man of Kerioth
KERIOTH
Kerioth means "city". Kerioth-Arba for instance, was the city of Hebron. There were also other cities and the spelling may vary from Kerioth to Kirjath. Joshua conquered many cities and there is a list given in Joshua 15:
"the uttermost cities of the Tribe of the children of Judah from the coast of Edom southward..."
The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, and had originally lived south of the Dead Sea area. The descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Edom, lived southwest of the Dead Sea. The one in Joshua was called Kerioth-Sefer or Debir: "the city of letters". The history of this city was that it was finally occupied by Edomites.
When Joshua entered the Promised Land, there were certain cities of the Edomites that hindered the children of Israel from inheriting what the L-rd had Promised. These were the Amelekites. There was recorded a great battle between Israel and the Amelekites in the 17th Chapter of Exodus.
The very words of Moses are:
"...the L-rd has Sworn that the L-rd will have war with Amelek from generation to generation."
The Amelekites were Prophesied to remain enemies of Israel, "from generation to generation".
The Edomites hindered Israel as recorded in Numbers 20:14-21. All of these were the descendants of Esau and they gave Israel many problems all throughout the Old Testament. When Samuel was Judge, King Saul was commanded to destroy the Amelekites, but had befriended Agag who most likely had a "great personality". Samuel announced because Saul had not executed Agag along with the rest of the Amelekites that Sauls' throne was given to another:
"Because you have rejected the Word of the L-rd, the L-rd has also rejected you from being king." I Samuel 15:23
King David and his son Solomon also had problems with the Amelekites.
The Prophet Obadiah records that the Edomites cast lots on Jerusalem before it fell to the Babylonians. They prevented the Israelites from escaping and turned Judah over to their enemies for persecution and execution. Edomites then pillaged the whole city.
Obadiah Prophesies:
"For your violence against your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you will be CUT OFF FOREVER.
"as you have done, it shall be done unto you: your reward shall return upon your own head.
"and saviours shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the Kingdom shall be the L-rds'."
The wicked Haman from the Book of Esther was also said to be an Amelekite.
The Prophet Ezekiel Prophesies of Edom:
"Thus Saith the L-RD G-d: Because that Edom has dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them, therefore Thus Saith the L-RD G-d; I Will also Stretch Out My Hand upon Edom...and I Will Lay My Vengeance upon Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they shall do in Edom According to Mine Anger and According to My Fury; and they shall know My Vengeance, Saith the L-RD G-d." Ezekiel 25:12-14
Isaiah Prophesies:
"For My Sword shall be Bathed in Heaven: Behold it shall come down upon Idumea[1], and UPON THE PEOPLE OF MY CURSE. The Sword of the L-RD is filled with blood.......for the L-RD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.
"For it is the Day of the L-RDS' Vengeance, and the Day of Recompense for the Controversy of Zion." Isaiah 34:5,6,8
What Controversy?
Here is another passage Prophesying the L-RDS' Vengeance on His enemies. See who this is:
QUESTION: "Who is it that comes from Edom, with dyed garments of Bozrah?[2] This that is Glorious in His Apparel, Traveling in the Greatness of His Strength?
ANSWER: "I that Speak in Righteousness, Mighty to Save.
QUESTION: "Why are you red in Your Apparel, and Your Garments like him who treads the winepress?
ANSWER: "I have Trodden the winepress Alone; and of the people there was none with Me: for I will Tread them in My Anger and Trample them in My Fury; and their blood will be sprinkled upon My Garments, and I will stain all My Raiment. For the Day of Vengeance is in My Heart, and the Year of My Redeemed has Come.
"And I Looked, and there was none to help; and I Wondered that there was none to uphold[3]: Therefore My Own Arm Brought Salvation Unto Me; and My Fury it Upheld Me. And I Will Tread Down the people in My Anger and Make them drunk in My Fury, and I Will Bring Down their strength to the earth." Isaiah 63:1-6
Malachi also Prophesies:
"I Loved you, Says the L-RD. Yet you say, 'Wherein have You Loved us?'
