Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;
Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance - literally, revenging with revengement - i:e., by taking the most unrelenting vengeance. It was not simple hatred, but deep, brooding, implacable revenge. The grudge of Edom or Esau was originally for Jacob's robbing him of Isaac's blessing (Genesis 25:23; Genesis 27:27-41). This purpose of revenge yielded to the extraordinary kindness of Jacob, through the blessing of Him with whom Jacob wrestled in prayer; but it was revived as an hereditary grudge in the posterity of Esau, when they saw the younger branch rising to the preeminence which they thought of right belonged to themselves. More recently this bitter grudge was cherished on account of David's subjugation of Edom to Israel (2 Samuel 8:14). They therefore gave vent to their spite by joining the Chaldeans in destroying Jerusalem (Psalms 137:7; Lamentations 4:22), and then intercepting and killing the fugitive Jews (Amos 1:11), and occupying part of the Jewish land as far as to Hebron (Obadiah 1:10-14).