403 Edna 404 Edna Edom/Edomites in the Hebrew Bible. According As mother-in-law of Tobias, Edna appears fre- to the HB, the Edomites trace their lineage back to quently in Tobit as a strong female character. When Esau, the older brother of Jacob. The birth account Tobias arrives at their home, Edna confirms their of the twin boys (Gen 25 : 21–26) not only provides kinship bond, making him eligible to marry her evidence of shared kinship/linguistic relations be- daughter Sarah (Tob 7 : 2–8). Edna is one of the first tween Israel and Edom, but it marks out their geo- to know her new son-in-law survived the night with graphical territories as well. Esau, who emerged as the demon (Tob 8 : 11–15). She performs domestic the first born son even though Jacob “grasped” at responsibilities (Tob 8 : 19) and is named Tobias’ his heel, is called “red” (admônî) and “hairy” (śēār). mother (Tob 8 : 21). Edna makes a beautiful parting Both terms function as puns which associate Esau speech to Tobias (Tob 10 : 12) when the newlyweds with the land of Edom (i.e., “red”) (36 : 8) and the leave. Tobias blesses Edna and Raguel (his father- region of Seir (36 : 9). Esau’s connection with Edom in-law) before his journey home (Tob 10 : 13). is reinforced further in the Genesis accounts. Ac- ■ cording to Gen 25 : 30, Esau asked Jacob for some Bibliography: Moore, C. A., Tobit (AB 40A; New York 1996). “reddish” (hā ādōm) stew as he suffered from hun- Leah Rediger Schulte ger. The double reference to Esau’s red appearance and the red stew thus playfully but carefully identi- fies Esau with Edom and characterizes him as the Edom, Edomites eponymous ancestor of the Edomite people. Genesis 36 : 1 specifically refers to the “generations of I. Ancient Near East and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Esau,” and in 36 : 43 Esau is called “father of the II. Judaism Edomites.” The bulk of the chapter (vv. 2–43) pro- vides a long registry of Esau’s descendants, which I. Ancient Near East and Hebrew Bible/ interestingly includes the succession of Edomite Old Testament kings (vv. 31–39). The genealogical list of Gen 36 indicates that Edom enjoyed several links with the Territory. In biblical times, the country of Edom peoples of Canaan. Esau is reported to have married (MT Ĕdôm) was located south of the Dead Sea and a Hittite woman and a Hivite woman (vv. 1–2), in extended from the Wadi el-Hesa to the Gulf of Aqa- addition to a daughter of Ishmael (Gen 28 : 9). bah. Unfortunately, Edom’s eastern and western Esau’s connection with Ishmael underscores the boundaries remained relatively undefined. Num- later relationship between Edom and the wander- bers 20 : 16 notes, however, that Kadesh was situ- ing Arab tribes who traced their lineage to Ishmael ated on the border of Edomite territory (Num (Gen 25 : 13–18). 20 : 23; Josh 15 : 1, 21). According to the HB, Edom The Jacob and Esau narratives of Gen 25 : 23; was also associated with the mountainous region of 27 : 27–29, 39–40 additionally presuppose the his- Seir (Gen 32 : 3; 36 : 8; Judg 5 : 4) near Teman and torical and political destinies of both kingdoms. In Mount Paran (Hab 3 : 3). the prophetic statement of 25 : 23, the text refers to The Wadi el-Arabah clearly demarcated the east- “two nations” in the womb of Rebekah, stating that ern and western portions of Edom. Sixty miles the “older will serve the younger.” Moreover, south of the Dead Sea, the wadi reaches a height of Isaac’s blessing ensures that Jacob (i.e., Israel) will about 2,000 feet above the Dead Sea. From this point it descends about 700 feet until it makes con- have dominion over nations and that they will tact with the Gulf of Aqabah. Steep mountains “bow down” to him. These texts ultimately antici- emerge from the Arabah on both sides of the wadi. pate or foreshadow the arrival of the united monar- The mountains on the eastern side reach heights chy when Israel, under David, exercised political that exceed 5,000 feet and are comprised of red Nu- control over Edomite territory (2 Sam 8 : 13–14). Is- bian sandstone. The mountains peak at about 5,600 rael’s dominion over Edom did not last, however, feet as one continues further to the south. The and thus Isaac’s words to Esau in Gen 27 : 40 (“you mountains receive adequate rainfall on the western will break his yoke from your neck”) are “fulfilled” ascents and the western edge of the plateau during during the reign