Edom

In the Bible

Edom is another name for Esau, the elder twin brother of Jacob. The name also refers to his descendants, the Edomites, and to the land they inhabited. Genesis 25:30 records that Esau was called Edom because he asked Jacob to feed him with "that same red pottage." Genesis 36 contains the genealogy of Esau's descendants and of the chiefs and kings of Edom, and it states that Esau dwelt in Mount Seir (Genesis 36:8).

• After the Exodus, Moses sent a request from Kadesh to the king of Edom, asking permission to pass through by the King's Highway. The king of Edom refused, and Israel turned away by another route (Numbers 20:14-21). Even so, Deuteronomy 23:7 commands, "Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother."
• During the monarchy, David conquered Edom and stationed garrisons there (2 Samuel 8:13-14). In the days of Jehoram, king of Judah, Edom revolted and set up a king of its own (2 Kings 8:20-22).
• Psalm 137:7, Obadiah, Ezekiel 35, and other passages accuse Edom of rejoicing over and assisting in the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon. Several prophetic books pronounce judgment on Edom (Jeremiah 49:7-22; Amos 1:11-12).

Background

The Hebrew name Edom is related to a word meaning "red." Genesis connects the name with Esau's being "red" at birth (Genesis 25:25) and with his craving for the red pottage. The land of Edom was the hill country south of Moab, and Scripture mentions places within it such as Bozrah, Teman, and Sela. Some identify Sela with Petra, the later Nabataean city, but scholars disagree on this point.

In later times, as Edomites migrated into southern Judah, that region came to be called Idumea in Greek (Mark 3:8). Josephus reports that the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus compelled the Idumeans to be circumcised. Herod the Great is also known to have come from an Idumean family.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Edom is portrayed as Israel's kin by blood and yet as its enemy over a long period. Malachi 1:2-4 expresses God's election in the words "I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau." In Romans 9:13, Paul quotes this verse to argue that election depends not on human works but on God who calls. Hebrews 12:16-17 holds up Esau, who sold his birthright, as a warning example.

Interpretation and Debated Points

• "Love" and "hate": The Calvinist tradition (Presbyterian and Reformed churches, among others) often reads Romans 9 as teaching God's sovereign predestination. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions (Methodist and Holiness churches, among others) often understand it as God's choice concerning the historical roles of two nations rather than individual salvation. The view that "hate" is a Hebrew comparative idiom meaning "love less" is found across many traditions (see Predestination and Free Will).
• Isaiah 63:1-6: A long-standing interpretation connects the figure coming from Edom and Bozrah in garments dyed red with Christ's passion or Second Coming. Others read the passage in its context as a scene of God's judgment on Israel's enemies.
• Later traditions: Rabbinic Jewish literature read Edom as a symbol of Rome. This is a later interpretation, not something the Old Testament text states directly.
• The pottage: The dish in Genesis 25:34 is, in the original language, a lentil stew (KJV: "pottage of lentiles"). Korean Bibles render it as patjuk (red bean porridge), a term familiar to Korean readers.

In the Korean Church

The expression "Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowl of red bean porridge" is commonly used in sermons warning against treating spiritual things lightly for the sake of immediate desires. The place name Edom itself is addressed chiefly in expository preaching on Obadiah or Malachi.