Seir was a Horite patriarch who gave his name to the mountainous region of Seir in the Edom area southeast of the Dead Sea. The area was later taken over by Esau's descendants, the Edomites. Seir is mentioned in the Bible primarily as a geographical and genealogical reference linked to the original Horite population in this mountainous region.
24These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.[^1]
[^1]: The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered "hot springs" is uncertain; it has also been understood as "water" or "wild donkeys."
The Original Settlement of the Horites in the Mountains of Seir
The Horites, descendants of Seir, were the original inhabitants of the mountain region that took his name, before they were driven out by the Edomites.
12The Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them, wiped them out, and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the LORD gave them as their possession.)
22just as he had done for the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them, so that they dispossessed them and have lived in their place to this day.
The mountains of Seir, which bear his name, play an important role in the journey of the Israelites, since God gave this land to Esau's descendants and forbade Israel from taking it.
4And command the people: You are about to pass through the territory of your kinsmen, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so be very careful.
7For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing."
8So we passed by our kinsmen, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, leaving the road through the Arabah from Elath and Ezion-geber. Then we turned and went along the road toward the wilderness of Moab.