A Prophecy of Esau and Jacob

Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest continuous major civilizations, with historical and urban settlements dating back to 4000 years ago. To understand a prophecy about Iran, we first need to know who Iran is.

In ancient times, Iran was called Persia before 1935, with its ancient Capital cities at Susa (or Shushan) and Persepolis; and even further back, it was known as Elam, the first son of Shem, the firstborn of Noah.

By right, Elam, the firstborn, should have the birthright, but the line went through Arphaxad. How Elam lost that birthright wasn’t spelt out. So we are left to speculate a bit.

Here are a few Scriptures about Elam and Persia, ancient names referring to what is now modern-day Iran, along with some prophecies.

In the Past

“You yourself are the head of gold. In your place another kingdom shall arise, inferior to you [in power and authority], that is silver; … which shall have authority in all the earth.” Daniel 2:38–39

“And behold, another animal, a second one like a she-bear; one part was set up, and three ribs were in her mouth between her teeth. Thus they [the teeth] were saying to her [the beast], ‘Rise! Devour huge amounts of flesh.’” Daniel 7:5

A bear was the second beast Daniel saw emerge out of the Great Sea in great commotion. This is the Medo-Persian Empire that succeeded the Babylonian empire. This is reflective of Iran in the near future. He had three ribs in his mouth.

Daniel chapter 8. The second beast is identified in Daniel 8:20. There it is given two horns as well, and it is called Media and Persia.

Jeremiah 49:34-39

³⁴ The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,

— the word of the Lord that came unto Jeremiah the prophet against Elam; the Persians, as it is commonly understood, who descended from Elam the son of Shem, Genesis 10:22;

— according to Josephus; but rather the country of Elymais is here designed; which though in the times of Cyrus was added to and made a part of the Persian empire, yet was a country distinct both from Persia and Media; and as though as near unto Persia and bordering on Media, a country that belonged to the Assyrians; and so it seems that Elam served under Sennacherib, king of Assyria, when he besieged Jerusalem;

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“The word of prophecy that was from before the Lord with Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, at the beginning of the kingdom of Zedekiah, king of the tribe of the House of Judah, saying:”

³⁵ “Thus saith the Lord of hosts: “‘Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might. — thus the Lord of hosts will break the bow of Elam; the inhabitants of this country were famous for their skill in archery;

— in which their great strength lay; in which they put their trust and confidence; the chief of their might; this the Lord threatens to break so that it should be useless and of no more service to them to defend themselves or annoy others; their strength;

— or may design their mighty men, the archers themselves, who should be destroyed, even Elam itself, and all their inhabitants especially their warriors, who should be slain or carried captive;

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“Thus says the Lord of Hosts: ‘Behold, I am breaking the strength of Elam, the beginning (or chief part) of their might.'”

³⁶ And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.

— and upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; the Targum interprets it the four kingdoms; see Daniel 7:2. Some think this had its accomplishment in the times of Alexander; or else after his death in the times of his four successors;

— in the context of the current regional tensions involving the IRGC and Operation Epic Fury, this verse is often highlighted by analysts who track “Elam” as a biblical proxy for modern-day Iran; as God will scatter them towards all those winds; those four winds, east, west, north and south;

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And I will bring against Elam four kingdoms from the four winds of the heavens, and I will scatter them to all these winds; and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not go.”

³⁷ For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies and before them that seek their life; and I will bring evil upon them, even My fierce anger,’ saith the Lord; ‘and I will send the sword after them till I have consumed them.

— for I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies; frightened; thrown into the utmost consternation so that they shall have no heart nor spirit to go out against them and meet them and defend themselves; but make all haste imaginable to flee from them, such a panic would seize them;

— and before them that seek their life; a further description of their enemies; they being such, who, not content with their substance sought to take away their lives; nothing less would satisfy them; being cruel and blood thirsty:

— and I will bring evil upon them even my fierce anger, saith the Lord; and a greater evil than that cannot be; signifying that the destruction that should be made among them would be the effect of the wrath of God upon them for their sins:

— and I will send the sword after them till I have consumed them; that is, those that slay with the sword, as the Targum says; these should go after those that fled and destroy them till the greater part of them were consumed; for all of them that were taken were not destroyed;

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And I will shatter Elam before their enemies and before those who seek to kill them; and I will bring evil upon them, the strength of My anger, says the Lord; and I will stir up against them those who kill with the sword, until I have destroyed them.”

