Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 22:47

"And there was no king in Edom: a deputy was king." — 1 Kings 22:47 (ASV)

There was then no king in Edom. —This notice is apparently connected with the following verses; for Ezion-geber is a seaport of the Edomite territory.

Whatever influence Hadad may have had in the last days of Solomon (1 Kings 11:14), Edom does not seem to have regained independence until the time of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 21:8–10). Although, in the confederacy against Jehoshaphat, those “of Mount Seir” are included with the Moabites and Ammonites (2 Chronicles 20:10; 2 Chronicles 20:22).

The “king of Edom,” of 2 Kings 3:0, who is evidently a subject ally, not regarded in consultation (see 1 Kings 22:6–9), must be “the deputy” of this passage.