Ezekiel 35 Overview
Ezekiel prophesies against Mount Seir, representing Edom, because of ancient hatred, bloodshed, and the desire to possess Israel and Judah when they were desolate. Edom’s rejoicing over Israel’s ruin will return on its own head, and the LORD will make Mount Seir desolate.
Before you read Ezekiel 35
Coming from
The LORD condemns Israel’s shepherds for feeding themselves rather than the flock, neglecting the weak, and scattering the sheep. God promises to search for His sheep Himself, judge between sheep, and set over them “one shepherd, my servant David,” bringing a covenant of peace and secure dwelling.
In this chapter
Ezekiel prophesies against Mount Seir, representing Edom, because of ancient hatred, bloodshed, and the desire to possess Israel and Judah when they were desolate. Edom’s rejoicing over Israel’s ruin will return on its own head, and the LORD will make Mount Seir desolate.
Leads into
The mountains of Israel, once mocked and seized by enemies, are promised renewed fruitfulness for a gathered people. The LORD explains that He will restore Israel for the sake of His holy name, cleanse them, give a new heart and new spirit, put His Spirit within them, and cause the ruined land to become like Eden.
Key understandingExplore deeper
Mount Seir is the mountainous homeland of Edom, Israel’s related but frequently hostile neighbor. The chapter follows the shepherd restoration promise and precedes the blessing of Israel’s mountains, making Edom’s attempted seizure of the emptied land especially significant.
The phrase “perpetual hatred” points to a long historical pattern rather than one isolated wartime offense. Edom seeks to convert Judah’s covenant judgment into permanent dispossession for its own benefit.
Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper
Long-nurtured hatred can shape national behavior
Edom’s ancient hostility becomes violence when Judah is vulnerable.
Exploiting another’s judgment does not place the exploiter beyond judgment
Edom cannot treat Israel’s disaster as divine permission for greed and revenge.
God hears boastful words spoken against Him and His people
The oracle repeatedly emphasizes that Edom’s words have reached the LORD.
Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper
Genesis 36:8
Esau’s descendants are associated with Mount Seir, providing Edom’s ancestral geography.
Obadiah 10-14
Obadiah condemns Edom for violence, gloating, and opportunism during Jerusalem’s calamity.
Ezekiel 36:1-5
The next chapter answers hostile claims over Israel’s mountains with a restoration oracle for the land itself.
What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper
Do not transfer Edom’s oracle onto a modern people merely by speculative ancestry.
The passage addresses ancient Edom/Mount Seir in a defined historical relationship with Israel.
Do not treat hatred as harmless until physical violence occurs.
The chapter connects long-standing hostility, boastful speech, and eventual bloodshed as one moral trajectory.
Read Ezekiel 35 watching for…
Mount Seir as Edom
the phrase “perpetual hatred”
Edom’s desire to possess the two nations
boastful words against the LORD
desolation answering Edom’s rejoicing