A Prophecy Against Mt. Seir

Q

Ezekiel 35 gives a prophecy against Mt. Seir. Where is Mt. Seir and do you see this prophecy as yet coming?

A

The area referred to as Mt. Seir in the Bible is called the Shara range today. It’s in southern Jordan where the city of Petra is located. In Biblical times this was the land of Edom. In Ezekiel 35 Mt. Seir is used as a euphemism for Edom. At the time of the Babylonian conquest the people of Edom sought to benefit from Israel’s troubles, first by helping the Babylonian army find and capture the fleeing Israelites and then by plotting to take the promised land for themselves in Israel’s absence. The Lord had Ezekiel tell the people of Edom their own land would be made desolate because of this.

Some try to apply this prophecy to the current Palestinians, but I believe it was fulfilled by a formerly nomadic people called the Nabateans who entered the area in the mid 4th century BC and completely overran the people of Edom, leaving no survivors. The Nabateans became a powerful force in the region, controlling desert trade routes between Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Eastern Mediterranean for about 450 years. Today’s Bedouins may be all that’s left of the Nabateans.