The Claim:
HATRED TO THE EDOMITE SANCTIONED.
He [Amaziah] slew of EdomEdom is the nation descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Throughout Scripture, Edom becomes a persistent rival to Israel, symbolizing conflict, pride, and the consequences of turning away from God’s covenant. More, in the valley of Salt, ten thousand . . . And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. (, 3.)
HATRED TO THE EDOMITE FORBIDDEN.
Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy brother. (.)
(Note: The term “Hate / Hatred” is NOT mentioned in either verse as the Author expresses it)
Truth With Proof:
1. Scriptural Ledger & Full Text Verification
Under the Berean mandate (), we must examine the full text of each scripture provided, verifying the wording across both the King James Version and the New International Version to expose the context often removed by critics.
Passage A: The Military Campaign Against Edom
, 7
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KJV (v. 3): “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, yet not like DavidDavid is Israel’s second king — a shepherd, warrior, poet, and the central human figure in the Messianic line. Scripture presents him as “a man after God’s own heart,” whose life reveals covenant loyalty, repentance, worship, and the promise of an everlasting throne. More his father: he did according to all things as Joash his father did.”
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KJV (v. 7): “He slew of EdomEdom is the nation descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Throughout Scripture, Edom becomes a persistent rival to Israel, symbolizing conflict, pride, and the consequences of turning away from God’s covenant. More in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.”
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NIV (v. 3): “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father DavidDavid is Israel’s second king — a shepherd, warrior, poet, and the central human figure in the Messianic line. Scripture presents him as “a man after God’s own heart,” whose life reveals covenant loyalty, repentance, worship, and the promise of an everlasting throne. More had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash.”
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NIV (v. 7): “He was the one who defeated ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt and captured Sela in battle, calling it Joktheel, the name it has to this day.”
Passage B: The Moral Law Regarding Edomites
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KJV: “Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.”
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NIV: “Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.”
2. High-Level Pattern Recognition: Civil Law vs. National Security
The surface contradiction assumes that a nation going to war is synonymous with a command to personally “hate” a race of people. It conflates Civil/Moral Law (how an individual treats a neighbor) with State/Military Action (how a sovereign nation responds to armed rebellion).
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PERSONAL DISPOSITION VS. STATE MILITARY ACTION │
├───────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ DEUTERONOMY 23:7 (THE MORAL LAW) │ 2 KINGS 14:7 (THE HISTORICAL LEDGER) │
├───────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Realm: Individual heart & civil │ • Realm: National sovereignty & warfare │
│ integration into the assembly. │ • Trigger: Edom's violent military rebellion │
│ • Mandate: Do not harbor innate │ against Judah (2 Kings 8:20). │
│ racial detestation. │ • Action: Suppressing an armed insurrection. │
│ • Reason: Shared ancestry (Esau). │ • Note: A state can fight a war (even a civil war │
│ │ against "brothers") without violating the moral │
│ │ law against personal malice. │
└───────────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Furthermore, notice the text of . It does not say, “He killed Edomites, AND THIS was right in the sight of the Lord.” It is a general summary of the beginning of Amaziah’s reign. In fact, if we cross-reference , we see that after this exact battle, Amaziah brought back the gods of EdomEdom is the nation descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Throughout Scripture, Edom becomes a persistent rival to Israel, symbolizing conflict, pride, and the consequences of turning away from God’s covenant. More and worshipped them—an act that brought severe divine judgment upon him. God did not “sanction hatred“; He recorded a military history.
3. Linguistic Precision: The Hebrew Root Words
The original HebrewHebrew is the ancient language of the people of Israel and the primary language in which most of the Old Testament was originally written. As a member of the Northwest Semitic language family, Hebrew contains rich layers of meaning that provide deeper insight into Scripture, biblical names, prophecy, covenant theology, and God's revelation to His people. More exposes the flaw in the claim immediately.
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The Word for “Abhor/Despise” (): Ta’ab (תָּעַב)
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Strong’s H8581: To loathe, detest, or consider abominable.
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This is a word of the heart and mind. The TorahTorah refers to the first five books of the Bible — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It contains God’s foundational revelation to Israel: creation, covenant, law, worship, and identity. In Scripture, the Torah is the bedrock of all later revelation and the source Jesus cites when teaching the Greatest Commandment. More strictly forbade the Israelites from harboring innate racial disgust or prejudice against the Edomites because they were the descendants of EsauEsau is the elder son of Isaac and Rebekah and the twin brother of Jacob. His life marks the divergence of two lines — one becoming Edom, the other becoming Israel — and his story embodies themes of impulse, loss, and the tension between human choice and divine purpose. More, Jacob’s twin brother. They were to be allowed into the assembly of the Lord in the third generation (Deuteronomy 23:8).
