The Edomites Unique Connection to Israel
Of all the neighboring peoples that surrounded Israel in the days of the Bible, there is one nation that Scripture devotes more attention to than any other: the Edomites. This is because the Edomites and the Israelites were quite similar and even worshipped the same God (Judges 5:4). The Book of Genesis alludes to this close relationship when it tells the story of Jacob and Esau, the twin sons of Isaac who would become the ancestors of Israel and Edom.
Jacob’s Blood Brother
When Esau is born, the Bible describes him as “red, all his body like a hairy mantle” (Gen. 25:25). Later, Esau sells his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a bowl of red lentil stew. This is a prophetic reference to the land where Esau would go on to settle. The word for red in Hebrew is adom אדום, from which the name Edom comes. Much of the region of Edom is made of reddish sandstone, as famously seen at Petra.
The Real Meaning of Scripture
Shockingly, in the year 586 BCE, when the Babylonian army destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, the Edomites joined in the pillaging, shouting “tear it down, down to its foundations!” (Ps 137:7). The Hebrew prophets such as Ezekiel and Malachi denounced the Edomites as traitors and called on God to punish them. To truly grasp the profound significance of the Bible, one must master Hebrew. Enroll in our Biblical Hebrew course and begin your journey today.