Lexical Summary Idoumaia: Idumea Original Word: Ἰδουμαία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Idumaea. Of Hebrew origin ('Edom); Idumaea (i.e. Edom), a region East (and South) of Palestine -- Idumaea. see HEBREW 'Edom NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof Hebrew origin edom Definition Idumea, a region S. of Judea NASB Translation Idumea (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2401: ἸδουμαίαἸδουμαία, Ιδουμαίας, ἡ, Idumaea, the name of a region between southern Palestine and Arabia Petraea, inhabited by Esau or Edom (Genesis 36:30) and his posterity (the Edomites) (Joshua 15:1, 21; Joshua 11:17; Joshua 12:7). The Edomites were first subjugated by David; but after his death they disputed Solomon's authority and in the reign of Joram recovered their liberty, which they maintained, transmitting from generation to generation their hatred of Israel, until they were conquered again by Hyrcanus and subjected to the government of the Jews: Mark 3:8. (For details of boundary and history, see Bertheau in Schenkel and Porter in B. D. under the word Topical Lexicon Entry: Idumaea (Strong’s Greek 2401) Geographical Setting and Boundaries Idumaea lay immediately south-southwest of Judea, stretching from the southern edge of the Dead Sea to the Negev and westward toward the Philistine coast. The rugged highlands that formed the ancient homeland of Edom (the territory of Esau’s descendants) were gradually abandoned after the sixth century B.C. When the Nabataeans pressed in from the east, the Edomites migrated north and west, settling in the southern Judean foothills. From that time the Greek and Roman world knew the people and the land as Idumaea. Roots in the Patriarchal Narrative Idumaea’s account begins with Esau, the elder twin of Isaac and Rebekah. Genesis 36:1 notes, “This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom).” The red stew for which Esau sold his birthright (Genesis 25:30), the red sandstone of the Edomite cliffs, and the Hebrew word for “red” (’adom) together shaped the name of the nation. From the outset, Edom’s identity was intertwined with Israel’s, yet the two nations rarely walked in harmony (Genesis 27:41; Numbers 20:14-21). Historic Relations with Israel During the Exodus the king of Edom refused Israel’s request to traverse the King’s Highway (Numbers 20:14-21). In later eras Edom raided Judah (2 Chronicles 28:17) and rejoiced when Jerusalem fell (Obadiah 10-14; Psalm 137:7). This hostility provoked a series of prophetic judgments (Isaiah 34:5-10; Jeremiah 49:7-22; Ezekiel 35; Amos 1:11-12; Malachi 1:3-4). Yet the covenantal storyline never allows the enmity to eclipse God’s sovereignty; He remains Lord over both Jacob and Esau (Romans 9:10-13). Prophetic Oracles Concerning Edom/Idumaea 1. Doom for perpetual pride and violence (Obadiah 3-4, 10) From Edom to Idumaea: Intertestamental Developments The Babylonian conquest (sixth century B.C.) weakened Edom, but it was the Maccabean leader John Hyrcanus (134-104 B.C.) who forcibly incorporated Idumaea into the expanding Hasmonean state and compelled its male population to accept circumcision. By the first century, Idumaeans practiced a form of Judaism, married into Judean families, and held power. Herod the Great—Rome’s client-king over Judea—was an Idumaean on his father’s side and an Arab-Nabataean on his mother’s. Thus the dynasty that rebuilt the Jerusalem temple traced its lineage not to Jacob, but to Esau. Idumaea in the Gospel Record (Mark 3:8) Mark alone preserves the New Testament’s single use of Ἰδουμαία: “...and a great multitude came to Him from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon.” (Mark 3:8) This notice appears between Jesus’ withdrawal to the lake and His appointment of the Twelve. Several points stand out: Idumaeans in First-Century Judea By New Testament times Idumaeans occupied strategic roles in the army, administration, and temple police. Their partly-Gentile heritage exposed fault lines within Second-Temple Judaism, yet the Gospel narratives treat them simply as members of the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” to whom Messiah first came (Matthew 15:24). The presence of Idumaean hearers underscores Jesus’ capacity to unite those long separated by ancestry and animosity. Theological and Ministerial Observations 1. God’s redemptive reach: The very descendants of Esau—ancient foes—now press toward the Son of David for mercy. Key Scripture References Genesis 25:29-34; Genesis 36:1-8; Numbers 20:14-21; Deuteronomy 23:7; 2 Samuel 8:13-14; Psalm 60:8; Isaiah 34:5-10; Jeremiah 49:7-22; Ezekiel 35:1-15; Amos 1:11-12; Obadiah 1-21; Malachi 1:3-4; Mark 3:8. Forms and Transliterations Ιδουμαιας Ἰδουμαίας ιδρυμένα Idoumaias IdoumaíasLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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