Edom was an ancient kingdom that is mentioned often in the Old Testament. It stood southeast of the Dead Sea in what is now southern Jordan. Edom enjoyed its greatest prosperity between 1200 and the 700’s B.C. The Old Testament describes the Edomites as descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob (Gen. 36:1). Moses was not allowed to enter Edom on his journey to the promised land (Num. 20:18-21). The Edomites spoke a language similar to Hebrew and probably worshiped many gods.
The country’s rich copper and iron mines contributed to the splendor of the Kingdom of Israel, which had conquered Edom under David. Edom’s prosperity began to decline in the 700’s B.C. In the next 200 years, Judah, Assyria, and Babylonia ruled Edom. An Arab people called the Nabataeans invaded Edom during the Persian period of the 500’s and 400’s B.C. At the same time, many Edomites invaded southern Judah. They helped establish a territory there called Idumea. The Hasmonean dynasty conquered the Idumeans in the 100’s B.C., and converted them to Judaism.
