Israel tried to make peace with Edom, but they did not succeed. The two nations had not had contact since the time when Esau (also called Edom) and Jacob (also called Israel) buried their father Isaac(Genesis 35:29; 36:6–8; see also Genesis 32:28).
Moses sent a formal message to the king of Edom. His request followed the style of official letters used in that time. While Israel often fought with the Canaanites and other groups, they spoke politely to Edom because the two peoples were related (see also Deuteronomy 2:4; 23:7).
Even so, family ties were not strong enough to remove the old tension between Jacob and Esau (Genesis 27:41).