Deuteronomy 2:12
in Deuteronomy 2The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land that the LORD gave them as their possession.)
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The Horites also dwelt in Seir aforetime, but the children of Esau succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which Jehovah gave unto them).
KJV
The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the Lord gave unto them.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 2
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThe Horims also dwelt in Seir before time,.... Which is the name of a mount, and so of the country, from it; so called from Seir the Horite, who dwelt in it before it was possessed by Esau and his sons; but who the Horim or Horites were, from whence they had their name, is difficult to say; they were as early as the times of Chedorlaomer, Gen 14:
This site's exposition
The Horites used to live in Seir
The Horites are those of Genesis 14:6 and 36:20-21, and Esau took Seir from them as Israel is to take its land. The verse draws the comparison itself, "just as Israel did in the land", a pattern the chapter has now shown twice.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), righteous Lot, who kept his integrity in Sodom. Note, Children often fare the better in this world for the piety of their ancestors: the seed of the upright, though they degenerate, yet are blessed with temporal good things. Because the land they were possessed of was what God had given them, and he did not design it for Israel.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
If the providence of God had done this for the Moabites and Ammonites, much more would his promise do it for Israel his peculiar people. The advances which Israel made towards Canaan.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The Horims also dwelt in Seir - The whole of this verse was probably added by Joshua or Ezra.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
יירשום — This is a present tense form of the verb; it is as much as to say, I gave them power that they might go on driving them out continuously.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּבְשֵׂעִ֞יר | uveseir | and in Seir | H8165 → | 39 times |
| יָשְׁב֣וּ | yashevu | they dwelt | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| הַחֹרִים֮ | hachorim | the Horites | H2752 → | |
| לְפָנִים֒ | lefanim | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| וּבְנֵ֧י | uvenei | and [the] descendants of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עֵשָׂ֣ו | ʾesav | Esau | H6215 → | 97 times |
| יִֽירָשׁ֗וּם | yirashum | they dispossessed them | H3423 → | 231 times |
| וַיַּשְׁמִידוּם֙ | vaiyashmidum | and they destroyed them | H8045 → | 90 times |
| מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔ם | mipeneihem | from before them | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּ | vaiyeshevu | and they dwelt | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| תַּחְתָּ֑ם | tachtam | in place of them | H8478 → | 505 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עָשָׂ֣ה | ʾasah | it did | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| לְאֶ֙רֶץ֙ | leeretz | to [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| יְרֻשָּׁת֔וֹ | yerushato | possession its | H3425 → | 14 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נָתַ֥ן | natan | he gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לָהֶֽם׃ | lahem | to them |
וּבְשֵׂעִ֞ירand in Seir
uveseirH8165 →39 times
יָשְׁב֣וּthey dwelt
yashevuH3427 →1079 times
הַחֹרִים֮the Horites
hachorimH2752 →
לְפָנִים֒<to> before
lefanimH6440 →2123 times
וּבְנֵ֧יand [the] descendants of
uveneiH1121 →4930 times
עֵשָׂ֣וEsau
ʾesavH6215 →97 times
יִֽירָשׁ֗וּםthey dispossessed them
yirashumH3423 →231 times
וַיַּשְׁמִידוּם֙and they destroyed them
vaiyashmidumH8045 →90 times
מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔םfrom before them
mipeneihemH6440 →2123 times
וַיֵּשְׁב֖וּand they dwelt
vaiyeshevuH3427 →1079 times
תַּחְתָּ֑םin place of them
tachtamH8478 →505 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֧רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
עָשָׂ֣הit did
ʾasahH6213 →2628 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
לְאֶ֙רֶץ֙to [the] land of
leeretzH776 →2504 times
יְרֻשָּׁת֔וֹpossession its
yerushatoH3425 →14 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
נָתַ֥ןhe gave
natanH5414 →2011 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לָהֶֽם׃to them
lahem
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 14:6and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 2:22
just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this…
- Genesis 21:21
And while he was dwelling in the Wilderness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
- Numbers 12:16
After that, the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.
- Numbers 13:3
So at the consent of the LORD, Moses sent them out from the Wilderness of Paran. All the men were leaders of the Israelites,
- Numbers 10:12
and the Israelites set out from the Wilderness of Sinai, traveling from place to place until the cloud settled in the Wilderness of Paran.
- Deuteronomy 2:22
Through
Deuteronomy 2:22just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this…
it leads to
- Genesis 36:8
So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir.
- Genesis 36:20–30
These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
- Genesis 14:6
and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.
- Genesis 36:8
Where this verse is studied
About Deuteronomy
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.