Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SEIR

(Heb. śēʿîr)

(PLACE)

1. A high hilly plateau within the region of Edom. Seir is identified with modern Jebel esh-Sharah, a mountain range between Wadi el-µesā in the north and Râs en-Naqb in the south, and running between the Arabah on the west and the desert on the east. The edges of the mountain range are quite arid, rugged, and inhospitable, but until the early 20th century the high plateau was thickly forested. Seir, which means “hairy,” undoubtedly referred to this forest. According to the biblical tradition, Seir was originally inhabited by Horites (Gen. 14:6; 36:20-30). The descendants of Esau, the Edomites, drove out the Horites and settled in Seir (Gen. 36:8). Although Edom refers to a much larger region than Seir, the two names are often used interchangeably in the Bible (cf. Judg. 5:4, where Seir and the land of Edom are in poetic parallelism). 1 Chr. 4:42-43 claims that 500 Simeonites invaded the hill country of Seir during the days of King Hezekiah, destroyed the remnant of the Amalekites there, and continued to dwell through the period of the Chronicler.

2. A mountain on the northern border of Judah (Josh. 15:10). Some identify the mountain with Sārîs, ca. 14.5 km. (9 mi.) W of Jerusalem. This is a forested region, as the name Seir suggests. The Seir of Judah could also be the northernmost point which the Israelites reached when they invaded the Canaanite hill country from the south against the command of God. According to the biblical text, the Amorites drove the Israelites back “from Seir as far as Hormah” (Deut. 1:44; cf. Num. 14:45). The identification of this Seir with the Seir of Edom is unlikely due to the number of geographical problems which it would pose for the story.

Ronald A. Simkins

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

SEIR

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)