EDOMITES. — The Abiantes of Edom (q.v.), also called *Idumea* (Septuagint: 'Idoumaz'). Esau, having abandoned the land of Canaan, settled in the mountain region of Seir. His descendants were obliged to drive out the ancient Hurrian population from their territory (cf. Deut. 2:12, 22).
Gen. 36:31–39 lists eight kings, the last of whom, Adad II, was probably a contemporary of David and Solomon in the tenth century B.C., and the first of whom may have inaugurated this royal era in the twelfth century or even earlier. None of these kings is presented as the son of the preceding one. Perhaps, having attained power through some notable exploit, the Edomite kings retained authority as military leaders. Edom organized itself into a kingdom before Israel: at the time of the Exodus, the king of Edom refused passage to the Hebrews through his territory (Num. 20:12, 21; Judg. 11:17).
From the beginning of the monarchy in Israel, conflicts arose between the Edomites and the Hebrews. Saul fought against the Edomites and had as his servant an Edomite named Doeg (q.v.); David subdued the land of Edom and stationed garrisons there (2 Sam. 8:13–14), so that Esau, according to Jacob’s prophecy (Gen. 27:40), became the servant of his brother. Solomon continued to govern the Edomite regions and equipped the fleet at Ezion-geber and Elath on the Red Sea. Even after the schism, the Edomites remained under Judah. They rebelled under Joram, influenced by the example of King Mesha (2 Kings 3:4–27; cf. the stele of Mesha), regained their independence, and established a national monarchy (2 Kings 8:20–22; 2 Chron. 2:1, 8–9). Defeated by Amaziah, who occupied Sela or Petra (ibid., 16:7–10), they regained their freedom under Ahaz. In Assyrian monuments, Qausmalaku of Edom appears alongside Ahaz as a tributary of Tiglath-pileser III. Obadiah and Malachi denounce the Edomites in bloodthirsty terms, as objects of divine wrath for their hatred of the descendants of Jacob; God destined Edom for eternal destruction (Mal. 1:4). Bitter enemies of Israel, they rejoiced at the destruction of Jerusalem and during the exile occupied the depopulated Judea as far as Hebron (Ezek. 36:5; 1 Macc. 5:65). Around 300 B.C., the eastern Idumea, with its capital Petra, was conquered by the Nabataeans; the western part, with Hebron, was completely subjected by John Hyrcanus (126 B.C.), who forcibly converted the Idumeans to circumcision.
With Antipater and his son Herod, an Idumean dynasty rose to the throne of Judea. In Mark 3:8, Idumea is mentioned once more among the regions from which people came to follow Jesus. The Idumeans rushed to the defense of Jerusalem when it was besieged by Titus (Josephus, *The Jewish War*, IV, 4:1, 5); thereafter they disappear from history.
As for their idolatrous religion (2 Chron. 25:14–15), we have no detailed information (cf. Petra).