Genesis 27:11

27:11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, “and I have smooth skin! ¹ 

Genesis 27:41

27:41 So Esau hated ²  Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. ³  Esau said privately, ⁴  “The time ⁵  of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill ⁶  my brother Jacob!”

Numbers 20:14-21

Rejection by the Edomites

20:14 ⁷ Moses ⁸  sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: ⁹  “Thus says your brother Israel: ‘You know all the hardships we have experienced, ¹⁰  20:15 how our ancestors went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time, ¹¹  and the Egyptians treated us and our ancestors badly. ¹²  20:16 So when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent a messenger, ¹³  and has brought us up out of Egypt. Now ¹⁴  we are here in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your country. ¹⁵  20:17 Please let us pass through ¹⁶  your country. We will not pass through the fields or through the vineyards, nor will we drink water from any well. We will go by the King’s Highway; ¹⁷  we will not turn to the right or the left until we have passed through your region.’” ¹⁸ 

20:18 But Edom said to him, “You will not pass through me, ¹⁹  or I will come out against ²⁰  you with the sword.” 20:19 Then the Israelites said to him, “We will go along the highway, and if we ²¹  or our cattle drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We will only pass through on our feet, without doing anything else.”

20:20 But he said, “You may not pass through.” Then Edom came out against them ²²  with a large and powerful force. ²³  20:21 So Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; therefore Israel turned away from him.

Psalms 83:5-9

83:5 Yes, ²⁴  they devise a unified strategy; ²⁵ 

they form an alliance ²⁶  against you.

83:6 It includes ²⁷  the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Moab and the Hagrites, ²⁸ 

83:7 Gebal, ²⁹  Ammon, and Amalek,

Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre. ³⁰ 

83:8 Even Assyria has allied with them,

lending its strength to the descendants of Lot. ³¹  (Selah)

83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian ³²  –

as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River! ³³ 

Psalms 137:7

137:7 Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did

on the day Jerusalem fell. ³⁴ 

They said, “Tear it down, tear it down, ³⁵ 

right to its very foundation!”

Lamentations 4:21

The Prophet Speaks:

ש (Sin/Shin)

4:21 Rejoice and be glad for now, ³⁶  O people of Edom, ³⁷ 

who reside in the land of Uz.

But the cup of judgment ³⁸  will pass ³⁹  to you also;

you will get drunk and take off your clothes.

Ezekiel 25:12

A Prophecy Against Edom

25:12 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘Edom ⁴⁰  has taken vengeance against the house of Judah; they have made themselves fully culpable ⁴¹  by taking vengeance ⁴²  on them. ⁴³ 

Ezekiel 35:5-6

35:5 “‘You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword ⁴⁴  at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment. 35:6 Therefore, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will subject you to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you.

Ezekiel 35:12-15

35:12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all the insults you spoke against the mountains of Israel, saying, “They are desolate, they have been given to us for food.” 35:13 You exalted yourselves against me with your speech ⁴⁵  and hurled many insults against me ⁴⁶  – I have heard them all! 35:14 This is what the sovereign Lord says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will turn you into a desolation. 35:15 As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I deal with you – you will be desolate, Mount Seir, and all of Edom – all of it! Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Amos 1:11

1:11 This is what the Lord says:

“Because Edom has committed three crimes ⁴⁷  –

make that four! ⁴⁸  – I will not revoke my decree of judgment. ⁴⁹ 

He chased his brother ⁵⁰  with a sword;

he wiped out his allies. ⁵¹ 

In his anger he tore them apart without stopping to rest; ⁵² 

in his fury he relentlessly attacked them. ⁵³ 

[27:11]  ¹ tn Heb “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, ‘Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth [skinned] man.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:41]  ² tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.

[27:41]  ³ tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”

[27:41]  ⁴ tn Heb “said in his heart.” The expression may mean “said to himself.” Even if this is the case, v. 42 makes it clear that he must have shared his intentions with someone, because the news reached Rebekah.

