Mesha

Biblical Account

Mesha was a king of Moab who appears in 2 Kings 3. Scripture introduces him as "a sheepmaster." Each year he rendered to the king of Israel "an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool" (2 Kings 3:4). After the death of Ahab, however, he rebelled against Israel (2 Kings 1:1; 3:5).

Ahab's son Jehoram set out against Moab in alliance with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the king of Edom. As the allied army took a roundabout route through the wilderness of Edom, its water ran out. The prophet Elisha then said, "Make this valley full of ditches," and the next morning the ditches were filled with water (2 Kings 3:16–20). The Moabites mistook the water, reddened by the sunlight, for blood. Believing that the allied kings had slaughtered one another, they rushed upon the camp and suffered a heavy defeat. Israel tore down the cities of Moab, stopped up the wells, and felled the good trees, until only Kir-hareseth remained.

Cornered, Mesha took seven hundred swordsmen and attempted to break through to the king of Edom, but failed. He then offered his eldest son, the heir to his throne, as a burnt offering upon the city wall. The text goes on to state that "there was great indignation against Israel," and the allied forces withdrew and returned to their own land (2 Kings 3:26–27).

Significance in the Bible

The account of Mesha reflects the weakening of the northern kingdom of Israel after Ahab and the breaking away of neighboring nations. It is also one of the episodes that highlight the ministry of Elisha. Mesha is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

• Whose indignation? Interpretations differ regarding the "indignation" in 2 Kings 3:27. Some understand it as the wrath of God; others hold that the enraged Moabites mounted a fierce resistance; still others suggest that the Israelites were seized with horror and revulsion at the dreadful sight. Some scholars think that ancient readers would have understood it as the wrath of the Moabite god Chemosh. The text does not identify whose indignation it was.
• Whose son? Most read the passage as referring to Mesha's own eldest son. Some Jewish traditions, however, interpret him as the son of the king of Edom. This interpretation is sometimes linked to Amos 2:1, which says that Moab burned the bones of the king of Edom, but the connection is uncertain.
• Elisha's prophecy and the outcome: Elisha prophesied that the Lord would deliver Moab into their hands (2 Kings 3:18), yet the allied army ultimately withdrew. How to reconcile the two is also debated. Some hold that the prophecy was fulfilled and that Israel's withdrawal is a separate matter; others regard the withdrawal as a failure on the human side.
• The Mesha Stele: In 1868 a stele erected by Mesha was discovered near Dhiban in Jordan (biblical Dibon). It is now housed in the Louvre in Paris. The stele records that Omri, king of Israel, oppressed Moab and that Mesha recovered the land with the help of Chemosh. It is also known as one of the early extrabiblical records to contain the name "Yahweh." The stele and the biblical account differ in such matters as the timing of the rebellion and in their perspective. Assessments are divided between those who see the stele as evidence supporting the historicity of the Bible and those who emphasize the differences in perspective between the two records.

In the Korean Church

Sermons focusing on Mesha himself are uncommon. Second Kings 3 is usually preached with a focus on Elisha's words, "Make this valley full of ditches," with Mesha appearing as a background figure. In lectures and textbooks on biblical archaeology or apologetics, the Mesha Stele is sometimes presented as an example showing that biblical persons and events were real.