The Israelites' journey through the desert undergoes a profound shift, marking a tragic turning point in their path to the Promised Land. Instead of advancing directly toward their destination, they are commanded to retrace their steps into the wilderness. This detour carries deep historical and spiritual weight, reflecting the consequences of their actions and the complexities of their relationships with neighboring nations.
The primary approach among commentators is that this change in direction represents a missed opportunity. Had the Israelites not sinned, they would have traveled directly past Mount Seir from south to north, entering the land of Israel immediately. However, their actions forced a change in course, compelling them to turn toward the wilderness situated between the Red Sea and the southern edge of Mount Seir [רש״י, ביאור ישר].
Because the king of Edom famously refused to grant the Israelites passage, commentators explore how this direct route would have been possible in the absence of sin. Some suggest that the sin itself caused God to withhold the king's consent; had the nation remained faithful, the king of Edom would have willingly allowed them to pass [מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, דברי דוד]. Another perspective maintains that the intended route was never meant to go directly through Edomite territory, but merely alongside its border [גור אריה]. A third view notes that Edom was originally one of the ten lands promised to Abraham. Without the burden of their sin, the Israelites would have simply conquered the land of Edom by force, bypassing the king's refusal entirely. Because they faltered, the conquest of Edom, Ammon, and Moab was postponed to a future era [משכיל לדוד, אלשיך].
As they altered their course, the Israelites did not physically return to the shores of the Red Sea. Rather, their path mirrored their earlier geographical trajectory. Just as their initial exodus from Egypt took them on a diagonal path from west to east, they now walked along the southern border of Edom in that exact same direction until they reached the border of Moab [רש״י, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, גור אריה, ברכת אשר, דברי דוד]. This specific route was undertaken at the exact moment God commanded them to leave their previous encampment [העמק דבר]. The directive to move was given to Moses personally, serving as a stark contrast to the nation's recent rebellion, when they defiantly attempted to ascend the mountain against God's will [שפתי כהן].
As they traveled, they skirted the territory of Mount Seir, though this was limited strictly to its southern border. Had they encircled the mountain entirely, they would have inevitably crossed into the land of Israel [שפתי חכמים]. They remained in this region for a prolonged period of nineteen years, wandering and waiting until the entire generation that left Egypt passed away [מלבי״ם, רש״ר הירש, חזקוני, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The fact that the Israelites resided along the Edomite border for nearly two decades without facing an attack from the descendants of Esau was an open miracle. Although Edom possessed the ancient blessing of the sword, the Israelites were protected because they were now strictly following God's command, effectively neutralizing the enemy's power [שפתי כהן]. On a deeper historical level, this extended stay near Mount Seir serves as a profound foreshadowing, hinting that the bulk of the Jewish people's future years in exile would be spent under the dominion of Edom [העמק דבר].