The Edomites were the descendants of the biblical Esau, who was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the father of 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Genesis 25 notes that these twin brothers wrestled in the womb and that the older (Esau) would serve the younger: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). When he was born, Esau was considered red and hairy (Genesis 25:25).
As an adult, Esau gave away his birthright to his brother Jacob in exchange for some red stew or soup because he was famished. This was noted as the reason he was called Edom. Later, Edom’s land would include the locations Seir (Joshua 24:4), Bozrah (Isaiah 63:1), and Sela (2 Kings 14:7, modern-day Petra).
In Genesis 36:31, the Bible records that the early Edomites had kings long before Israel had a king. The Edomites worshiped a variety of gods (the Jewish historian Josephus mentioned a god served by the Edomites named Koze) and lived in the land south of the Dead Sea that included red sandstone.
In Numbers 20 the Israelites requested permission to pass through Edom during its 40-year wilderness journey. This request was turned down. Deuteronomy 23:7 commanded that the Israelites could not despise or hate the Edomites because of their family connection.