"Was not Esau Jacobs' brother? Saith the L-RD: yet I Loved Jacob and hated Esau, and Laid his mountain and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
"Wherein Esau says, 'We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places';
"Thus Says the L-RD of Hosts, They shall build but I Will Throw Down; and they shall call them; the border of wickedness;
AND THE PEOPLE AGAINST WHOM THE L-RD HAS INDIGNATION FOREVER. And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, 'The L-RD will be Magnified from the border of Israel'." Malachi 1:1-4
Notice over and over there is Prophesied the L-RDS' Curse and "indignation forever" against Esau, the Edomites. Amalek. Seeing that they are Prophesied against so much, would Edom play some critical future role in G-ds' Plan for Israel?
JOHN HYRCANUS I
In about 125 B.C. the king of the Jews, John Hyrcanus I (who had also assumed the High Priesthood), conquered Edom and forced all the Edomites to convert to Judaism! Forced Judaizing. They all underwent forced circumcision and were forced to follow the Torah (Laws of Moses). This is recorded by Josephus who said they then "became Jews"! [4]
That is, the entire community of the Edomites were forced proselytes to Judaism! They were called "Edomite-Jews". Of Edom. Amalek!
HEROD THE GREAT
Not very many generations after their forced conversion, suddenly we find an "Edomite-Jew" has risen to be king of Israel!
Herod the Great was one such "Edomite-Jew". He was appointed king of the Jews by Rome![5]
The New Testament records that when the wise men came to King Herod seeking the "one born King of the Jews", Herod was extremely interested. If he were a true Jew, shouldn't he have welcomed news of the possible birth of the Messiah of Israel with all gladness? Did he go on a fact-finding mission? Did he go in person or send a royal diplomatic envoy?
What did he do instead? Herod sent a contingent of shock troops and butchered all the Jewish male children two years old and
younger in Bethlehem!
Yosef and Miryam with Yeshua had fled the city for Egypt having been warned to do so.
Was this not Edom once again seeking to destroy Israels' hopes? Even seeking the destruction of Israels' Messianic Vision altogether?
But would Edomite Jews become involved in even more sinister events related to persecution and death with regard to Israels' Messiah?
JOHN THE BAPTIST
Were the ones responsible for John the Baptists' murder Edomite-Jews? Yes. Herod Antipas was the grandson of Herod the Great through Aristobulus. He was Tetrach of Galilee and Perea. He is called Herod the Tetrarch in the New Testament. His wife, Herodius, had first married an uncle in Rome, then Herod Antipas' brother Philip who was Tetrarch of Iturea, Gaulanitis and Trachonitus. She divorced Herod Philip to marry Antipas. It was Herodius who told her daughter to ask for John the Baptists' head on a silver platter. Herod Antipas was the Herod of the New Testament who also interrogated Yeshua. When Yeshua says "that fox" He refers to Herod Antipas.
WHO THEN IS THIS MAN OF KERIOTH?
The Hebrew word for man is ISH. So, man of Kerioth could be written: ISH KARIOTH. Neither Hebrew nor Greek have the letter "H". Instead there is an aspiration or "breathing" mark in those places, so it could be written:
IS-KARIOTH
How would this Hebrew phrase be transliterated into Greek?
ISCARIOT!
Could it be that Judas Iscariot, the one that betrayed our Messiah, was a "man of Karioth"? IS-KARIOTH? Judas Iscariot was also an "Edomite-Jew"? Of Amalek?
Judas Iscariot was not a Galilean, nor is he called a Judean.
David Prophesied what is said to be a key Messianic Prophecy:
"Yea, Mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted, which did eat of My bread, has lifted up his heel against Me." Psalm 41:9
Whose heel? Was not Esaus' heel raised against Yakov (Jacob) at birth? When the twins were born to Rivkah (Rebecca), did not Yakov take hold of Esaus' lifted-up heel? (Genesis 25:26) Lifting up the heel is considered a sign of contempt and derision.
Just Coincidence? Or does Scripture tell us that the main characters involved in persecuting Israel were not even true Jews at all?
Go here for pictures of KERIOTH TODAY. Apparently all that is left are underground dwellings where sheep are sometimes kept.
FOOTNOTES
Some R" interpretations have "Bozrah" becoming where Messiah will appear, and not Prophetic concerning Israels' struggle with the Edomites. Some Christian exegetes, also following R" interpretation, therefore are insisting that the Second Coming of Yeshua must occur precisely in Bozrah and no where else. (?) We disagree.
