Moab
Moab is a region mentioned in the Old Testament, located in the region of Transjordan in modern-day Israel. Known today as Kerak. It appears across 162 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
Moab, the territory east of the Dead Sea, plays a prominent and complex role throughout Scripture. The region traces its origin to Lot's elder daughter, whose son Moab became the ancestor of the Moabites (Genesis 19:37). When Israel approached the Promised Land, God instructed Moses not to harass Moab, as He had given it to Lot's descendants (Deuteronomy 2:9). Nevertheless, Moab's king Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22-24), and Moabite women led Israel into idolatry at Baal-peor (Numbers 25:1-3). During the judges period, Eglon king of Moab oppressed Israel for eighteen years before Ehud's deliverance (Judges 3:12-30). Yet from Moab came Ruth, whose faithfulness brought her into the lineage of David and ultimately of Christ (Ruth 4:17; Matthew 1:5). The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Amos pronounced extensive oracles against Moab (Isaiah 15-16; Jeremiah 48; Ezekiel 25:8-11; Amos 2:1-3). King David subjugated Moab (2 Samuel 8:2), and the Moabite Stone records King Mesha's rebellion against Israel. Moab's story illustrates how God's purposes encompass even adversarial nations.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The territory of ancient Moab corresponds to the elevated plateau east of the Dead Sea in modern Jordan, centered around the modern city of Kerak. The most significant archaeological discovery from Moab is the Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone), found at Dhiban in 1868, which provides a ninth-century BC inscription corroborating the biblical account of Moab's relations with Israel (2 Kings 3). Extensive surveys by teams including those of J. Maxwell Miller and Burton MacDonald have documented hundreds of Iron Age sites across the Moabite plateau. Excavations at Dhiban (ancient Dibon), Balu'a, Lehun, and Kerak have revealed fortifications, temples, and domestic structures. The region's fertile agricultural land and strategic position along trade routes supported a prosperous civilization.
Verse Appearances (162)
Gen
Exod
Num
Josh
Judg
2Kgs
Neh
Isa
Jer
Dan
Mic
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →