The word “Edom,” together with its various derivates such as “Edomite,” occurs more than fourscore times in the text of the Old Testament. As the history of this region and its various inhabitants unfolds in the Old Testament story, there is a complete, remarkable and stirring record of this land and its people that covers many centuries of time. The word Edom first occurs in the twenty-fifth chapter of Genesis, thirtieth verse:
“And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.”
In this first instance the word appears in connection with the eldest son of Isaac, whose name was changed from Esau to Edom because of the strange incident of the sale of his birthright. The pottage that his younger brother, Jacob, had cooked was made from a lentil which gave a red hue that was characteristic of any food in which this particular lentil was used. So, because Esau exchanged his priceless rights of inheritance for a pot of red mush, his name was thereafter called Edom.
In the thirty-sixth chapter of Genesis, verses one, eight, and nineteen, this same definite statement is carried out:
“Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.”
“Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.”
“These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.”
Here we read that the dwelling place of Esau and his people was in mount Seir, and that Esau is Edom. Hence the name of Edom was also applied to the people who descended from Esau, as well as to the country wherein they dwelt.
This region of the ancient world was also known as mount Seir. It was so named because of the progenitor of the Horites who originally dwelt in that section. We are told that this people derived their name from Hori, who was the son of Seir. This ancient people habitually dwelt in caves. Therefore, by transition, their name came to mean cave dwellers, as it was descriptive of their type of habitation.
If one should journey from Jerusalem to the center of Edom today, the most convenient route would lie through the modern city of Amman, which is at the present writing the seat of government of Iraq. On the outskirts of this city, and all through this region, the limestone caves are today occupied by families of people. They, with their folks, their horses and cattle, and all of their possessions, dwell in these ancestral caves in contentment as their fathers have always done before them. These caves are furnished as our modern homes are equipped, with rugs, tapestries, and all the treasures that go to make a human habitation into a home!