The BibleGospel Companion

Seir

שֵׂעִיר · se.ir · H8165A“Seirath, hairy; goat; demon; tempest” Hitchcock's 186924 mentions in 8 books, most in Genesis (7)
Illustration — not a likeness; generated for Gospel Companion in the app's painting style — Seir
Illustration — not a likeness; generated for Gospel Companion in the app's painting style

Where it is

TophelTophelZoarZoarBeerBeerRehobothRehobothAkrabbimAkrabbimZeboimZeboimSeirabout 111 km across

30.73° N, 35.61° E · Located through Bozrah

Coordinates and map: OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding · CC BY 4.0 · drawn without map tiles

Mentioned most in

Genesis · 7Deuteronomy · 7Joshua · 32 Chronicles · 3Numbers · 1Judges · 1+ 2 books
Counted from 24 references · STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

About this place

Seir is a mountainous region mentioned frequently in the Bible, located in the southern part of the Transjordan, extending from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It was inhabited by the Horites before the descendants of Esau, the Edomites, dispossessed them (Gen. 14:6; Deut. 2:12, 22).

Seir is closely associated with Esau and his descendants, the Edomites (Gen. 32:3; 33:14, 16; 36:8, 9). It is often used interchangeably with Edom to refer to the nation that emerged from Esau's lineage (Gen. 36:30; Num. 24:18; Deut. 2:4, 8, 29; Josh. 24:4).

The region of Seir played a role in several biblical events. It was the location where the kings of the East fought against the Horites (Gen. 14:6). Moses and the Israelites passed through Seir during their wilderness wanderings, but were instructed not to provoke the Edomites to war (Deut. 1:44; 2:4, 8). Later, during the divided monarchy, King Amaziah of Judah defeated the Edomites in the Valley of Salt and captured Sela, a stronghold in Seir (2Chr. 25:11, 14).

The prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel also mention Seir in their oracles, often in the context of God's judgment against Edom (Isa. 21:11; Ezek. 25:8). The region's rugged terrain and strategic location made it a formidable challenge for invading armies and a symbol of Edom's strength and pride.

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

24 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
GenesisChapter 14: 1 mentionChapter 32: 1 mentionChapter 33: 2 mentionsChapter 36: 3 mentions7 mentions
Genesis 14:6and the Horites in their Mount Seir, to El Paran, which is by the wilderness.Genesis 32:3Jacob sent messengers in front of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.Genesis 33:14Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I…Genesis 33:16So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.Genesis 36:8Esau lived in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom.Genesis 36:9This is the history of the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the hill country of Seir:Genesis 36:30chief Dishon, chief Ezer, and chief Dishan. These are the chiefs who came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir.
NumbersChapter 24: 1 mention1 mention
Numbers 24:18Edom shall be a possession. Seir, his enemy, also shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly.
DeuteronomyChapter 1: 1 mentionChapter 2: 5 mentionsChapter 33: 1 mention7 mentions
Deuteronomy 1:44The Amorites, who lived in that hill country, came out against you and chased you as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even to Hormah.Deuteronomy 2:4Command the people, saying, ‘You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore be careful.Deuteronomy 2:8So we passed by from our brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah from Elath and from Ezion Geber. We turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of…Deuteronomy 2:12The Horites also lived in Seir in the past, but the children of Esau succeeded them. They destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place, as Israel did to the land of his…Deuteronomy 2:22as he did for the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them; and they succeeded them, and lived in their place even to this day.Deuteronomy 2:29as the children of Esau who dwell in Seir, and the Moabites who dwell in Ar, did to me, until I pass over the Jordan into the land which Yahweh our God gives us.”Deuteronomy 33:2He said, “Yahweh came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them. He shone from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones. At his right hand was a fiery law for them.
JoshuaChapter 11: 1 mentionChapter 12: 1 mentionChapter 24: 1 mention3 mentions
Joshua 11:17from Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir, even to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. He took all their kings, struck them, and put them to death.Joshua 12:7These are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the children of Israel struck beyond the Jordan westward, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon even to Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir.…Joshua 24:4I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave to Esau Mount Seir, to possess it. Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
JudgesChapter 5: 1 mention1 mention
Judges 5:4“Yahweh, when you went out of Seir, when you marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the sky also dropped. Yes, the clouds dropped water.
2 ChroniclesChapter 20: 1 mentionChapter 25: 2 mentions3 mentions
2 Chronicles 20:23For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. When they had finished the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to…2 Chronicles 25:11Amaziah took courage, and led his people out and went to the Valley of Salt, and struck ten thousand of the children of Seir.2 Chronicles 25:14Now after Amaziah had come from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them and burned…
IsaiahChapter 21: 1 mention1 mention
Isaiah 21:11The burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?”
EzekielChapter 25: 1 mention1 mention
Ezekiel 25:8“‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations,’

What the dictionary says

Rough; hairy.

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
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Sources