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The Word for “Slew/Defeated” (): Nakah (נָכָה)
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Strong’s H5221: To strike, smite, attack, or conquer.
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This is a military/kinetic term. Amaziah did not execute 10,000 civilians out of racial prejudice; his army clashed with the Edomite army in the Valley of Salt (the Arabah south of the Dead Sea).
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4. Historical Verification: The Trigger for the War
Why was Amaziah fighting EdomEdom is the nation descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Throughout Scripture, Edom becomes a persistent rival to Israel, symbolizing conflict, pride, and the consequences of turning away from God’s covenant. More in the first place? If we use the Berean method of cross-referencing the timeline, we find the cause a few chapters earlier.
During the reign of King Jehoram (Amaziah’s great-grandfather), EdomEdom is the nation descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Throughout Scripture, Edom becomes a persistent rival to Israel, symbolizing conflict, pride, and the consequences of turning away from God’s covenant. More launched a violent insurrection:
“In his days EdomEdom is the nation descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Throughout Scripture, Edom becomes a persistent rival to Israel, symbolizing conflict, pride, and the consequences of turning away from God’s covenant. More revolted from under the hand of JudahJudah was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah and the founder of the Tribe of Judah. His descendants became one of the most prominent tribes of Israel, producing the royal line of King David and ultimately the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Scripture identifies Judah as the tribe through which God's promise of kingship and redemption would be fulfilled. More, and made a king over themselves… And the Edomites compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.” ().
EdomEdom is the nation descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Throughout Scripture, Edom becomes a persistent rival to Israel, symbolizing conflict, pride, and the consequences of turning away from God’s covenant. More had broken treaty, established a hostile monarchy, and begun raiding Judah’s southern borders. Amaziah’s campaign in the Valley of Salt was a military operation to secure the border and capture the Edomite stronghold of Sela (Petra). This was a defense of national sovereignty against an aggressive neighbor, completely detached from the individual moral command in .
5. Memory Tool: The E-S-A-U Framework
To quickly remember and present the Berean resolution to this alleged paradox, use the E-S-A-U memory anchor:
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E — Ethnic Brotherhood: strictly protected their ethnic standing as “brothers” (descendants of EsauEsau is the elder son of Isaac and Rebekah and the twin brother of Jacob. His life marks the divergence of two lines — one becoming Edom, the other becoming Israel — and his story embodies themes of impulse, loss, and the tension between human choice and divine purpose. More).
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S — State Sovereignty: records a defensive state military action to secure a border, not a mandate for personal hatred.
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A — Abhorrence Forbidden: The HebrewHebrew is the ancient language of the people of Israel and the primary language in which most of the Old Testament was originally written. As a member of the Northwest Semitic language family, Hebrew contains rich layers of meaning that provide deeper insight into Scripture, biblical names, prophecy, covenant theology, and God's revelation to His people. More word ta’ab (to loathe/abhor) targets the individual heart, forbidding racial prejudice.
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U — Uprising Triggered It: The war was caused by Edom’s violent uprising (), requiring a military response (nakah).
Berean Verdict
There is no contradiction:
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is a civil and moral law forbidding individual Israelites from harboring internal racial disgust (ta’ab) toward the Edomites, enforcing their shared ancestral bond.
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is a historical record of a military state action (nakah) where the King of JudahJudah was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah and the founder of the Tribe of Judah. His descendants became one of the most prominent tribes of Israel, producing the royal line of King David and ultimately the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Scripture identifies Judah as the tribe through which God's promise of kingship and redemption would be fulfilled. More suppressed a violent, multi-generational border rebellion by the nation of EdomEdom is the nation descended from Esau, the brother of Jacob. Throughout Scripture, Edom becomes a persistent rival to Israel, symbolizing conflict, pride, and the consequences of turning away from God’s covenant. More.
Defending a nation’s sovereign borders against an organized army does not equate to God sanctioning personal, racial hatred. The scriptures harmonize perfectly when the difference between civil moral law and national historical warfare is understood.
