Moabite

"The designation of a tribe descended from Moab, the son of Lot" "(Gen. 19:37). From Zoar, the cradle of this tribe, on the" "south-eastern border of the Dead Sea, they gradually spread over" "the region on the east of Jordan. Rameses II., the Pharaoh of" "the Oppression, enumerates Moab (Muab) among his conquests." "Shortly before the Exodus, the warlike Amorites crossed the" Jordan under Sihon their king and drove the Moabites (Num. "21:26-30) out of the region between the Arnon and the Jabbok," "and occupied it, making Heshbon their capital. They were then" confined to the territory to the south of the Arnon. "On their journey the Israelites did not pass through Moab, but "through the "wilderness" to the east (Deut. 2:8; Judg. 11:18)," at length reaching the country to the north of the Arnon. Here they remained for some time till they had conquered Bashan (see "[412]SIHON; [413]OG). The Moabites were alarmed, and their king," "Balak, sought aid from the Midianites (Num. 22:2-4). It was" while they were here that the visit of Balaam (q.v.) to Balak took place. (See [414]MOSES.) "After the Conquest, the Moabites maintained hostile relations "with the Israelites, and frequently harassed them in war (Judg." "3:12-30; 1 Sam. 14). The story of Ruth, however, shows the" existence of friendly relations between Moab and Bethlehem. By "his descent from Ruth, David may be said to have had Moabite" blood in his veins. Yet there was war between David and the "Moabites (2 Sam. 8:2; 23:20; 1 Chr. 18:2), from whom he took" "great spoil (2 Sam. 8:2, 11, 12; 1 Chr. 11:22; 18:11)." "During the one hundred and fifty years which followed the defeat "of the Moabites, after the death of Ahab (see [415]MESHA), they" "regained, apparently, much of their former prosperty. At this" "time Isaiah (15:1) delivered his "burden of Moab," predicting" the coming of judgment on that land (comp. 2 Kings 17:3; 18:9; 1 "Chr. 5:25, 26). Between the time of Isaiah and the commencement" of the Babylonian captivity we have very seldom any reference to Moab (Jer. 25:21; 27:3; 40:11; Zeph. 2:8-10). "After the Return, it was Sanballat, a Moabite, who took chief part in seeking to prevent the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:19; 4:1; 6:1).

"A basalt stone, bearing an inscription by King Mesha, which was" "discovered at Dibon by Klein, a German missionary at Jerusalem," in 1868. It was 3 1/2 feet high and 2 in breadth and in "thickness, rounded at the top. It consisted of thirty-four" "lines, written in Hebrew-Phoenician characters. It was set up by" Mesha as a record and memorial of his victories. It records (1) "Mesha's wars with Omri, (2) his public buildings, and (3) his" wars against Horonaim. This inscription in a remarkable degree supplements and corroborates the history of King Mesha recorded in 2 Kings 3:4-27. "With the exception of a very few variations, the Moabite language in which the inscription is written is identical with the Hebrew. The form of the letters here used supplies very important and interesting information regarding the history of "the formation of the alphabet, as well as, incidentally," regarding the arts of civilized life of those times in the land of Moab. "This ancient monument, recording the heroic struggles of King "Mesha with Omri and Ahab, was erected about B.C. 900. Here "we" have the identical slab on which the workmen of the old world "carved the history of their own times, and from which the eye of" their contemporaries read thousands of years ago the record of "events of which they themselves had been the witnesses." It is" "the oldest inscription written in alphabetic characters, and" "hence is, apart from its value in the domain of Hebrew" "antiquities, of great linguistic importance."

Related Bible Dictionary Terms:
Moabite Stone