The description of the ultimate kingdom of the Messiah is placed in terms that would be understood by Isaiah’s immediate audience. The political power of this reunited house of Jacob will be extended over the ancient foes of the house of Jacob. It will be a kingdom that will exceed the glory of the Davidic kingdom, the historical benchmark for a powerful past Hebrew kingdom. With the focus on events at the end of time, one should be cautioned against seeing these places as the literal path of the triumphant Messiah’s kingdom. They are meant to be symbolic of the extension of the Lord’s power over his traditional enemies, and by extension, over his adversary, or over Satan’s forces.
Historical information: “Edom was the name of Esau’s descendants and the territory they occupied in Mount Seir. The country lay southeast of Palestine, with Moab on the north and the Dead Sea on the northwest. The Edomites and Israelites shared a mutual hatred of one another. Moab was southeast of the Dead Sea, and its citizens were constantly at war with the Israelites. The Ammonites were descendants of Abraham’s nephew, Lot. Their country was located east of Mount Gilead, north of Moab. They were a constant irritant to the Israelites. The area occupied by the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites now comprises the country of modern Jordan.” (Brewster, Isaiah Plain and Simple, p. 118.)