.
Obadiah's vision.
[The vision concerns Edom. The Edomites were descended from Esau, son of Isaac and Rebekah, and older twin brother of Jacob, see ; . Esau's brother Jacob is known as Israel, and Esau is called Edom, which means "red". Perhaps he was red-haired? Jacob/the Israelites settled in the land of Canaan with the mountain of Jerusalem as their central location, while Esau/the Edomites settled south of the Dead Sea with Mount Seir as their central mountain, see and . The capital was called Sela, which means stone in Hebrew. In Greek, the name is petra. It is possible that the capital of the Edomites was located where the Nabataean rock city of Petra now stands. It is interesting to note that the mountains and cliffs in Petra are red. The enmity between the Israelites and the Edomites began with the twin brothers Jacob and Esau and has continued ever since. On their way from Egypt, the Edomites did not allow the Israelites to pass through their land, see . Since the Israelites settled in the land of Canaan, many battles have been fought between the peoples, see ; ; ; ; ; ; . Even in Jesus' time, these tensions remained. Herod the Great, who killed Jewish boys in Bethlehem (, ; ) was an Edomite. His son (Herod Antipas) killed John the Baptist (, ) and his grandson (Herod Agrippa I) beheaded James, John's brother ().]
This is what the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh) says to Edom [the Edomites]:
We have heard the message from the Lord (Yahweh)
and a messenger (ambassador) has been sent to the nations:
"Arise, and let us go up against her in battle."
How is Esau not searched [the land of Edom will be plundered],
his hidden treasures sought (discovered)? []
Shall I not on that day,
declare (say, proclaim) the Lord (Yahweh),
exterminate the wise men of Edom
and separate the mountains of Esau?
Your mighty men, Teman [the city named after Esau's grandson, see ], shall be dismayed (dismayed, discouraged, dejected),
for every one of them shall be cut off (cut down) from the mountains of Esau by slaughter.
The house of Jacob shall be a fire
and the house of Joseph a flame [Joseph's sons are Ephraim and Manasseh, they are Jacob's grandsons and represent the northern kingdom]
and the house of Esau shall be like sticks
that are kindled and they shall be consumed (by the fire). Nothing shall remain of the house of Esau, for the Lord (Yahweh) has spoken.
Those in the south (Negev) shall
occupy the mountains of Esau
and those from the lowlands of the Philistines
shall occupy the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria
and Benjamin shall occupy Gilead.
Savior
(rescuer) [mighty warriors, those who have been liberated] shall come up on Mount Zion
[the temple mount in Jerusalem] to judge the mountains of
Esau [Seir],
and the kingdom
(dominion) shall be the Lord's
(Yahweh's).
[In verses 2-5, the Lord speaks in the first person and quotes some of the arguments against him. Verses 2-4 are linked by several well-woven antithetical (opposite) chiastic structures.]
I love [have loved and will always love] you,
declares (says, proclaims) The Lord (Yahweh).
But you say (yet you ask):
"How do you love [have loved and will always love] us?"
Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?
Is it really the word of the Lord (Yahweh) that
I loved
Jacob
but Esau
I hated?
[The Hebrew word order in verses 2c and 3a is literally ahav Jaaqóv v´Esav sane. The verbs come first and last, reinforcing the contrast between love and hate. The expression "hate" does not mean to hate mercilessly, but is a Hebrew expression of comparison where someone is chosen and thus becomes more loved. Esau is also blessed, see , and the Edomites, who are descendants of Esau, are a brother people to Jacob, see . See also ; .] I made his high places desolate and gave his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness.
Since Edom [descendants of Esau; a country in the southeast that was often hostile to Israel] says,
"We have been struck down,
but we will return and rebuild the ruins,"
so says the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh Sebaot):
They may rebuild,
but I will tear down. They shall be called an evil and wicked land, the people whom the Lord (Yahweh) condemns forever (eternally).
It is written: Jacob [who later receives the name Israel] I loved, but Esau I hated. []
[The expression "hate" does not mean to hate mercilessly, but is a Hebrew expression of comparison where someone is chosen and thus becomes more loved. Esau is also blessed, see , and the Edomites, who are descendants of Esau, are a brother people to Jacob, see .
These two examples with Isaac and Jacob raise the question of whether God is truly just. In the third example, Paul shows that God has the right to show mercy and compassion to whomever He wants. The same principle is found in the parable Jesus told where all the workers in the vineyard received the same wage, and God has the right to show His goodness to whomever He wants, see .]
In faith, Isaac gave his blessing to Jacob and Esau for the times to come [].
that no one is sexually immoral [breaking trust and covenant] or unspiritual like Esau [Jacob's brother, see ], who sold his birthright for a single meal.
