Isaiah phrases his description of the millennial kingdom in terms that his immediate audience would understand. This reunited house of Jacob will exert political power over its traditional foes. In glory, it will exceed David’s kingdom, the historical high point of a Hebrew kingdom. These descriptors, however, should be read metaphorically and symbolically, not as literal activities of the triumphant Messiah’s kingdom. In their ultimate form, they symbolize God’s power over his greatest adversary—the forces of evil.
History: Hoyt Brewster notes:
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.