Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because Edom has dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended, and revenged himself on them;
Parallel translations
- KJV Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;
- BSB This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt,
- NKJV ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,”
- NASB ‘The Lord God says this: “Because Edom has acted against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has incurred great guilt, and avenged themselves upon them,”
- NLT “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Edom have sinned greatly by avenging themselves against the people of Judah.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Edom is condemned for taking vengeance on Judah, exploiting her downfall to settle an old grudge. It matters because God holds nations accountable for cruelty toward His covenant people.
Overview
Edom, descended from Esau, had a long history of hostility toward Israel and seized Judah's collapse as a chance for revenge. The Lord declares this vengeance 'greatly offended' Him, showing that gloating over a brother's ruin incurs guilt. Scripture consistently treats Edom as a type of those who oppose God's people, and the gospel answers such enmity by calling enemies to repentance and reconciliation in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Jer 49:7–22Of Edom. Yahweh of Armies says: “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?
- Ps 137:7Remember, Yahweh, against the children of Edom, the day of Jerusalem; who said, “Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!”
- Ezek 25:8Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because Moab and Seir say, Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations;
- Amos 1:11–12Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Edom, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger raged continually, and he kept his wrath forever;
- Obad 1:10–16For the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame will cover you, and you will be cut off forever.
- Ezek 35:1–15Moreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
- 2 Chr 28:17–18For again the Edomites had come and struck Judah, and carried away captives.
- Gen 27:41–42Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 25:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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