Hadad’s Return

The LORD raises Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom, as an adversary against Solomon.

T¹⁴hen the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.

The narrative turns back to David’s campaign in Edom, Hadad’s escape as a boy, and his protected life in Egypt. After David and Joab die, Hadad asks to return to his own country.

¹⁵Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab the commander of the army had gone to bury the dead and had struck down every male in Edom. ¹⁶Joab and all Israel had stayed there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom. ¹⁷But Hadad, still just a young boy, had fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites who were servants of his father. ¹⁸Hadad and his men set out from Midian and went to Paran. They took men from Paran with them and went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food. ¹⁹There Hadad found such great favor in the sight of Pharaoh that he gave to him in marriage the sister of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife. ²⁰And the sister of Tahpenes bore Hadad a son named Genubath. Tahpenes herself weaned him in Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath lived there among the sons of Pharaoh. ²¹When Hadad heard in Egypt that David had rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.” ²²But Pharaoh asked him, “What have you lacked here with me that you suddenly want to go back to your own country?”