THEOSISJungerow P.A.
When examining the rulers of Idumea, scholars focus specifically on the fourth monarch, Gadad. In the account of Solomon, the Idumean Gadad is referenced, who belonged to a royal lineage and took refuge in Egypt during the reign of David. He wed the sister of Pharaoh's wife and later returned to Idumea in the days of Solomon (1 Kings 11:14-22). Critics link these two figures, leading to the belief that the Pentateuch was composed after Solomon's time. However, this claim warrants scrutiny. Firstly, if eight kings are considered few for the 400 years from the 40th year of Israel's wanderings to Saul, it stands to reason that four kings over a 500-year span is even more insufficient.
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Secondly, Gadad, alongside the other Idumean kings listed in Genesis, existed prior to the Israelite monarchy and before Solomon himself. Thirdly, the portrayal of Gadad in Genesis differs from that of the Gadad in Solomon's era. The Genesis figure, son of Bedad, succeeded King Husham and ruled Idumea, defending it against foes and triumphing over the Midianites in the region of Moab, establishing his residence in the city of Abib, likely his father's homeland. In contrast, the Gadad contemporary to Solomon escaped Joab's persecution as a child, sought refuge in Egypt, married a relative of Pharaoh, and fathered a son named Genuwath; it remains unclear if he ever ruled Idumea. Moreover, it is impossible for the Gadad of Genesis to have coexisted with Solomon since he fought the Midianites in the Moabite territory, which by Solomon's time would have seen the Midianites cease to exist as a power, having vanished from the annals of history since Gideon's exploits, and the Moabite region was already under Israelite control. The victory chronicled in Genesis could only have occurred during Moses' era when the Midianites allied with the Moabites; any engagement between them and the Idumeans would have happened on the Moabite land, strategically positioned between Idumea and Midian (Num. 20:14-21; Num. 21:4, 11-13, 20; Num. 22:4, 7; Ch. 25). Thus, when do we attribute the reign of the Idumean kings mentioned? Their other names do not appear elsewhere in Scripture, providing no substantial evidence for critics' theories.