Deuteronomy 2:5

5 Don't fight with them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even an inch of it,^[a] because I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as [his] possession.

Deuteronomy 2:5 Meaning and Commentary

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 ) ( Joshua 24:4 ) .

Deuteronomy 2:5 In-Context

3 'You've been traveling around this hill country long enough; turn north.

4 Command the people: You are about to travel through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so you must be very careful.

5 Don't fight with them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even an inch of it, because I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as [his] possession.

6 You may purchase food from them with silver, so that you may eat, and buy water from them to drink.

7 For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this immense wilderness. The Lord your God has been with you this past 40 years, and you have lacked nothing.'

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit land as far as the width of a sole of a foot