[27:41]  ⁵ tn Heb “days.”

[27:41]  ⁶ tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.

[20:14]  ⁷ sn For this particular section, see W. F. Albright, “From the Patriarchs to Moses: 2. Moses out of Egypt,” BA 36 (1973): 57-58; J. R. Bartlett, “The Land of Seir and the Brotherhood of Edom,” JTS 20 (1969): 1-20, and “The Rise and Fall of the Kingdom of Edom,” PEQ 104 (1972): 22-37, and “The Brotherhood of Edom,” JSOT 4 (1977): 2-7.

[20:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “And Moses sent.”

[20:14]  ⁹ sn Some modern biblical scholars are convinced, largely through arguments from silence, that there were no unified kingdoms in Edom until the 9th century, and no settlements there before the 12th century, and so the story must be late and largely fabricated. The evidence is beginning to point to the contrary. But the cities and residents of the region would largely be Bedouin, and so leave no real remains.

[20:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “found.”

[20:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “many days.”

[20:15]  ¹² tn The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) means “to act or do evil.” Evil here is in the sense of causing pain or trouble. So the causative stem in our passage means “to treat wickedly.”

[20:16]  ¹³ tn The word could be rendered “angel” or “messenger.” Some ambiguity may be intended in this report.

[20:16]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) to emphasize the “here and now” aspect of the report to Edom.

[20:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “your border.”

[20:17]  ¹⁶ tn The request is expressed by the use of the cohortative, “let us pass through.” It is the proper way to seek permission.

[20:17]  ¹⁷ sn This a main highway running from Damascus in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba, along the ridge of the land. Some scholars suggest that the name may have been given by the later Assyrians (see B. Obed, “Observations on Methods of Assyrian Rule in Transjordan after the Palestinian Campaign of Tiglathpileser III,” JNES 29 [1970]: 177-86). Bronze Age fortresses have been discovered along this highway, attesting to its existence in the time of Moses. The original name came from the king who developed the highway, probably as a trading road (see S. Cohen, IDB 3:35-36).

[20:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “borders.”

[20:18]  ¹⁹ tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of prohibition.

[20:18]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to meet.”

[20:19]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew text uses singular pronouns, “I” and “my,” but it is the people of Israel that are intended, and so it may be rendered in the plural. Similarly, Edom speaks in the first person, probably from the king. But it too could be rendered “we.”

[20:20]  ²² tn Heb “to meet him.”

[20:20]  ²³ 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.

[83:5]  ²⁴ tn Or “for.”

[83:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “they consult [with] a heart together.”

[83:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[83:6]  ²⁷ tn The words “it includes” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[83:6]  ²⁸ sn The Hagrites are also mentioned in 1 Chr 5:10, 19-20.

[83:7]  ²⁹ sn Some identify Gebal with the Phoenician coastal city of Byblos (see Ezek 27:9, where the name is spelled differently), though others locate this site south of the Dead Sea (see BDB 148 s.v. גְּבַל; HALOT 174 s.v. גְּבַל).

[83:7]  ³⁰ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[83:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.

[83:9]  ³² tn Heb “do to them like Midian.”

[83:9]  ³³ sn The psalmist alludes here to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (see Judg 7-8) and to Barak’s victory over Jabin’s army, which was led by his general Sisera (Judg 4-5).

[137:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem.”

[137:7]  ³⁵ tn Heb “lay [it] bare, lay [it] bare.”

[4:21]  ³⁶ tn The phrase “for now” is added in the translation to highlight the implied contrast between the present joy of the Gentiles (4:21a) and their future judgment (4:21b).

[4:21]  ³⁷ tn Heb “O Daughter of Edom.”

