Who are Mount Seir and Idumea in this passage?

Mount Seir is the main mountain region where the people of Edom lived, and Idumea is another name for Edom. These were the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. Over time, Edom became a neighbor and enemy of Israel. In this passage God speaks to Mount Seir as a way of speaking to the whole nation of Edom. Their land and their people are in view, especially how they treated Israel when Israel was already going through trouble and judgment.

Why does God say He is against Mount Seir and Edom?

God says He is against Mount Seir because Edom had a “perpetual hatred” toward Israel. They used the sword against Israel when Israel was already in trouble, instead of showing pity. They were glad to see Israel’s land laid waste and even planned to take it for themselves. They also spoke proudly and insulted the mountains of Israel. God heard their hateful words and saw their violence. Because of this, He declares judgment so severe that their land would become empty and ruined.

What does it mean that Edom did this "in the time of their calamity"?

The phrase “in the time of their calamity” means Edom attacked and took part in Israel’s suffering when Israel was already under hardship and punishment. Instead of helping or at least staying back, Edom used that moment of weakness to shed blood and gain from their neighbor’s fall. This shows not just regular conflict but a hard and unkind heart, taking advantage when Israel’s “iniquity had an end,” that is, when God was already dealing with Israel’s sin through trouble and exile.

Why does God promise to make Mount Seir a perpetual desolation?

God promises to make Mount Seir a perpetual desolation to show how serious their sin is and to make it clear that He defends His people. Edom not only attacked Israel but also planned to take over the land God had given to Israel and Judah. They acted as if God was not there. By leaving their cities empty and not rebuilt, God shows that His word stands and that His judgment is not light. Their lasting desolation becomes a sign that He is the Lord who sees and repays wrong.

What does "These two nations shall be mine" refer to in this passage?

“These two nations and these two countries shall be mine” refers to Edom’s boastful plan to possess the lands of Israel and Judah after they had been judged and their land lay desolate. Edom looked at the ruins and thought, “We will take this for ourselves,” not caring that God had given that land to His people and that His presence was tied to it. This showed envy, greed, and a heart that ignored God’s rights and promises, as if they could push God out of His own inheritance.

What does this passage teach about God’s character?

This passage shows that God is just, attentive, and faithful to His people. He does not overlook violence, hatred, and mocking, especially when it is aimed at those He has chosen. He hears proud and blasphemous words, and He remembers how nations treat His people in their weakness. At the same time, He reminds us that He has not left His people, even when they are under discipline. By judging Edom, God shows that He defends His covenant and that all will know He is the Lord.

How does God make Himself known through judging Edom?

God says He will make Himself known among Israel when He judges Edom. This means that when God brings down those who hated and harmed His people, Israel will see that God has been watching over them all along. Judgment on their enemies becomes a lesson in God’s care and power. Edom thought their words were just against Israel, but God says, “You spoke against Me.” When their plans fail and their land becomes desolate, both Israel and the nations learn that God rules and keeps His word.

Why is Edom’s rejoicing over Israel’s ruin judged so harshly?

Edom’s sin was not only in what they did with the sword but also in how they felt about Israel’s suffering. They rejoiced when Israel’s land became desolate and treated Israel’s trouble as their chance to gain. God says that as they rejoiced at Israel’s inheritance being ruined, so He will treat Edom: they will be made desolate while the rest of the earth rejoices. This shows that gloating over someone else’s fall, especially when God is correcting them, is itself a serious sin before God.

How can this passage about Edom apply to believers today?

This passage warns against holding long grudges, delighting in others’ pain, or trying to benefit from someone else’s hardship. Edom’s example shows that God sees hatred, envy, and mocking, even when people feel they are just talking about others. For believers today, it calls us to trust that God will deal with wrongs in His time, instead of taking advantage or seeking revenge. It also encourages us to remember that how we treat God’s people and speak about them reflects how we treat and speak about God Himself.

Ezek.35.1

Ezekiel 35:1

Q: What does "I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee" mean?

When God says, “I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee,” He is saying that Edom, who loved violence and did not hate shedding blood, will now face the same thing they gave to others. They chased Israel with the sword, so now bloodshed will chase them. It is a picture of God’s justice fitting the sin: since they did not turn from cruelty, their judgment will match their deeds. Their land will be filled with slain men, and no one will safely come and go.

KJV

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

A Prophecy against Mount Seir

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it,

3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.

4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.

5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end:

6 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee.

7 Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.

8 And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword.

9 I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

10 Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the Lord was there:

11 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.

12 And thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume.

13 Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them.

14 Thus saith the Lord God; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.

15 As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Cross References

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