1 Kings 22:47
New International Version
There was then no king in Edom; a provincial governor ruled.

New Living Translation
(There was no king in Edom at that time, only a deputy.)

English Standard Version
There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.

Berean Standard Bible
And there was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.

King James Bible
There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

New King James Version
There was then no king in Edom, only a deputy of the king.

New American Standard Bible
Now there was no king in Edom; a governor served as king.

NASB 1995
Now there was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.

NASB 1977
Now there was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now there was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.

Amplified Bible
Now there was no king in Edom; a deputy (governor) was [serving as] king.

Christian Standard Bible
There was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
There was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.

American Standard Version
And there was no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

Contemporary English Version
The country of Edom had no king at the time, so a lower official ruled the land.

English Revised Version
And there was no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
There was no king in Edom; instead, a deputy ruled.

Good News Translation
The land of Edom had no king; it was ruled by a deputy appointed by the king of Judah.

International Standard Version
There was no king reigning in Edom; there was only a stand-in king.

Majority Standard Bible
And there was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king.

NET Bible
There was no king in Edom at this time; a governor ruled.

New Heart English Bible
There was no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

Webster's Bible Translation
There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

World English Bible
There was no king in Edom. A deputy ruled.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and there is no king in Edom; he set up a king.

Young's Literal Translation
and there is no king in Edom; he set up a king.

Smith's Literal Translation
And a king not in Edom: a director reigned.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And there was then no king appointed in Edom.

Catholic Public Domain Version
At that time, there was no king appointed in Idumea.

New American Bible
There was no king in Edom, but an appointed regent.

New Revised Standard Version
There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
There was then no king who reigned in Edom.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And there was no King remaining in Edom.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And there was no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
46He banished from the land the male shrine prostitutes who remained from the days of his father Asa. 47And there was no king in Edom; a deputy served as king. 48Jehoshaphat built ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they never set sail, because they were wrecked at Ezion-geber.…

Cross References
2 Chronicles 20:35-37
Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, who acted wickedly. / They agreed to make ships to go to Tarshish, and these were built in Ezion-geber. / Then Eliezer son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” So the ships were wrecked and were unable to sail to Tarshish.

2 Kings 3:4-5
Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and he would render to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. / But after the death of Ahab, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

2 Kings 1:1
After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.

2 Kings 8:20-22
In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. / So Jehoram crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. His troops, however, fled to their homes. / So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled at the same time.

2 Samuel 8:14
He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.

Genesis 27:40
You shall live by the sword and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck.”

2 Samuel 7:9-11
I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land. / And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning / and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that He Himself will establish a house for you.

2 Kings 14:7
Amaziah struck down 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He took Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, which is its name to this very day.

2 Kings 16:6
At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram, drove out the men of Judah, and sent the Edomites into Elath, where they live to this day.

2 Chronicles 21:8-10
In the days of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against the hand of Judah and appointed their own king. / So Jehoram crossed into Edom with his officers and all his chariots. When the Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, he rose up and attacked by night. / So to this day Edom has been in rebellion against the hand of Judah. Likewise, Libnah rebelled against his hand at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the LORD, the God of his fathers.

Psalm 60:8
Moab is My washbasin; upon Edom I toss My sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

Isaiah 34:5-6
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. / The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

Isaiah 63:1
Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.”

Jeremiah 49:7-22
Concerning Edom, this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed? / Turn and run! Lie low, O dwellers of Dedan, for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time I punish him. / If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? Were thieves to come in the night, would they not steal only what they wanted? ...

Ezekiel 25:12-14
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt, / therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. / I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.’


Treasury of Scripture

There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king.

no king

Genesis 25:23
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Genesis 27:40
And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

Genesis 36:31
And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

Jump to Previous
Deputy Edom Reigned Ruled Time
Jump to Next
Deputy Edom Reigned Ruled Time
1 Kings 22
1. Ahab, seduced by false prophets, by Michaiah's word, is slain at Ramoth Gilead
37. The dogs lick up his blood, and Ahaziah succeeds him
41. Jehoshaphat's good reign
45. His acts
46. Jehoram succeeds him
51. Ahaziah's evil reign














And there was no king in Edom
The phrase "no king in Edom" indicates a period of political instability or transition within the region of Edom. Historically, Edom was a neighboring nation to Israel, often in conflict with it. The absence of a king suggests a power vacuum or a time when Edom was under the influence or control of another power, possibly Israel or Judah. The Hebrew root for "king" is "melek," which signifies a ruler or sovereign. In the biblical context, the absence of a king often implies a lack of centralized authority, which could lead to disorder or foreign domination. This situation in Edom might reflect God's sovereignty over nations, as He raises and removes leaders according to His divine plan.

a deputy served as king
The term "deputy" here is translated from the Hebrew word "nasi," which can mean a prince, leader, or chief. This indicates that while there was no official king, a representative or appointed leader governed in the king's stead. This arrangement suggests a form of governance that maintained order and continuity in the absence of a monarch. The deputy's role as a stand-in for the king highlights the importance of leadership and stewardship, even when traditional structures are not in place. From a scriptural perspective, this can be seen as a reminder of God's provision and order, ensuring that leadership is present to guide and protect the people, even in times of transition or uncertainty. The presence of a deputy also underscores the idea that authority is ultimately derived from God, who appoints leaders according to His purposes.

(47) There was then no king in Edom.--This notice is apparently connected with the following verses; for Ezion-geber is a seaport of the Edomite territory. Whatever may have been the influence of Hadad in the last days of Solomon (1Kings 11:14), Edom does not seem to have regained independence till the time of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat (2Chronicles 21:8-10); although in the confederacy against Jehoshaphat, those "of Mount Seir" are included with the Moabites and Ammonites (2Chronicles 20:10; 2Chronicles 20:22). The "king of Edom," of 2 Kings 3, who is evidently a subject ally, not regarded in consultation (see 1Kings 22:6-9), must be "the deputy" of this passage.

Verse 47. - There was then no king in Edom: a deputy [נִצָב, same word as in 1 Kings 4:7. It is implied that this officer was appointed by the king of Judah (Wordsworth)] was king. [This fact is mentioned to show how it was that Jehoshaphat was able to build a fleet at Ezion-Geber, in the territory of Edom (1 Kings 9:26). That country would seem to have regained its independence very soon after Solomon's death (1 Kings 11:14), but would also appear from the text, and from 2 Kings 8:20, 22, to have been again made subject to Judah, probably by Jehoshaphat himself; see 2 Chronicles 17:10, 11.]

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And there was no
אֵ֛ין (’ên)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

king
וּמֶ֥לֶךְ (ū·me·leḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

in Edom;
בֶּאֱד֖וֹם (be·’ĕ·ḏō·wm)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 123: The name of a condiment

a deputy
נִצָּ֥ב (niṣ·ṣāḇ)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5324: To take one's stand, stand

served as king.
מֶֽלֶךְ׃ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king


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OT History: 1 Kings 22:47 There was no king in Edom: (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 22:46
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