[4:21]  ³⁸ tn Heb “the cup.” Judgment is often depicted as a cup of wine that God forces a person to drink, causing him to lose consciousness, red wine drooling out of his mouth – resembling corpses lying on the ground as a result of the actual onslaught of the Lord’s judgment. The drunkard will reel and stagger, causing bodily injury to himself – an apt metaphor to describe the devastating effects of God’s judgment. Just as a cup of poison kills all those who are forced to drink it, the cup of God’s wrath destroys all those who must drink it (e.g., Ps 75:9; Isa 51:17, 22; Jer 25:15, 17, 28; 49:12; 51:7; Lam 4:21; Ezek 23:33; Hab 2:16).

[4:21]  ³⁹ tn The imperfect verb “will pass” may also be a jussive, continuing the element of request, “let the cup pass…”

[25:12]  ⁴⁰ sn Edom was located south of Moab.

[25:12]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and they have become guilty, becoming guilty.” The infinitive absolute following the finite verb makes the statement emphatic and draws attention to the degree of guilt incurred by Edom due to its actions.

[25:12]  ⁴² tn Heb “and they have taken vengeance.”

[25:12]  ⁴³ sn Edom apparently in some way assisted in the destruction of Jerusalem in 587/6 b.c. (Ps 137:7; Lam 5:21, 23; Joel 3:19; Obadiah).

[35:5]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “gave over…to the power of the sword.” This phrase also occurs in Jer 18:21 and Ps 63:10.

[35:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “your mouth.”

[35:13]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and you multiplied against me your words.” The Hebrew verb occurs only here and in Prov 27:6, where it refers to the “excessive” kisses of an enemy. The basic idea of the verb appears to be “to be abundant.” Here it occurs in the causative (Hiphil) stem.

[1:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Traditionally, “transgressions” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) or “sins” (NIV). For an explanation of the atrocities outlined in this oracle as treaty violations of God’s mandate to Noah in Gen 9:5-7, see the note on the word “violations” in 1:3.

[1:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Because of three violations of Edom, even because of four.”

[1:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “I will not bring it [or “him”] back.” The translation understands the pronominal object to refer to the decree of judgment that follows; the referent (the decree) has been specified in the translation for clarity. For another option see the note on the word “judgment” in 1:3.

[1:11]  ⁵⁰ sn It is likely that “brother” refers here to a treaty partner (see the note on the word “brotherhood” in 1:9). However, it is possible, if Israel is in view, that Edom’s ancient blood relationship to God’s people is alluded to here. Cf. NCV, NLT “their relatives, the Israelites.”

[1:11]  ⁵¹ tn Or “He stifled his compassion.” The Hebrew term רָחֲמָיו (rakhamayv) is better understood here (parallel to “brother/treaty partner”) as a reference to “allies” which Edom betrayed. An Aramaic cognate is attested (see DNWSI 2:1069-70). See M. Fishbane, “The Treaty Background of Amos 1:11 and Related Matters,” JBL 89 (1970): 313-18; idem, “Critical Note: Additional Remarks on rh£myw (Amos 1:11),” JBL 91 (1972): 391-93; and M. Barré, “Amos 1:11 reconsidered,” CBQ 47 (1985) 420-27. Some argue that the clause is best translated as “and destroyed his womenfolk.” רַחַם (rakham) means “womb”; the plural here would be a metonymy for “women” and could establish a parallel with the atrocity of 1:13. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 64-65.

[1:11]  ⁵² tn Heb “his anger tore continually.” The Hebrew verb טָרַף (taraf, “tear apart”) is often used of an animal tearing apart its prey. The word picture here is that of a vicious predator’s feeding frenzy.

[1:11]  ⁵³ tn Traditionally, “he kept his fury continually.” The Hebrew term שְׁמָרָה (shÿmarah) could be taken as a Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix (with mappiq omitted), “he kept it” (NASB, NKJV, NRSV). It is also possible in light of the parallelism that שָׁמַר (shamar) is a rare homonym cognate to an Akkadian verb meaning “to rage; to be furious.” Repointing the verb as שָׁמְרָה (shamÿrah, third person feminine singular), one could translate literally, “his fury raged continually” (NIV, NJPS).