Original Word: שֵׂעִיר
Part of Speech: proper name; mont.; of a people; masculine; mont.
Transliteration: Se`iyr
Pronunciation: say-EER
Phonetic Spelling: (say-eer')
KJV: Seir
NASB: Seir
Word Origin: [formed like H8163 (שָׂעִיר שָׂעִר - Goat)]

1. rough
2. Seir, a mountain of Idumaea and its aboriginal occupants, also one in Israel

Seir

Formed like sa'iyr; rough; Seir, a mountain of Idumaea and its aboriginal occupants, also one in Palestine -- Seir.

see HEBREW sa'iyr

Word Origin
from the same as sear
Definition
a mountain range in Edom, also its inhab., also a mountain in Judah
NASB Translation
Seir (39).

שֵׂעִיר proper name Se`îr (= שָׂעִיר, goat ? compare Gray^Prop.N.94; but note play in שֵׂעָר Genesis 25:25, שָׂעִר Genesis 27:11,23; 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 Genesis 32:4 (J; "" שְׂדֵה אֱדוֺם), compare Genesis 36:30 (P); ׳שׂ alone Judges 5:4 (poem; "" id.), Numbers 24:18 (J E; "" אֱדוֺם), Deuteronomy 1:44; Deuteronomy 2:4,8,12,22,29; Deuteronomy 33:2; Joshua 11:19 (D), Isaiah 21:11; 2Chronicles 20:23 b; with ה locative שֵׂעִ֫ירָה Genesis 33:14,16 (J), Joshua 12:7 (D).

b. specific

mont. East of Arabah, ׳הַרשֿׂ Joshua 24:4 (E), Genesis 36:8,9 (P), Deuteronomy 1:2; Deuteronomy 2:1; Deuteronomy 21:5; Ezekiel 35:2,3,7,15; 1 Chronicles 4:42; 2Chronicles 20:10,22,23; compare ׳הַרֲרָם שׂ Genesis 14:6 (home of הַחֹרִי; on text see Buhl^{Edom. 28} Gunk^Gn).

c. of a people Ezekiel 25:8 = Edom [van d. H. ׳שׁ]; but strike out ᵐ5^B Hi Co Berthol Toy Krae.

d. personified as masculine in ׳בְּנֵישֿׂ (see חֹרִי p. 360; compare Genesis 14:6) Genesis 36:20 = 1 Chronicles 1:38; Genesis 36:21 (P; + בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֺם); = Edomites 2 Chronicles 25:11,14 ("" אֱדוֺמִים).

2. mont. in Judah, ׳הַרשֿׂ Joshua 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}).

Geographical setting

Mount Seir forms a rugged, limestone massif running roughly north-south between the southeastern edge of the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Its broken ridges rise to more than 1 800 meters, creating steep canyons, subterranean caves, sparse scrub, and an arid climate that turns flash-flooded wadis into seasonal arteries. The natural barrier separates the Arabah from the eastern wilderness and provides commanding trade routes (notably the King’s Highway) that linked Egypt, the Red Sea ports, Moab, and the kingdoms to the north. A smaller Judean hill called Seir (Joshua 15:10) lies west of Jerusalem, but the preponderance of the thirty-nine occurrences name the Edomite range.

Pre-Israelite occupants

Genesis 14:6 places the Horites (“cave-dwellers”) in “their mountains of Seir,” identifying an indigenous, non-Semitic group organized under tribal chiefs (Genesis 36:20-30). Archaeology confirms Bronze Age troglodyte settlements, fitting the biblical record that Esau later displaced them (Deuteronomy 2:12, 22).

Esau’s inheritance and the rise of Edom

Seir enters salvation history with Jacob’s twin. After selling his birthright and receiving Isaac’s lesser blessing, “Esau settled in the hill country of Seir; Esau is Edom” (Genesis 36:8). The choice suited him physically (“hairy”) and symbolically: rugged terrain mirrored a rough, self-reliant character that would clash with covenant purposes. Genesis 32:3 and 33:14-16 already assume Esau’s presence there when Jacob returned from Paddan-aram. The region thus became the geographic identity of the Edomites, whose chiefs, kings, and later vassal governors issued from Seir (Genesis 36:9, 31-43; 1 Chronicles 1:35-54).

Israel’s pilgrimage and Seir

During the Exodus Israel skirted Edomite territory: “Do not provoke them… for I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his possession” (Deuteronomy 2:5). Twice the narrative underscores that Yahweh, not human politics, assigned the land (Deuteronomy 2:12, 22). The refusal of Edom to grant passage (Numbers 20:14-21, implied) forced Israel southward to the Red Sea, shaping the route memorialized in Deuteronomy 1:2 and 2:1, 8.

