20:18 But Edom said to him, “You will not pass through me, 1 or I will come out against 2 you with the sword.”
20:20 But he said, “You may not pass through.” Then Edom came out against them 3 with a large and powerful force. 4 20:21 So Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; therefore Israel turned away from him.
24:18 Edom will be a possession,
Seir, 5 his enemies, will also be a possession;
but Israel will act valiantly.
1 tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of prohibition.
2 tn Heb “to meet.”
3 tn Heb “to meet him.”
4 tn Heb “with many [heavy] people and with a strong hand.” The translation presented above is interpretive, but that is what the line means. It was a show of force, numbers and weapons, to intimidate the Israelites.
5 sn Seir is the chief mountain range of Edom (Deut 33:2), and so the reference here is to the general area of Edom.