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Moab

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Concordances
Nave Topical Bible
• Pahath-Moab
• Moab
Scofield Reference Index
• Burden of Moab
Thompson Chain Reference
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Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
• Midian & Moab
Dictionaries
American Tract Society
• Rabbath-Moab
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
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Chabad Knowledge Base
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• Eglon, King of Moab
Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Pahath-Moab
• Moab
• Kir of Moab
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Pahath Moab
• Moab
Holman Bible Dictionary
• Pahath-Moab
• Moab and the Moabite Stone
• Kir of Moab
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Hitchcock Bible Names
• Pahath-Moab
• Moab
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Phaath Moab
• Pahath-Moab
• Moab, Moabites
Morrish Bible Dictionary
• Moab, Moabites
• Kir of Moab, Kirharaseth, , Kirharesh, Kirheres
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
• Moab
Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary
• Rabba-Moab
• Moab
People's Bible Dictionary
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Smith Bible Dictionary
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• Pahath-moab
• Moab
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Wilson's Bible Types
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Watson's Theological Dictionary
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• Rabbath-Moab
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• Ar; Ar of Moab
• Kir of Moab
• Moab; Moabites
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Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Kir-Moab
• Moab
• Rabbath Moab
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• Kir-Moab
• Moab, Plains of
• Pahath-Moab
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The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Moab
The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Moab, Moabites
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Moab
Lexicons
• מוֹאָב , מוֹאָב
• מוֹאָבִי
• פַּחַת מוֹאָב

Among the peoples of the Palestine region who were related to the Israelites were the Moabites. They, along with the Ammonites, were descended from Lot through the children that resulted from Lot’s immorality with his two daughters (Genesis 19:36-38; see also AMMON). The Moabites lived in the tableland region east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, an area of good pastures suitable for raising sheep (Numbers 22:1; 2 Kings 3:4; Isaiah 16:1-2). The Moabites’ chief city was Heshbon (Isaiah 16:4; Jeremiah 48:2) and their national god was Chemosh (Jeremiah 48:7; Jeremiah 48:46; see CHEMOSH).

Early history

Conflicts with other peoples of the region meant that Moab’s boundaries changed from time to time. At the time Israel invaded Canaan, Moab controlled only the southern portion of the territory east of the Dead Sea – from the Arnon River south to the Zered River. All Moab’s former territory north of the Arnon had been taken by the Amorite king Sihon, who then made Heshbon his capital (Numbers 21:13; Numbers 21:26).

In leading the Israelites north towards Canaan, Moses reached the Arnon River without having any conflict with Moab (Numbers 21:10-13). Now that he was entering territory controlled by the Amorites, Moses asked their permission to travel along the well used road known as the King’s Highway that passed through their territory (Numbers 21:21-22; Deuteronomy 2:26-29). When the Amorites responded with attack, the Israelites crushed their army and seized their territory (Numbers 21:23-25; Deuteronomy 2:30-37; Deuteronomy 29:7-8; see AMORITES).

The Moabites feared this Israelite advance. Previously they had refused to supply the Israelites with food and water, but now they increased their opposition. They hired a soothsayer named Balaam to put a curse on them, believing this would ensure their destruction (Numbers 22:1-6). Balaam was unable to put a curse on Israel, but God put a curse on Moab (Numbers 23:20-21; Numbers 24:17; Deuteronomy 23:3-6; see BALAAM).

Israel continued to advance, and eventually conquered Canaan. When all the conquered lands (on both sides of the Jordan) were divided among Israel’s twelve tribes, the tribe of Reuben received the former Moabite territory that Israel had taken from the Amorites. The Arnon now became Israel’s border with Moab (Deuteronomy 3:12; Deuteronomy 3:16).

Moab and Israel

During the time of the judges, Moab, with help from Ammon, exercised control over parts of Israel for eighteen years (Judges 3:12-14). The joint oppressors were finally overthrown by the Israelite hero, Ehud (Judges 3:15-30).

Moab had further conflict with Israel during the reign of Saul (1 Samuel 14:47), and became subject to Israel’s overlordship during the reign of David (2 Samuel 8:2). After the decline of Israelite power through the division of the kingdom, Moab regained its independence (2 Kings 3:6-27), and gathered allies in an attempt to conquer Judah; but God saved his people (2 Chronicles 20:1-12; 2 Chronicles 20:20-23).

In its arrogance, Moab repeatedly boasted of its glory and mocked God’s people. As a result it brought upon itself the assurance of divine judgment (Isaiah 16:6-7; Isaiah 16:13; Jeremiah 48:29-39; Zephaniah 2:8-11). Moab was among those whose raids helped to weaken Judah in the days of Babylon’s final assault on Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:1-2), and so made its own destruction inevitable (Ezekiel 25:8-11).

God’s prophet warned that when that day of judgment came, all Moab’s desperate pleas for help would be useless (Isaiah 15; Isaiah 16:1-7; Isaiah 16:12). The conquests by Babylon and Persia saw the prophecies of judgment fulfilled, and Moab’s national existence came to an end (Jeremiah 48:42).

Despite Moab’s overall hostility to Israel, there were occasions when individual Moabites showed kindness to Israelites (e.g. 1 Samuel 22:3-4). The most notable example was that of the young widow Ruth, who sacrificed her own interests to help her Israelite mother-in-law (Ruth 1:2-5; Ruth 1:16-18; Ruth 2:1). Ruth later married an Israelite. She became an ancestress of Israel’s King David, and therefore an ancestress of the Messiah Jesus (Ruth 4:13; Ruth 4:17; Matthew 1:1; Matthew 1:5).