A couple of days ago, I wrote an entire blog about how the Israelites and Edomites continued their hostilities through much of the Old Testament. I stand by that blog; it’s very possible that while Israel intended to pay Edom for their resources as they passed through, Edom simply rebuffed them. That places those verses in harmony.
And then I got to Deuteronomy 2:29, which sees Moses insisting to Sihon, king of Heshbon, that he will pay them for their resources if they let Israel pass through, “just as he did with Edom.”
That changes things a little (Although, to be fair, I still stand by the original blog from a couple days ago. This one and that one are not mutually exclusive).
So, if Moses claims here that they passed through Edom, but Numbers 20 is adamant that they did not, what do we do? Should we panic, rip up our Bibles and claim that God is a liar?
Nah. Instead, we’ll just do some research. And, according to that research, there are a few options that people have come up with to harmonize the two passages.
First, it’s entirely possible that these are two separate incidents. Moses and the Israelites wandered through the wilderness for forty years, and Edom is in close proximity to the wilderness. Is it not possible that they were refused on one entry and then allowed the other time?
Second, if that were the case, it’s also possible that we’re dealing with two different sets of Edomites. Ancient civilizations in this area were known for operating as city-states, with individual rulers that worked in tandem with each other. The Philistines in 1-2 Samuel are probably the best example of this. David works for a few in his time.
For textual evidence to support this, compare Numbers 20:14, which says that messengers came to Moses from the “king of Edom,” with Deuteronomy 2:4, which designates them as “sons of Esau.” Free tribesmen operating independently may have a different approach to the nation of Israel than a king defending his fiefdom.
Third, geography could have been a factor. The western side of Edomite territory has a massive set of mountains, which are easily defensible. The eastern side is much shallower, which makes an Israelite threat much more real.
I’ll grant you that these explanations may not be super satisfying, but they’re reasonable, at the very least. If there are two incidents, it’s odd that neither Numbers or Deuteronomy would even mention the other one.
What do you think? Let me know at [email protected]!