Lectionary Calendar
Monday, August 4th, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Deuteronomy 2:5

but you must not start a war with them, because I am not going to give you so much as a square foot of their land. I have given Edom to Esau's descendants.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Edomites;   Esau;   Seir;   Thompson Chain Reference - Mountains;   Seir, Mount;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;   Edomites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ar;   Idumea;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Jesus Christ, Name and Titles of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Edom;   Esau;   Jephthah;   Pentateuch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Balaam;   Esau;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Seir, Mount;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Seir;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Esau and Jacob;   Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Edom;   Esau;   Hor, Mount;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Edox, Idumea;   Esau;   Seir;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
don't contend with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given Mount Se`ir to Esav for a possession.
King James Version
Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
Lexham English Bible
Do not get involved in battle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a foot's breadth of it; since I have given Mount Seir as a possession for Esau.
English Standard Version
Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
New Century Version
Do not go to war against them. I will not give you any of their land—not even a foot of it, because I have given the mountains of Edom to Esau as his own.
New English Translation
Do not be hostile toward them, because I am not giving you any of their land, not even a footprint, for I have given Mount Seir as an inheritance for Esau.
Amplified Bible
do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as little as a footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
New American Standard Bible
do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even as much as a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Ye shall not prouoke them: for I wil not giue you of their land so much as a foot breadth, because I haue giuen mount Seir vnto Esau for a possession.
Legacy Standard Bible
do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, even as little as a footstep because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
Contemporary English Version
but don't start a war with them. I have given them the hill country of Seir, so I won't give any of it to you, not even enough to set a foot on.
Complete Jewish Bible
and don't get into disputes with them; for I am not going to give you any of their land, no, not even enough for one foot to stand on; inasmuch as I have given Mount Se‘ir to ‘Esav as his possession.
Darby Translation
attack them not; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot-breadth; for I have given mount Seir as a possession unto Esau.
Easy-to-Read Version
Don't fight them. I will not give you any of their land—not even a foot of it, because I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau to keep as his own.
George Lamsa Translation
Do not provoke them; for I will not give you a possession of their land, no, not so much as the breadth of a foot to tread on, because I have given mount Seir to Esau for a possession.
Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a foot of it, because I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his possession.
Literal Translation
you shall not fight against them, for I will not give their land to you, even to a step of a sole of a foot, for I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that ye prouoke them not: for I wyl not geue you one fote bredth of their londe. For mount Seir haue I geuen to the children of Esau to possesse.
American Standard Version
contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
Bible in Basic English
Make no attack on them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even space enough for a man's foot: because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for his heritage.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Take ye good heede vnto your selues therfore: Ye shall not prouoke them, for I wyll not geue you of their lande, no not so much as a foote breadth, because I haue geuen mount Seir vnto Esau to possesse.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
King James Version (1611)
Meddle not with them, for I will not giue you of their land, no not so much as a foote breadth, because I haue giuen mount Seir vnto Esau for a possession.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Do not engage in war against them, for I will not give you of their land even enough to set your foot upon, for I have given mount Seir to the children of Esau as an inheritance.
English Revised Version
contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on: because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
Berean Standard Bible
Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his possession.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor se ye diligentli, that ye be not moued ayens hem; for Y schal not yyue to you of the land `of hem as myche as the steppe of o foot may trede, for Y yaf the hil of Seir in to the possessioun of Esau.
Young's Literal Translation
ye do not strive with them, for I do not give to you of their land even the treading of the sole of a foot; for a possession to Esau I have given mount Seir.
Update Bible Version
don't contend with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir to Esau for a possession.
Webster's Bible Translation
Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot-breadth; because I have given mount Seir to Esau [for] a possession.
World English Bible
don't contend with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession.
New King James Version
Do not meddle with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
New Living Translation
Do not bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you even one square foot of their land.
New Life Bible
Do not make them angry. For I will not give you any of their land, not even enough for a foot to step on. I have given Mount Seir to Esau for his own.
New Revised Standard
not to engage in battle with them, for I will not give you even so much as a foot's length of their land, since I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
do not engage in strife with them, for I will not give you of their land, so much as place for the tread of a foot-sole, - for as a possession to Esau, have I given Mount Seir.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Take ye then good heed that you stir not against them. For I will not give you of their land so much as the step of one foot can tread upon, because I have given mount Seir to Esau, for a possession.
Revised Standard Version
do not contend with them; for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Se'ir to Esau as a possession.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, even as little as a footstep because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession.

