Numbers 24:18
in Numbers 24Edom will become a possession, as will Seir, his enemy; but Israel will perform with valor.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession, who were his enemies; While Israel doeth valiantly.
KJV
And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.
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This verse in Numbers 24
Commentary
7 notes on this verseAnd Edom shall be a possession - That is, to David: as it is said: “And all they of Edom became David’s servants;” 2Sa 8:14. Seir also shall be a possession - That is, unto the king Messiah; as it is said: “And saviours shall come upon Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s;” Oba 1:21. See Ainsworth.
This site's exposition
And Edom shall be a possession
on Numbers 24:18-19
Edom and Seir are the country of Esau, and 2 Samuel 8:14 records David putting garrisons throughout all Edom, which is the nearest thing in the history to what verse 18 says. Verse 19 gives no name to the one who shall have dominion, and readers divide between David, whose reign answers verse 18 plainly, and a later figure, since verse 14 had set the whole oracle in the latter days. Keil and Delitzsch hold that both horizons stand together in the same words, and the text supplies no date of its own.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
A possession - Which was also foretold, Gen. xxv, 23, and in part fulfilled, 2 Sam. viii, 14; 1 Chron. xviii, 13, but more fully by Christ, Amos ix, 12 Obad. i, 18, who shall subdue and possess all his enemies; here signified by the name of Edom, as Jacob or Israel, his brother, signifies all his church and people.
And Edom shall be a possession,....
This was fulfilled when David smote Moab, and measured them with a line, so that the Moabites became David' servants, 2 Sam. viii. And at the same time the Edomites likewise were brought into obedience to Israel,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Edom shall be a possession--This prophecy was accomplished by David (2Sa 8:14). Seir--seen in the south, and poetically used for Edom. The double conquest of Moab and Edom is alluded to (Ps 60:8;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Seir - The older name of the mountain-land, south of Moab, and east of the Arabah, which the Edomites inhabited Gen 32:3; Gen 36:8-9.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָיָ֨ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| אֱד֜וֹם | ʾedom | Edom | H123 → | 99 times |
| יְרֵשָׁ֗ה | yereshah | a possession | H3424 → | |
| וְהָיָ֧ה | vehayah | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| יְרֵשָׁ֛ה | yereshah | a possession | H3424 → | |
| שֵׂעִ֖יר | seir | Seir | H8165 → | |
| אֹיְבָ֑יו | ʾoyevav | enemies its | H341 → | 282 times |
| וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | veyisrael | and Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| עֹ֥שֶׂה | ʾoseh | [will be] doing | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| חָֽיִל׃ | chayil | strength | H2428 → | 246 times |
וְהָיָ֨הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
אֱד֜וֹםEdom
ʾedomH123 →99 times
יְרֵשָׁ֗הa possession
yereshahH3424 →
וְהָיָ֧הand it will be
vehayahH1961 →3559 times
יְרֵשָׁ֛הa possession
yereshahH3424 →
שֵׂעִ֖ירSeir
seirH8165 →
אֹיְבָ֑יוenemies its
ʾoyevavH341 →282 times
וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖לand Israel
veyisraelH3478 →2507 times
עֹ֥שֶׂה[will be] doing
ʾosehH6213 →2628 times
חָֽיִל׃strength
chayilH2428 →246 times
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
Psalms 60:1You have rejected us, O God; You have broken us; You have been angry; restore us!
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 8:12–13
from Edom and Moab, from the Ammonites and Philistines and Amalekites, and from the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
- 2 Samuel 8:3
David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, who had marched out to restore his dominion along the Euphrates River.
- 2 Samuel 8:12–13
Through
Genesis 27:29May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you…
it leads to
- Numbers 24:9
He crouches, he lies down like a lion; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you.”
- Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”
- Isaiah 49:23
Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD;…
- Romans 9:12
not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
- Genesis 9:25–26
he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
- Numbers 24:9
Through
Amos 9:12that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear My name,” declares the LORD, who will do this.
it leads to
- Isaiah 43:7
everyone called by My name and created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made.”
- Isaiah 43:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Numbers
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.