No nation has been subjected to a wider range of biblical attitudes and emotions than Edom. In some sources, Edom is perceived as Israel’s brother; in many others, the animosity toward Edom is tremendous. The book of Genesis introduces Isaac, his wife Rebecca, and their twin sons, Esau and Jacob. Rivalry between the brothers emerges even before their birth and escalates over the course of their lives. The question of which son should be favored also causes tension in the parents’ relationship, and most of the Genesis text concerning Isaac and Rebecca revolves around this issue. The narrative describes the fraternal conflict between Jacob and Esau at length, and many hold that this description is a reflection of the hostility between Edom and Israel. However, the relationship between the brothers is not always depicted as strained. The twofold relationship between the brothers in Genesis—brotherhood and fraternity coupled with hatred and rivalry—introduces a dichotomy that is retained throughout the Hebrew Bible. In this monograph, Assis elucidates the complex relationship between Edom and Israel reflected in the Bible, to attempt to clarify the source of this complexity and the function that this relationship serves in the various biblical texts and Israel’s early history. He shows how this relationship plays an important role in the formation of Israel’s identity, and how the historical interaction between the nations influenced the people’s theological conception, as reflected in prophetic literature, poetry, and biblical narrative.

Jacob and Esau is a profound new account of two millennia of Jewish European history that, for the first time, integrates the cosmopolitan narrative of the Jewish diaspora with that of traditional Jews and Jewish culture. Malachi Haim Hacohen uses the biblical story of the rival twins, Jacob and Esau, and its subsequent retelling by Christians and Jews throughout the ages as a lens through which to illuminate changing Jewish-Christian relations and the opening and closing of opportunities for Jewish life in Europe. Jacob and Esau tells a new history of a people accustomed for over two-and-a-half millennia to forming relationships, real and imagined, with successive empires but eagerly adapting, in modernity, to the nation-state, and experimenting with both assimilation and Jewish nationalism. In rewriting this history via Jacob and Esau, the book charts two divergent but intersecting Jewish histories that together represent the plurality of Jewish European cultures.

The Hebrew Bible is permeated with depictions of military conflicts that have profoundly shaped the way many think about war. Why does war occupy so much space in the Bible? In this book, Jacob Wright offers a fresh and fascinating response to this question: War pervades the Bible not because ancient Israel was governed by religious factors (such as 'holy war') or because this people, along with its neighbors in the ancient Near East, was especially bellicose. The reason is rather that the Bible is fundamentally a project of constructing a new national identity for Israel, one that can both transcend deep divisions within the population and withstand military conquest by imperial armies. Drawing on the intriguing interdisciplinary research on war commemoration, Wright shows how biblical authors, like the architects of national identities from more recent times, constructed a new and influential notion of peoplehood in direct relation to memories of war, both real and imagined. This book is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

"'Esau. Edomites Today' discusses the Biblical background and historical development of Esau and his offspring. This work is the fruit of thorough research and reliable references are given. Sources used include Scripture, Rabbinical writings, historical documents, academic studies, and other works of relevance"--

The subject of the present book is the theme of Edom in the Old Testament. In the four long oracles against Edom (Isa. 34, Jer. 49.7-22, Ezek. 35, Obadiah), this nation serves as Israel's antagonist and the representative of the enemy nations. Edom also appears in the book of Genesis: Jacob's brother Esau is the patriarch of the Edomites and Esau himself is called Edom as well (Gen. 25-36). Although there is no such negative estimation of Edom as in the prophecies, here too Edom represents the nations, and serves as Israel's opponent. This study discusses the origin and development of Edom's exceptional role. It extensively analyses the connections between Obadiah (the only one of the four major oracles in which, like in Genesis, Edom is called Israel's brother), the other oracles, and Genesis. It sketches the literary history of these texts and discusses the possible historical background of the conceptions they share. Can the similarities in Edom's role be explained by assuming the same historical background for the two sets of texts? If so, why do the major oracles against Edom present an extremely negative, and the Jacob-Esau stories a relatively positive picture of Edom?

Explore the identity of Jacob-Israel, and uncover evidence that reveals the true identity of Esau-Edom. The descendants of Jacob, the Negroes, were once scattered to the four corners of the earth, including into the continents ofAfrica and the Americas through diaspora and slavery. Those who bought and sold the children of Israel to the Americas were the descendants of Esau. Since then, they have played an integral role in the demise of Jacob-Israel. Today, Edom-Rome rules the earth. However, there are many Biblical prophecies relative to Esau-Edom and the role he plays in the "last days". Therefore, it is crucial to identify who the descendants of Esau are. This book answers the questions: Who is Esau-Edom? Who are the Edomites? When, Where and How did the Edomites originate in History? and What effect did/does Esau-Edom they have on the chosen people of YAHUAH, the Hebrew Israelites?