Shield of Abraham, fear of Isaac, dread of Esau

Qôs, the name of the chief god of the Edomites, is not to be derived (as commonly thought) from the Arabic qaus, »bow,« but rather from West Semitic qws, »feel a sickening dread,« and is thus a close equivalent of Pah{dot below}ad Yis{dot below}h{dot below}aq, »Fear of Isaac«. This derivation lends support to A. Alt's suggestion of a common Israelite-Edomite cultic center at Beersheba devoted to the worship of Pah{dot below}ad Yis{dot below}h{dot below}aq and also offers new perspectives on Jer 49,16 and II Chr 25, 14-15.