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Edom
Edom (Wikipedia), equates primarily with the southern parts of modern-day Jordan and Israel, around the Seir mountain range that runs between the Red Sea port of Aqaba up to the bottom of the Dead Sea. It was the land of Esau. Joshua 24:3-4 says, "But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the River and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt."
However, the bible suggests that by Ezekiel's time (c. 600 BC) Edom was considered to extend south into Arabia, as far as Dedan. Dedan is modern-day Al-Ula, located about 250 miles north of Medina.
Ezekiel 25:
12 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because Edom took revenge on the house of Judah and became very guilty by doing so,
13 therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill its men and their animals. I will lay it waste, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword.
12 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because Edom took revenge on the house of Judah and became very guilty by doing so,
13 therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and kill its men and their animals. I will lay it waste, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword.
The location of Teman is debated. Teman means 'south' in Hebrew, and today, Teman is used as the Hebrew word for Yemen, and Jews from Yemen are known as Temani Jews. They are Jews from the far 'south' of Arabia.
If we take Teman to be a location somewhere in Yemen, then it means that Edom could be understood to include the whole western side of the Arabian Peninsula, or even the whole Arabian Peninsula!
However, in Biblical times, Yemen was referred to as Sheba, and it seems more likely that Teman in the Bible refers to a location in the northern part of Edom. That might seem rather counter-intuitive, that Teman means 'south' but is in the 'north' of Edom. But northern Edom is to the south of Israel, so it makes sense if looking from the perspective of Israel, rather than of Edom.
Amos 1:12 says, "I will send fire upon Teman that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah". This seems to identify Teman as a place that is in close proximity to Bozrah, Edom's capital in the north, or perhaps to be the region of Edom within which Bozrah was located.
Also Habbakúk 3:3 says, "God comes from Teman, the sovereign one from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the skies, his glory fills the earth". This prophecy of Christ's second coming is very similar to Deuteronomy 33:2 which says, "The LORD came from Sinai and revealed himself to Israel from Seir. He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran, and came forth with ten thousand holy ones". Both prophecies associate Teman with Mount Paran which is clearly a mountain somewhere in the region between Mount Sinai and Seir.
Based on these two references to Teman, it seems reasonable to conclude that in Ezekiel 25:3, Dedan represents the southern extremity of Edom, and Teman is its northern extremity, which is still to the south of Israel and the Dead Sea.
The identification of Edom is especially significant because the bible prophesies Edom's complete destruction in the end times, with it being turned into a permanent wasteland that is only inhabited by wild animals and birds. (Psalm 137:7-9, Jeremiah 49:7-22, and Isaiah 34, Lamentations 4:21-22). If Teman is in the north of Edom, we can conclude that Edom represents a smaller region within Arabia, whereas if Teman is in Yemen, then Edom could represent the whole western side of the Arabian Peninsula, including Mecca and Medina from where Islam originated.
If we take Teman to be a location somewhere in Yemen, then it means that Edom could be understood to include the whole western side of the Arabian Peninsula, or even the whole Arabian Peninsula!
However, in Biblical times, Yemen was referred to as Sheba, and it seems more likely that Teman in the Bible refers to a location in the northern part of Edom. That might seem rather counter-intuitive, that Teman means 'south' but is in the 'north' of Edom. But northern Edom is to the south of Israel, so it makes sense if looking from the perspective of Israel, rather than of Edom.
Amos 1:12 says, "I will send fire upon Teman that will consume the fortresses of Bozrah". This seems to identify Teman as a place that is in close proximity to Bozrah, Edom's capital in the north, or perhaps to be the region of Edom within which Bozrah was located.
Also Habbakúk 3:3 says, "God comes from Teman, the sovereign one from Mount Paran. Selah. His splendor covers the skies, his glory fills the earth". This prophecy of Christ's second coming is very similar to Deuteronomy 33:2 which says, "The LORD came from Sinai and revealed himself to Israel from Seir. He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran, and came forth with ten thousand holy ones". Both prophecies associate Teman with Mount Paran which is clearly a mountain somewhere in the region between Mount Sinai and Seir.
Based on these two references to Teman, it seems reasonable to conclude that in Ezekiel 25:3, Dedan represents the southern extremity of Edom, and Teman is its northern extremity, which is still to the south of Israel and the Dead Sea.
The identification of Edom is especially significant because the bible prophesies Edom's complete destruction in the end times, with it being turned into a permanent wasteland that is only inhabited by wild animals and birds. (Psalm 137:7-9, Jeremiah 49:7-22, and Isaiah 34, Lamentations 4:21-22). If Teman is in the north of Edom, we can conclude that Edom represents a smaller region within Arabia, whereas if Teman is in Yemen, then Edom could represent the whole western side of the Arabian Peninsula, including Mecca and Medina from where Islam originated.
Place tags: Edom, Jordan, Arabia, Dedan