The betrayal of Edom: Remarks on a claimed tradition

Abstract

Biblical and post-Biblical texts refer to the tradition of the betrayal of Edom. During theconquest the brother-nation of Edom would have betrayed Judah by choosing sides with the Babylonians. Historical and archaeological evidence for this ‘fact’ is absent or not convincing. It is argued that the occupation of Southern Judah by the Edomites in late Babylonian and/or Persian times would have been the source of this claimed tradition.

Keywords

• Edom
• prophets, brother-nation
• Southern Judah
• Babylon
• tradition, archaeology, history, identity