Lexical Definition

‎שֵׂעִיר‎ Sêʻîyr (say-eer') Seir ^N:N--L
formed like ‎שָׂעִיר‎; rough

Seir.

• § Seir = "hairy" or "shaggy"
• Seir, a mountain of Idumaea and its aboriginal occupants, also one in Palestine

n pr m
1) patriarch of the Horites, the inhabitants of Edom before the descendants of Esau, the Edomites
n pr terr
2) the land of Edom, south of the Dead Sea n pr mont
3) a mountain range in Edom extending from the Dead Sea to the Elanitic Gulf
3a) apparently also called 'Mount Seir' and extending most of the distance of the mountain range itself
4) a mountain in northern Judah lying westward from Kirjath-jearim

Extended Information

• n pr terr

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎שֵׂעִיר‎ proper name Se`îr (= ‎שָׂעִיר‎, goat ? compare Gray^Prop.N.94; but note play in ‎שֵׂעָר‎ Gen 25:25, ‎שָׂעִר‎ Gen 27:11; Gen 27:23 Nö^{ZMG xl (1886). 165; Ency. Bib. ii. 1183} compare proper name, of a mountain (the 'hairy,' i.e. 'well-wooded,' compare trees), proper name, of a people (originally proper name, of a location) ; Lag^{BN 92} thinks ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ originally proper name, masculine, but land much earlier in OT.; perhaps = Tel Amarna land Šêri, Zim^{ZA vi (1891), 257} Jastr^{JBL xi (1892), 114} Wkl^{Tel Am. 181, 26} Buhl^{Edom. 28. f.}); —

1. Σηειρ: a. terr. land of Edom, south of Dead Sea, ‎׳‎‎אַ֫רְצָה שׂ‎ Gen 32:4* (J; || ‎שְׂדֵה אֱדוֺם‎), compare Gen 36:30 (P); ‎׳‎‎שׂ‎ alone Judg 5:4 (poem; || id.), Num 24:18 (J E; || ‎אֱדוֺם‎), Deut 1:44; Deut 2:4; Deut 2:8; Deut 2:12; Deut 2:22; Deut 2:29; Deut 33:2; Josh 11:19 (D), Isa 21:11; 2Chr 20:23 b; with ‎ה‎ locative ‎שֵׂעִ֫ירָה‎ Gen 33:14; Gen 33:16 (J), Josh 12:7 (D).
b. specific mont. East of Arabah, ‎׳‎‎הַרשֿׂ‎ Josh 24:4 (E), Gen 36:8; Gen 36:9 (P), Deut 1:2; Deut 2:1; Deut 21:5; Ezek 35:2; Ezek 35:3; Ezek 35:7; Ezek 35:15; 1Chr 4:42; 2Chr 20:10; 2Chr 20:22; 2Chr 20:23 compare ‎׳‎‎הַרֲרָם שׂ‎ Gen 14:6 (home of ‎הַחֹרִי‎; on text see Buhl^{Edom. 28} Gunk^Gn). c. of a people Ezek 25:8 = Edom [van d. H.](/btb/not_created.html) ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎]; but strike out ᵐ5^B Hi Co Berthol Toy Krae.
d. personified as masculine in ‎׳‎‎בְּנֵישֿׂ‎ (see ‎חֹרִי‎ p. 360; compare Gen 14:6) Gen 36:20 = 1Chr 1:38; Gen 36:21 (P; + ‎בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֺם‎); = Edomites 2Chr 25:11; 2Chr 25:14 (|| ‎אֱדוֺמִים‎).

2. mont. in Judah, ‎׳‎‎הַרשֿׂ‎ Josh 15:10 (P), Ασσαρ, A Σηειρ, ᵐ5^L Σιειρ; Di Buhl^{G 91} and others compare hill-ruin Sârîs approximately 9 miles west of Jerusalem. (Rob^{BR iii. 156}).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Seir • In Edom • Region inhabited by Edomites, descendants of Esau

Seir was a mountainous region inhabited by the Edomites, the descendants of Esau (Gen. 32:3; 36:8; Num. 24:18; Deut. 2:4; Josh. 24:4).

• A location in Edom first mentioned at Gen.14.6;
• only referred to as Seir שֵׂעִיר.
  

Seir is a mountainous region mentioned frequently in the Bible, located in the southern part of the Transjordan, extending from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It was inhabited by the Horites before the descendants of Esau, the Edomites, dispossessed them (Gen. 14:6; Deut. 2:12, 22).

Seir is closely associated with Esau and his descendants, the Edomites (Gen. 32:3; 33:14, 16; 36:8, 9). It is often used interchangeably with Edom to refer to the nation that emerged from Esau's lineage (Gen. 36:30; Num. 24:18; Deut. 2:4, 8, 29; Josh. 24:4).

The region of Seir played a role in several biblical events. It was the location where the kings of the East fought against the Horites (Gen. 14:6). Moses and the Israelites passed through Seir during their wilderness wanderings, but were instructed not to provoke the Edomites to war (Deut. 1:44; 2:4, 8). Later, during the divided monarchy, King Amaziah of Judah defeated the Edomites in the Valley of Salt and captured Sela, a stronghold in Seir (2 Chr. 25:11, 14).

The prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel also mention Seir in their oracles, often in the context of God's judgment against Edom (Isa. 21:11; Ezek. 25:8). The region's rugged terrain and strategic location made it a formidable challenge for invading armies and a symbol of Edom's strength and pride.

All entries for Seir: שֵׂעִיר