Contextual Overview

1 we finally turned and went into the desert, on the road to the Gulf of Aqaba, as the Lord had commanded, and we spent a long time wandering about in the hill country of Edom. 2 "Then the Lord told me 3 that we had spent enough time wandering about in those hills and that we should go north. 4 He told me to give you the following instructions ‘You are about to go through the hill country of Edom, the territory of your distant relatives, the descendants of Esau. They will be afraid of you, 5 but you must not start a war with them, because I am not going to give you so much as a square foot of their land. I have given Edom to Esau's descendants. 6 You may buy food and water from them.' 7 "Remember how the Lord your God has blessed you in everything that you have done. He has taken care of you as you wandered through this vast desert. He has been with you these forty years, and you have had everything you needed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

no, not so much as a foot breadth: Heb. even to the treading of the sole of the foot, Acts 7:5

because: Deuteronomy 32:8, Genesis 36:8, Joshua 24:4, 2 Chronicles 20:10-12, Jeremiah 27:5, Daniel 4:25, Daniel 4:32, Acts 17:26

Reciprocal: Genesis 32:3 - Seir Genesis 36:43 - their Exodus 15:14 - hear Numbers 21:4 - compass Deuteronomy 2:9 - Ar Deuteronomy 2:19 - General Deuteronomy 2:37 - unto the land 2 Chronicles 20:23 - mount Seir Isaiah 21:11 - me out Ezekiel 25:8 - Seir Ezekiel 35:2 - mount Obadiah 1:9 - mount

Cross-References

Genesis 2:9
He made all kinds of beautiful trees grow there and produce good fruit. In the middle of the garden stood the tree that gives life and the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.
Genesis 2:11
The first river is the Pishon; it flows around the country of Havilah.
Genesis 2:12
(Pure gold is found there and also rare perfume and precious stones.)
Genesis 3:23
So the Lord God sent them out of the Garden of Eden and made them cultivate the soil from which they had been formed.
Genesis 4:2
Later she gave birth to another son, Abel. Abel became a shepherd, but Cain was a farmer.
Genesis 4:12
If you try to grow crops, the soil will not produce anything; you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth."
Job 5:10
He sends rain on the land and he waters the fields.
Psalms 104:14
You make grass grow for the cattle and plants for us to use, so that we can grow our crops
Psalms 135:7
He brings storm clouds from the ends of the earth; he makes lightning for the storms, and he brings out the wind from his storeroom.
Jeremiah 14:22
None of the idols of the nations can send rain; the sky by itself cannot make showers fall. We have put our hope in you, O Lord our God, because you are the one who does these things.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ver. 5 Meddle not with them,.... Contend not with them in battle, nor provoke them to it:

for I will not give you of their land, no not so much as a foot breadth; or as the sole of a man's foot can tread on, signifying that they should not have the least part of it, not any at all. Jarchi makes mention of an exposition of theirs, that he would give them nothing of it until should come the day of the treading of the sole of the foot in the mount of Olives, Zechariah 14:4, meaning not till the days of the Messiah, when Edom should be a possession of Israel; see Numbers 24:18, Obadiah 1:19

because I have given Mount Seir unto Esau for a possession; and therefore not to be taken away from them; they have a right of inheritance of it; see Genesis 36:8.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I have given mount Seir to Esau - Though the descendants of Esau were conquered by David 2 Samuel 8:14, yet they were not dispossessed of their land, and in the reign of Jehoshaphat they regained their independence 2 Kings 8:20-22.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 2:5. Meddle not with them — That is, the Edomites. See on Numbers 20:14-21.


 
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