Pensamiento judío sobre I Reyes 22:48

This is what would be demanded by these cogent considerations and this is, indeed, corroborated by experience and by the testimony of the prophets. And this is the intent of the verse (Genesis 36:31): "And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel." Why must Scripture state "before a king reigned…" if not to inform us that precisely because there was no king in Israel in those days there was a king in Edom. For if Israel had attained to kingdom there would be no king in Edom, kingdom indeed departing from them, as we see, when a king arose in Israel. For David, king of Israel, appointed deputies over them and did not allow them kings, this situation obtaining until the time of Yehoshafat, as it is written of that time (I Kings 22:48): "There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king." And this situation persisted until the time of Yehoram, of whom (because of his sins and his following the house of Achav) it is written (II Kings 8:20): "In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah and they made a king over themselves." And they had kings until the exile, as it is written (Ibid 22): "And Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah until this day," the Jews not being sufficiently righteous to cut off a king from Edom. In the time of the second Temple, however, Edom was subservient to Israel, Hyrcanus making them guards of Jerusalem and causing them to enter the covenant of circumcision. And in the days of Agrippas, when Jerusalem was taken, Edomite regiments came to the assistance of Judah.