Numbers 24:18

18 And Edom shalbe his possession and ye possession of Seir shalbe their enimyes and Israel shall doo manfully.

Numbers 24:18 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 24:18

And Edom shall be a possession
Of the children of Israel, which was fulfilled in part when the Edomites became the servants of David, ( 2 Samuel 8:14 ) and when they were smitten and spoiled by Judas Maccabeus,

them a great overthrow, and abated their courage, and took their spoils.'' (1 Maccabees 5:3)

and still more so when all the Edomites or the Idumaeans were subdued by Hyrcanus, and they became one people with the Jews, and conformed to their religious rites; which is not only related by Josephus F14, but by Strabo F15, an Heathen historian, who says, that they joined themselves to the Jews, and embraced their laws: but in a spiritual sense this has had a greater accomplishment in the calling of the Gentiles, and introducing them into the church of God; see ( Amos 9:12 ) compared with ( Acts 15:14-17 ) .

Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies;
which was a mount in the land of Edom where Esau formerly dwelt, and so signifies the same as before: and also that the most strong and fortified places of the land should fall into the hands of their enemies; (See Gill on Obadiah 1:17) (See Gill on Obadiah 1:18) (See Gill on Obadiah 1:19)

Israel shall do valiantly;
in fighting with and conquering the Edomites, or shall get much wealth and riches by the spoil of them, see ( Psalms 60:9 Psalms 60:12 ) . This, and the following verse, are in some ancient writings of the Jews F16 interpreted of the times of the Messiah.


FOOTNOTES:

F14 Antiqu. l. 13. c. 9. sect. 1.
F15 Geograph. l. 16. p. 523.
F16 Zohar in Numb. fol. 85. 4. & 86. 1.

Numbers 24:18 In-Context

16 and he hath sayed that heareth the wordes of God and hath the knowlege of the most hye and beholdeth ye vision of the allmightie and when he falleth downe hath his eyes opened.
17 I se him but not now I beholde him but not nye. There shall come a starre of Iacob and ryse a cepter of Israel which shall smyte ye coostes of Moab and vndermyne all the childern of Seth.
18 And Edom shalbe his possession and ye possession of Seir shalbe their enimyes and Israel shall doo manfully.
19 And out of Iacob shall come he that shall destroye the remnaut of the cities.
20 And he loked on Amaleck and began his parable and sayed: Amaleck is the first of the nacions but his latter ende shall perysh utterly.
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