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3 Lessons from the Descendants of Esau in the Bible
- Hope Bolinger Author
- Published Jun 17, 2024
Many of Israel’s enemies in the Old Testament came from families closely tied to the patriarchs. Lot, Abraham’s nephew, was the father of two such nations: the Ammonites and the Moabites. But perhaps the descendants with the closest ties, who had some of the most vehement hatred toward Israel, were the descendants of Esau, the Edomites.
Unfortunately, their hatred and their capacity to attack the Israelites unprovoked landed them a very sour ending to their nation. Today, we’ll look at the descendants of Esau, what we know about the Edomites, and why the Edomites hated Israel so much. Let’s dive in.
Who Were the Descendants of Esau in the Bible?
Before we can explore Esau’s descendants, we must first understand Esau’s story (because not many notable descendants come out of his line… unless you count Herod the Great. More on this later).
Jacob and Esau were brothers, twins. And they had an animosity from the start. Jacob grabbed onto Esau’s heel when they emerged from the womb.
Jacob and Esau’s parents each picked a favorite. Due to his trickster nature, Jacob managed to trick Esau out of his inheritance and blessing.
Of course, Esau doesn’t take this too kindly. He swears he will kill Jacob. Jacob flees from home, marries several women and concubines, has 12 boys, and is away from Esau for several decades. Enough time for Esau to cool down and miss his brother. They lovingly make up when they reunite years later.
And yet, Esau’s descendants hate the Israelites.
We know of Esau’s descendants as the Edomites. This was a group of people who would’ve lived in modern-day Palestine. They worshipped a deity known as Qos (or Quas). It seems they also worshipped famous gods such as Baal and Asherah, popularized by the Babylonians.
Needless to say, they’d strayed from Yahweh. Even though Yahweh didn’t pick the Edomites as his chosen people, they could’ve followed him and lived nearby peacefully.
They lived near the Dead Sea, and their name means “red,” probably due to the reddish terrain and rocks they lived on. Esau’s name also means red.
Unfortunately, besides Herod the Great, we don’t really have any notable Edomites we can latch on to. What we do know is that they had a tumultuous history with Israel. They attacked the Israelites unprovoked, and during the times of King David and King Saul, they served as quite a nuisance.
So, what went wrong?
Why Did the Edomites Hate Israel?
At face value, it’s hard to tell what exactly spurred the Edomites into hatred—especially since Esau and Jacob seemed to reconcile later in their lives.
Perhaps it was because Esau did not receive a blessing: Jacob did when Esau rightly deserved it by birthright. We must remember that blessings in the Old Testament go beyond mere words. They predict material inheritance and specify who will lead the family tribe for the next generation. When a covenant with God was involved, like Isaac passed on to Jacob, the blessing determined future prosperity for a family member and all their descendants.
Perhaps the Edomites felt overlooked when God chose Jacob to become Israel—the inheritor of the covenant blessing and forefather of a great nation.
We don’t have an exact reason, but we know that they attacked Israel throughout its history.
Although they hadn’t received the blessing, they could’ve seen God’s favor had they allied with their brother-nation. Instead, they rejected God. This is perhaps why the Bible tells us that “God hated Esau.”
Of course, a nation couldn’t get away with attacking Israel forever, so what happened to them?
What Happened to the Descendants of Esau?
The Edomites hadn’t fully disappeared in the New Testament period.
Although King Saul and King David had shown aggressive force against them, they still survived (albeit very battered when David came against them).
So, what happens next?
They seem to lie in wait for a while. Then, when the Israelites are deported into captivity, the Edomites loot the temple.
This is reflected in the Book of Obadiah. The entire book describes how poorly the Edomites handled the Babylonian captivity—taking advantage of a nation at its weakest and taunting it. Obadiah reflects that because of this behavior, they will surely face God's judgment.
During the Silent Years—when God did not dictate any Scripture to be included in the canon—a Jewish leader named John Hyrcanus (during the Maccabean revolt) made the Edomites convert to Judaism.
This led to a line of descendants that eventually created Herod the Great.
If the name of Herod sounds familiar, it should. He not only helped the Israelites in the construction of the Second Temple and tried to kill Jesus Christ as an infant. Part of the reason for his construction of the Temple was to win over the Jewish people during that time. He eventually died of maggots infecting his body, a gruesome death.
The Bible doesn’t say what happened to the Edomites after Herod. His descendants rule different parts of Judea, but their control ends with the sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD when the Jews are dispersed. One of them, his grandson Herod Agrippa, dies horribly of worms eating his body. In the end, the Edomite rulers are most noted for their failures (trying to kill the baby Jesus, killing John the Baptist, and being struck dead by angels). Centuries later, these Edomites also learned that it is never okay to go against people whom God has blessed.
What Can We Learn from the Descendants of Esau?
At first glance, we may have a lot of sympathy for the descendants of Esau. After all, we’d be ticked if our brother stole our inheritance and blessing. And yet, Esau and Jacob had made up. And the descendants of Esau should’ve taken a page from their father or grandfather’s books (depending on how far down the line they were).
Here are three life lessons we can take away from the descendants of Esau.
Family wounds run deep. Although family members may make up with one another, the entire family may not heal. We don’t know if Esau ever told his descendants what had happened—maybe in anger before he’d forgiven Jacob. And maybe they’d internalized that anger. We may never know, but clearly, Esau’s forgiveness didn’t pass down the line. In the same way, we need to eye our families and see where wounds have run unchecked. Doing the hard work now could spare future generations hurt.
Never attack someone unprovoked. The Edomites had a history of attacking Israel without Israel having a defense. For instance, as the Israelites crossed the desert, they needed to cross Edomite territory safely. The Edomites, harboring a grudge, refused and made the Israelites regret asking in the first place. Furthermore, they attacked the temple while the Israelites were being hauled off into a foreign land. Talk about insult to injury. God sees this and burns with anger. In the same way, we cannot “kick” while a person is down, especially another believer. Instead, we must help when they cannot help us in return.
Justice sometimes comes slowly. Obadiah was written during the initial captivity, around 590 BC. Herod the Great did not die until around 4 BC. That’s a long time to wait for justice (especially considering the Edomites had several centuries of history to make up for). Yet, God eventually moves—moves in such a way that the man who tried to kill Jesus Christ dies horribly, and his descendants suffer. It’s poetic, showing that God will always win in the end. God’s justice and timing may not always make sense, but in hindsight, we see why he worked in the ways he did.
Things could’ve been very different for the Edomites. They could’ve lived in peace with the Israelites, helped them, and saw blessings in return. I wonder what history would’ve looked like if they had.
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/1971yes
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
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