Moab

Moab in the Bible

• Origin: According to Genesis 19:30-38, the elder daughter of Lot, who had left Sodom and Gomorrah, bore a son and named him Moab; he became the ancestor of the Moabites.
• Wilderness period: In Numbers 22–24, Balak king of Moab summons Balaam to curse Israel. In Numbers 25, the Israelites commit sexual immorality with Moabite women and worship Baal-peor. Israel's last encampment before crossing the Jordan River was in the "plains of Moab." There Moses expounded the law anew (Deuteronomy 1:5), and after ascending Mount Nebo he died and was buried in the land of Moab (Deuteronomy 34:5-6).
• Period of the judges: Eglon king of Moab rules over Israel for eighteen years until Ehud kills him and delivers Israel (Judges 3:12-30).
• Book of Ruth: Ruth, a Moabite woman, is the daughter-in-law of Naomi, who had gone to Moab to escape a famine. Ruth marries Boaz and becomes the great-grandmother of David (Ruth 4:17).
• Monarchy: While fleeing from Saul, David entrusted his parents to the king of Moab (1 Samuel 22:3-4); he later conquered Moab (2 Samuel 8:2). Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the god of Moab (1 Kings 11:7). After the death of Ahab, Mesha king of Moab rebelled against Israel (2 Kings 3).
• Prophetic books: Prophecies of judgment against Moab appear in Isaiah 15–16, Jeremiah 48, Amos 2:1-3, and Zephaniah 2:8-11.

Background

The heartland of Moab was the plateau east of the Dead Sea, extending roughly from the Brook Zered in the south to the Arnon River in the north. The territory north of the Arnon changed hands at various times. Moab's chief god was Chemosh (Numbers 21:29). In 1868 a stele commemorating the achievements of Mesha king of Moab was discovered at Dhiban in present-day Jordan; its inscription records that Omri king of Israel had oppressed Moab. The Moabite language was very closely related to Hebrew. The name "Moab" is sometimes interpreted as meaning "from the father," but this etymology is uncertain.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Deuteronomy 23:3 stipulates that a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD "even to their tenth generation." In Nehemiah 13:1-3 the people cite this regulation as the basis for separating themselves from foreigners. The Book of Ruth, by contrast, portrays a Moabite woman as an ancestor of Israel's royal house. The name Moab does not appear in the New Testament. However, Matthew 1:5 includes Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus, and Balaam and Balak are cited as examples of false teaching in 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, and Revelation 2:14.

Interpretation and Debate

• The law and Ruth: Jewish rabbinic tradition is reported to have interpreted the regulation in Deuteronomy 23:3 as applying only to Moabite men. Christian interpreters often read the story of Ruth as an illustration of God's grace extending to the Gentiles.
• 2 Kings 3:27: This verse states that after Mesha offered his eldest son as a burnt offering upon the wall, "there was great indignation against Israel." Interpreters differ over whether this wrath should be understood as God's, as the fury of the Moabites, or in some other way.
• Genesis 19: Traditional interpretation reads this passage as a historical record. Some scholars, however, emphasize its character as a narrative explaining the origins of neighboring peoples.
• Extrabiblical traditions: The account that Ruth was the daughter of King Eglon comes from Jewish tradition and is not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

Ruth's confession in Ruth 1:16 ("thy God my God") is frequently quoted in sermons on commitment of faith and on family relationships.