Ezekiel35

The word of the LORD came to Ezekiel, commanding him to prophesy against Mount Seir. God declared His opposition to Seir, vowing to make it utterly desolate due to its perpetual hatred and shedding of Israelite blood during their time of calamity. Furthermore, Seir's desire to possess Israel's land and its blasphemies against God would result in its complete and perpetual ruin, so that they might know the LORD.
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Prophecy Against Mount Seir

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Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
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“Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it, ​
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and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Mount Seir. I will stretch out My hand against you and make you a desolate waste.
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I will turn your cities into ruins, and you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Edom's Perpetual Hatred

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Because you harbored an ancient hatred and delivered the Israelites over to the sword in the time of their disaster at the final stage of their punishment, ​
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therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue you. ​
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I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will cut off from it those who come and go.
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I will fill its mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines.
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I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD. ​

Edom's Boast and Final Desolation

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Because you have said, ‘These two nations and countries will be ours, and we will possess them,’ even though the LORD was there, ​
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therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will treat you according to the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred against them, and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. ​
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Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard every contemptuous word you uttered against the mountains of Israel when you said, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to devour!’ ​
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You boasted against Me with your mouth and multiplied your words against Me. I heard it Myself!
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This is what the Lord GOD says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.
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As you rejoiced when the inheritance of the house of Israel became desolate, so will I do to you. You will become a desolation, O Mount Seir, and so will all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the LORD. ​

Study Notes for Ezekiel 35

Verse 2

Mount Seir is the mountainous territory of Edom (descendants of Esau), located southeast of the Dead Sea. This oracle against Edom is a common feature in prophetic literature (e.g., Obadiah), symbolizing the ultimate removal of forces hostile to God’s people.

Verse 5

The core charge against Edom is 'perpetual hatred' (Hebrew: *'eybat 'olam*). This refers to their consistent hostility toward Israel, culminating when Jerusalem fell in 586 BC, the 'time of their calamity.' The phrase 'when their iniquity had an end' refers to the completion of Israel’s punishment by God.

Verse 6

This verse invokes the principle of *lex talionis* (retribution). Because Edom actively sought bloodshed against God's people, God promises that violence will be their inevitable and perpetual fate. 'Sith' means 'since' or 'seeing that.'

Verse 9

The promise of 'perpetual desolations' contrasts sharply with the future restoration promised to Israel in the subsequent chapters (Ezekiel 36-37). Edom’s judgment is final and irrevocable.

Verse 10

The 'two nations and these two countries' are Judah and Israel. Edom saw Israel’s exile as an opportunity to seize the Promised Land, completely disregarding the divine covenant. The phrase 'whereas the LORD was there' is critical, emphasizing that the land belongs to Yahweh, not to Israel or Edom.

Verse 11

God’s judgment against Edom is an act of self-revelation. By judging Edom’s hatred and envy, God makes himself known to Israel and the surrounding nations as the sovereign Lord of history.

Verse 12

Edom’s words against the 'mountains of Israel' (the land) are interpreted as blasphemy against the Lord himself. Their arrogance was not merely political but theological, challenging God’s control over his own inheritance.

Verse 15

'Idumea' is the Greek/later name for the territory of Edom. This verse confirms the scope of the judgment: the entire region will suffer the same fate they wished upon Israel, emphasizing divine justice.

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