Covenant encounters at Seir

Deborah’s song recalls a theophany: “When You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled” (Judges 5:4). The language parallels Sinai imagery (Exodus 19), suggesting that the divine Warrior occasionally chose Seir as a stage to reveal His glory, reinforcing universal sovereignty beyond Israel’s borders.

Conquest boundaries

Joshua lists Seir as the southern limit of victories over “all the kings” from Mount Halak “as far as Seir” (Joshua 11:17; 12:7), yet the text immediately clarifies that Edom itself remained outside Israel’s allotments (Joshua 24:4).

Monarchic conflicts and alliances

• King Jehoshaphat’s day: Moabites, Ammonites, and men from Mount Seir formed a confederacy (2 Chronicles 20:10). God turned them against each other (20:22-23).
• King Amaziah of Judah struck “ten thousand men of Seir” (2 Chronicles 25:11) but later imported their idols (25:14), illustrating the perennial temptation to copy Edomite religion.
• Simeonite clans migrated to Seir and destroyed Amalekite remnants, living there “to this day” (1 Chronicles 4:42-43), a rare, positive occupation depicted as judgment upon Amalek rather than seizure from Edom.

Prophetic oracles against Seir

The prophets treat Seir/Edom as a paradigm of perpetual hostility:
• Numbers 24:18 anticipates that “Edom will become a possession, as will Seir, his enemy.”
• Isaiah 21:11 pictures a sentinel’s anguished cry from Seir, forecasting doom yet longing for dawn.
• Ezekiel devotes a full chapter: “I am against you, Mount Seir… Because you cherished ancient hostility” (35:2-5). Similar indictments appear in 25:8 and 36:5.
• Obadiah, Jeremiah 49, and Malachi 1 echo the theme, announcing desolation for Edom and vindication for Zion. The mountains of Seir thus exemplify how opposition to God’s redemptive plan invites irrevocable judgment.

Eschatological and typological notes

Seir’s eventual ruin anticipates the day when every proud elevation is humbled (Isaiah 2:12-17). Conversely, the Lord’s march “from Edom, with crimsoned garments from Bozrah” (Isaiah 63:1) portrays a Warrior-Redeemer who tramples adversaries yet secures salvation for His people. Seir therefore becomes a geographical canvas for final victory.

Ministry implications

1. Divine ownership of lands—Seir given to Esau—underscores that God governs nations and sets their boundaries (Acts 17:26).
2. Israel’s restraint toward Edom during the wilderness sojourn models patient obedience even toward hostile kin.
3. The prophetic downfall of Seir warns against harboring “perpetual hatred” (Ezekiel 35:5) and encourages believers to leave vengeance to God.
4. God’s theophany at Seir illustrates that He may reveal Himself in unexpected places, reminding the church to recognize His work beyond familiar borders.
5. Amaziah’s folly after conquering Seir cautions against adopting the idols of defeated cultures, highlighting the need for discernment in missions and cultural engagement.

Key references for personal study

Genesis 14:6; 32:3; 36:8-9

Numbers 24:18

Deuteronomy 2:1-8, 12, 22

Joshua 11:17; 24:4

Judges 5:4

2 Chronicles 20:10, 22-23; 25:11-14

Isaiah 21:11

Ezekiel 35

Obadiah 1:10-18

Seir’s account moves from habitation by the Horites, to Edomite possession, to prophetic desolation, and finally to eschatological subjection under the reign of the Messiah. In Scripture the mountain thus stands as a witness to the faithfulness of God’s promises, the certainty of His judgments, and the hope of ultimate redemption.

בְּשֵׂעִ֑יר בְּשֵׂעִ֔יר בְּשֵׂעִ֖יר בשעיר וְשֵׂעִ֔יר וּבְשֵׂעִ֞יר ובשעיר ושעיר מִשֵּׂעִ֔יר מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ משעיר שֵׂעִ֑יר שֵׂעִ֑ירָה שֵׂעִ֔יר שֵׂעִ֖יר שֵׂעִ֗יר שֵׂעִ֛יר שֵׂעִֽירָה׃ שֵׂעִֽיר׃ שֵׂעִיר֙ שעיר שעיר׃ שעירה שעירה׃ bə·śê·‘îr bəśê‘îr beseIr miś·śê·‘îr miśśê‘îr misseIr śê‘îr śê‘îrāh śê·‘î·rāh śê·‘îr seIr seIrah ū·ḇə·śê·‘îr ūḇəśê‘îr uveseIr veseIr wə·śê·‘îr wəśê‘îrInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts