1. Amos 1:11 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What was the relationship between Israel and Edom?

Amos 1:11 (ESV)

11 Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever.

The people who lived there in Edom were descendants of Esau, whereas Israel and Judah were descendants of Jacob (Genesis 25:25–26). Edom and Israel/Judah were frequently at war with one another (2 Chronicles 28:17), so much so that Edom receives special condemnation in Obadiah, the book that follows Amos.