Seir was a mountainous region inhabited by the Edomites, the descendants of Esau (Gen. 32:3; 36:8; Num. 24:18; Deut. 2:4; Josh. 24:4).
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.
Approximate location: 30.735, 35.606 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
Rough; hairy. (1.) A Horite; one of the “dukes” of Edom (Gen. 36:20-30). (2.) The name of a mountainous region occupied by the Edomites, extending along the eastern side of the Arabah from the south-eastern extremity of the Dead Sea to near the Akabah, or the eastern branch of the Red Sea. It was originally occupied by the Horites (Gen. 14:6), who were afterwards driven out by the Edomites (Gen. 32:3; 33:14, 16). It was allotted to the descendants of Esau (Deut. 2:4, 22; Josh. 24:4; 2 Chr. 20:10; Isa. 21:11; Exek. 25:8). (3.) A mountain range (not the Edomite range, Gen. 32:3) lying between the Wady Aly and the Wady Ghurab (Josh. 15:10).
SE'IR (hairy), the name of a region and of a place. The land or mount of Seir was a mountain-district extending from the Dead Sea to the eastern arm of the Red Sea. It was bounded on the east by the Arabian desert, and on the west by the deep valley of the Arabah. The mountains are of sandstone and granite, the principal peak being Mount Hor, which is 4800 feet high. This district was anciently inhabited by the Horites. Gen 14:6; Deut 2:12. Afterward, Seir was the possession of Esau and his posterity. Gen 32:3; Gen 33:14, Jer 33:16; Gen 36:8-9; Deut 2:4, Num 2:22; 2 Chr 20:10. Hence, Seir sometimes means Edom. The Israelites, when refused permission to go to Moab through Edom, marched round the mountain, down the Arabah, between the limestone cliffs of the Tih on the west and the granite range of Mount Seir on the east, until they could turn to the left and march north toward Moab. Mount Seir, a place noted as one of the landmarks in the boundary of Judah. Josh 15:10. It was between Kirjathjearim and Beth-shemesh. and may be the high ridge between the Wady Aly and the Wady Ghurab. In the pass leading to Beit Ainun, near Tekua, is the modern village of Sair among the hills which may be its site, but Conder suggests Bath es Saghar as the Seir of 2 Chr 20:23.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
24 verses in 8 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H8165
and the Horites in the area of Mount Seir, as far as El-paran, which is near the desert.
Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
Please let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a comfortable pace for the livestock and children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”
So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir,
So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir.
This is the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir.
Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their divisions in the land of Seir.
Edom will become a possession, as will Seir, his enemy; but Israel will perform with valor.
Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah.
and command the people: ‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful.
So we passed by our brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned away from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber, and traveled along the road of the Wilderness of Moab.
The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land that the LORD gave them as their possession.)
just as He had done for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day.
just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for us, until we cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us.”
He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.
from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.
And these are the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered beyond the Jordan to the west, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir (according to the allotments to the tribes of Israel, Joshua gave them as an inheritance
and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water.
The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had finished off the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
Amaziah, however, summoned his strength and led his troops to the Valley of Salt, where he struck down 10,000 men of Seir,
When Amaziah returned from the slaughter of the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the Seirites, set them up as his own gods, bowed before them, and burned sacrifices to them.
This is the burden against Dumah: One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Moab and Seir said, “Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,”
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.