There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.
At that time, Edom had no king of its own - instead, a governor appointed by someone else ruled over them.
This verse explains that Edom was being ruled by an appointed governor rather than having their own independent king.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of 1 Kings, this verse appears during the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah in the 9th century BC, amid accounts of alliances and conflicts between Israel, Judah, and neighboring nations. Edom was a kingdom south of Judah that had a history of rivalry and occasional subjugation by Israelite kings, and this statement indicates that at this time, Edom was not ruled by its own monarch but by a deputy, likely under Judah's oversight. This reflects the common ancient Near Eastern practice of vassal states being administered by appointed officials during periods of foreign influence.
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