³⁸ And I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes,’ saith the Lord. — my throne in Elam; this is a throne belonging to God, because God gave it to him; his dominian over Elam, and Elam’s authority over it, were from God;

— the best explanation is best understood to be Cyrus, the Lord’s servant and anointed; whose throne might well be a throne given by God. Exploring this concept further, everything on earth belongs to God, everything that are even of God’s enemies, in heaven or on the earth, are God’s;

“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia: ‘The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah,” Ezra 1:2

— in biblical and prophetic context, God’s throne is usually associated with the third heaven (Psalm 103:19), Isaiah 66:1) or if on earth, in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 43:7), but for God to “set His throne” in Elam or any foreign land means that God is personally executing his judgment there; as the next phrase backs it up “and I will destroy from thence their king and princes”

— sitting on his ‘throne’ in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (a Final Judgment); the prophet Joel describes a future event where God takes his seat in a specific valley to judge the surrounding nations; “For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations,” Joel 3:12

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And I will set the throne of My kingdom in Elam, and I will destroy from there [their] king and princes, says the Lord.”

³⁹ “‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ saith the Lord.” — though that is observed in the first year of his reign, some have thought that it is best to understand it or Cyrus, the Lord’s servant and anointed;

— and whose throne might well be called the throne of God, which he gave him, and set him on in an eminent manner, not only there, but even everywhere;

— the Targum of Jonathan says

“And it shall be at the end of days, I will bring back the exile (captives) of Elam, says the Lord.”

And now into the future:

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Ezekiel 38

¹ And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, in the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him — Gog¹⁴⁶³ גוג (Agag ⁹⁰אגג) of the land of Magog, is an abbreviated expression for “Gog from the land of Magog;”

— Magog, Meshech and Tubal, these are the sons of Japheth; Gomer, and his son, Togarmah, are mentioned later in verse 6; omitting the Japhetic tribes of Madai, Javan and Tiras; Genesis 10:2), and led by their chief, Gog, Russia; and Gog is acting as their Chief; their Prince;

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. ³And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah ⁴And the sons of Javan: Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. Genesis 10:2-4

— in Revelation 20:8, after the thousand years are over, “Gog and Magog” might be a term adopted by John either as mystical names or symbolic names of rebellious nations against the eminence of those ruling from Jerusalem; or rebelling “against the mountains of Israel” with Jerusalem as its Capital;

³ and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. — Gog is not a name among the sons of Japheth, but designated as from the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal;

— some from the first opinion identify Moscow as Meshech and Tobolsk as Tubal; a country called Ros; from whence the Russians came;

⁴ And I will turn thee back and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords;

— “Gog and Magog” seems to have a evil design for the mountains of Israel, hailing a war cry: “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance,” sounding like a decree from today’s Ayatollah of Iran, hence drawing God’s response;

⁵ Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them, all of them with shield and helmet; — Persia, or Elam (for more, see Jeremiah 49), today’s Iran, these, with Ethiopia, and Libya, are known to be from among the sons or grandsons of Ham (or with a mix with Shem)

— the Targum says,

“Persians, Ethiopians (Kushites), and Libyans (Putites) are with them; all of them armed with round shields and helmets.”

~~~

The War against Israel may be added by other nationalities, or overlapped with other nationalities; one of who could be the Edomites, the posterity of Esau, Jacob’s brother.

And more on Esau, from Obadiah 1:20

And the captives of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad (בִּסְפָרַ֑ד Hebrew 5614) shall possess the cities of the south. Obadiah 1:20

And the exiles of this nation of the Children of Israel that is in the land of the Canaanites (shall inherit) until Zerapahath. And the exiles of Jerusalem that are in Ispamiah will inherit the villages of the south land. Obadiah 1:20 (Jonathan)

— Rashi: And this exiled host: Heb. הַחֵל. Jonathan renders: This people. הַחֵל, An expression of a host. Cf. (Isa. 36:2) “And he came to Jerusalem with an army (חֵיל) of a great multitude,” which deals with Rabshakeh, only that this one is missing a “yud.” It is also possible to explain גָלֻת הַחֵל as “the exile of this valley.”

— and the exile of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad: who are of the people of Judah who were exiled to Sepharad – they shall inherit the cities of the southland, which are in the Southern part of Eretz Israel. The exegetes [a person who interprets text, especially the Scriptures] claim that Zarephath is the kingdom called France in French;

— Jonathan renders: Spain (Rashi quoting the Targum: Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the Southland rendering it as Spain); the Targums identified Sepharad with Spain (Ispamia or Ispania), hence, Spanish Jews are called Sephardim;

— Peshitta (Lamsa): The first exiles, that is, of the children of Israel, shall possess the land from Canaan as far as Zarephath; and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Spain shall possess the cities of the south (hard copy);

— Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges: Sepharad is the name of a place; the modern Jews understand it of Spain, and accordingly, “at the present day the Spanish Jews, who form the chief of the two great sections into which the Jewish nation is divided, are called by the Jews themselves the Sephardim, German Jews being known as the Ashkenazim.”

— Geneva Study Bible: by Zarephath, France; and by Sepharad, Spain;

Perhaps, another two-pronged mysterious prophecies about how the posterity of Esau could play a role with a prophecy against Iran are expounded in the book of Ezekiel

(1) Ezekiel 4 – 390/40 Years Timeline
(2) The Flaming Sword and Fire from the South!

~ by Joel on May 15, 2026.

Posted in Iran, Israel