of Solomon (1 Kgs 11 : 14–22) or the winter due to their height. The eastern and Jehoram (2 Kgs 8 : 20) (Wolff: 135). southern sections are, for the most part, desert re- The land of Edom and the Edomites are men- gions. On the western side of the Arabah in the tioned at various places throughout the Torah. In north, the mountains range from 1,500 feet to a the wilderness wandering period there are brief ref- little over 2,000 feet in height, and they rise gradu- erences to the Israelites passing by or through the ally until they reach a height of 2,600 feet in the land of Edom (Num 20 : 14–21; Deut 2 : 4–8; Judg south. This area is mostly desert region. The moun- 11 : 17–18). Moses requested at Kadesh to travel tains on both sides of the Arabah are cut by deep through the land of Edom in order to reach the ter- gorges, which add to the foreboding character of ritory east of the Jordan as a starting point of the the land. conquest of the land of Canaan. The Edomites re- Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception vol. 7 Authenticated | [email protected] © Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/Boston, 2013 Download Date | 1/19/19 5:12 PM 405 Edom, Edomites 406 fused Moses’ request, thus forcing the Israelites to voted to predicting the doom of Edom. Joel charged make a detour to the east of Edom. This narrative Edom with spilling innocent blood in Judean terri- indicates that the Edomites were sufficiently strong tory (Joel 3 : 19). The prophet Malachi stated that enough to prevent the Israelites’ passage along the God loved Jacob (i.e., Israel/Judah), but “hated” King’s Highway (Num 20 : 17–19), but it does not Esau and had judged Edom (Mal 1 : 3–4). give evidence that Edom was a well unified country. Not all biblical books contained anti-Edomo- Deuteronomy makes references to the “brother- mite sentiments. Neither Zephaniah nor Zechariah hood” of Edom (2 : 4) and allows Edomites to be included oracles of doom against Edom. Among the admitted to the assembly of YHWH, even up to the wisdom books, the story of Job likely takes place in third generation (23 : 7–8). Edom. Job is described as the greatest of the sons In the period of the early monarchy, both Saul of the east and living in the land of Uz (Job 1 : 1–3). and David had contact with the territory of Edom. Lamentations 4 : 21 refers to the “daughter of Edom The text notes that Saul enjoyed military success who lives in the land of Uz.” Ironically, this late against Edom (1 Sam 14 : 47), and one of Saul’s chief text makes an Edomite, and not the Judeans, the herdsmen, Doeg, was an Edomite (1 Sam 21 : 7). hero of the story. Doeg even aided Saul in the king’s pursuit of David Edom in Extra Biblical Resources. Outside of (1 Sam 22 : 9, 18–19). David, however, gained the biblical literature, the Egyptians were the first to greatest victory over the inhabitants of Edom. After make references to Edom. Papyrus Anastasi, for ex- the decisive defeat in the Valley of the Salt, where ample, contains this report from a frontier official David slew 18,000 Edomites (2 Sam 8 : 13; 1 Kgs from the reign of Merneptah (r. 1224–14 BCE): “We 11 : 15–16), David subjugated them harshly by in- have finished letting the Bedouin tribes of Edom stalling garrisons in Edom and making the Edom- pass the Fortress [of] Mer-ne-Ptah Hotep-hir-Maat – ites his servants. Later, Solomon occupied Ezion Ge- life, prosperity, health! – which is (in) Tjeku, to the ber, a southern maritime port in the land of Edom pools of Per-Atum … to keep them alive and to keep (1 Kgs 9 : 26). One of Solomon’s most bitter oppo- their cattle alive.” In this text, Edom is presented nents was an Edomite named Hadad, who “was of as a foreign territory. This Semitic place name was the royal house in Edom” (1 Kgs 11 : 14). in use by the late 13th century BCE and perhaps as During the period of the divided monarchy, early as the 15th century. The name may be much there were alternating periods of cooperation and older, but an earlier use of the term has gone unde- conflict between Israel/Judah and Edom (1 Kgs tected (Bartlett 1989: 77). 22 : 47). According to 2 Kgs 3, Jehoram and Jehosha- The Egyptians also made reference to the region phat allied with an unnamed king of Edom in an of Seir and to the Shasu bedouins that lived there. unsuccessful attack against king Mesha of Moab The place name first appears in a letter found in (vv. 9–26).