The Edomites
Traditional enemies of the Israelites, the Edomites were the descendants
of Esau who often battled the Jewish nation. Edom was in southeast Palestine,
stretched from the Red Sea at Elath to the Dead
Sea, and encompassed some of Israel's most fertile land. The Edomites
attacked Israel under Saul's rulership. King
David would later defeat the rogue nation, annexing their land. At
the fall of the First
Temple, the Edomites attacked Judah and looted the Temple, accelerating
its destruction. The Edomites were later forcibly converted into Judaism by John Hyrcanus, and then became an active part of the Jewish people.
Famous Edomites include Herod,
who built the Second Temple.
Sources: Bridger, David. Ed. The
New Jewish Encyclopedia. NY: Behrman House, Inc. 1976.
Schreiber, Mordecai (ed.). The
Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia. Shengold Books. 1998.
Telushkin, Joseph. Jewish
Literacy. William Morrow and Company, Inc. 1991. |