עמוס, פרק א׳, פסוק י״א

The historical and bloody relationship between the twin nations of Israel and Edom reaches a boiling point of divine judgment. Despite their biological closeness and original brotherhood, Edom chose a path of uncompromising cruelty, replacing family compassion with eternal hatred and persecution. Commentators offer different historical frameworks to understand the full scope of Edom's crimes. One approach suggests that their initial transgressions represent the three most severe sins—idolatry, sexual immorality, and murder—while the final, unforgivable crime is the relentless persecution of Israel [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל]. Another perspective views the crimes as a historical sequence of four distinct events: Esau's initial pursuit of Jacob, Edom's refusal to allow the Israelites passage through their land in the desert, their participation in the destruction of the First Temple, and finally the destruction of the Second Temple and the subsequent long exile carried out by the Romans, who are identified as the descendants of Edom [אברבנאל].

There is a range of opinions regarding the exact historical period targeted by the central accusation of Edom violently pursuing Israel. Some trace this back to the very beginning, when Esau sought to kill Jacob, turning the blessing of the sword he received from his father directly against his own brother [רש״י, חומת אנך]. Others see it as a reference to the threat Edom made against Moses in the wilderness [רד״ק, אברבנאל], the wars Edom initiated against the Kingdom of Judah during its moments of weakness [ביאור שטיינזלץ], or their sheer cruelty during the destruction of both the First [מלבי״ם] and Second Temples [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. At the heart of this hostility is a profound distortion of natural bonds. Although Edom and Israel emerged from the exact same womb, Edom completely abandoned the natural mercy and care that should exist between brothers [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A deep Midrashic tradition takes this destruction of mercy quite literally, explaining that even while still in his mother's womb, Esau acted violently, damaging Rebecca's womb so she would be unable to bear any more children [מנחת שי, חומת אנך].

The nature of Edom's hostility involves two distinct types of anger. The first is a direct anger aimed at someone who has committed a personal offense. The second is a wrath that crosses all boundaries, harming innocent people and targeting an entire collective simply because of their faith [מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Edom is compared to a predatory lion that seized upon its anger and never let go, attacking Israel whenever the opportunity and power arose [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, רד״ק]. Because Edom harbored this deep grudge and maintained its hostility across generations, the ultimate consequence operates measure for measure: God will maintain His own wrath against them for eternity, bringing about their absolute destruction [אברבנאל].