Bozrah

Bozrah, meaning fortress or sheepfold, designates two distinct locations in the Old Testament. The more prominent is Bozrah of Edom, the ancient capital of the Edomite kingdom, located in the region of modern Jordan. It was the city of Jobab son of Zerah, one of the early Edomite kings (Gen. 36:33). Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos all cite Bozrah as the symbol of Edom's power and the focus of divine judgment against that nation (Isa. 34:6; 63:1; Jer. 49:13; Amos 1:12).

Isaiah 63:1 contains one of the most vivid prophetic images in Scripture: the divine warrior “coming from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah” after treading the winepress of nations, his garments stained with the blood of divine judgment. Micah 2:12 uses Bozrah as a gathering place for the remnant of Israel, employing the image of sheep in a fold. A second Bozrah, in Moab (Jer. 48:24), was also subject to prophetic judgment. The Edomite Bozrah corresponds to modern Buseirah, excavated by Crystal Bennett in the 1970s.