1 Kings 22:47

There was then[R.V. And there was] no king in Edom Therefore Jehoshaphat could go through Idumæa to the Red Sea and prepare him a fleet in Ezion-geber. On Ezion-geber and its position in the land of Edom, see above on 1 Kings 9:26.

a deputywas king What had become of the royal family of Edom, which Hadad (see 1 Kings 11:14 seqq.) appears to have established again, we are nowhere told. Nor is there anything to guide us to a conclusion by whom the deputy was appointed. It may be that Hadad had never gained much power after his return from Egypt, and his successor had not been able to maintain his position. In that case the king of Judah might have claimed the rights which his predecessor had once held, and have set up a governor in Edom. If this were so a passage for the servants of the king of Judah through the land would be a matter of course.