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Answer
Moab, a small kingdom in central Transjordan, was a well-known setting in the Bible.
Genesis 19:30–38 details the origins of the nation of Moab. Following their escape from Sodom, Lot and his daughters resided in a cave in the hills near Zoar. When Lot became intoxicated, his daughters seduced him, resulting in both conceiving and bearing children. Lot’s eldest daughter named her son Moab, from whom the Moabites descended, while Lot’s younger daughter named her son Ben-ammi, from whom the Ammonites descended. The Septuagint explains that the name Moab means “he is of my father,” serving as a lasting reminder of Moab’s incestuous beginnings.
Moab was situated on a high geographical plateau directly east of the Dead Sea, positioned between Edom and Ammon. The region was bordered by the valleys of the Arnon and the Zered, the cliffs of the Dead Sea Rift, and the canyon of the Arnon River. With desert terrain to the east and the rift-valley to the west, Moab spanned approximately 60 miles from north to south and 20 miles from east to west.
Moab’s northern boundary fluctuated during periods of military power, yet even at its peak, Moab covered no more than about 1,400 square miles. The primary area north of the Arnon River was designated to Reuben in the tribal allocation, but the tribe was unable to maintain control of the land. Over time, the territory was assimilated into Moab.
Moab’s landscape primarily consisted of gently rolling tableland interspersed with numerous gullies. It was renowned for its fertile grazing land for sheep and other livestock (Numbers 32:1;2 Kings 3:4). Moab’s soil and climate were conducive to cultivating wheat, barley, and other grains. Running through the core of Moab, in its eastern region, was the King’s Highway, a significant trade route leading to Syria in the north and the Gulf of Aqaba in the south.
After departing from Egypt and cCamping at Mount Sinai, Israel wandered in the wilderness for 38 years before reaching the boundary of the Promised Land in the plains of Moab (Numbers 10:11-22:1). From this point on, Moab became the backdrop for much of the biblical narrative until Joshua 3.
God’s chosen people were now ready to swiftly progress towards their final destination in Canaan. To move forward, Israel had to battle against King Sihon of the Amorites (Deuteronomy 2:26-37;Numbers 21:21-23) and King Og of Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:1-7;Numbers 21:33-35). Both kings were defeated in Moab.
Following this, at the behest of Balak, the king of Moab, the prophet Balaam tried to curse the Israelites. Instead, Balaam ended up affirming God’s great promise of blessing on His people and, through them, on the entire world (Numbers 22—24).
Moses reviewed the law and passed leadership from himself to Joshua on the plains of Moab (Deuteronomy 29—33). In the land of Moab, Moses passed away and was buried (Deuteronomy 34:1-6).
Other references to Moab and the Moabites are found throughout the Old Testament:
• Judges 3:12—31 recounts the 18-year oppression of Israel under King Eglon of Moab until God raised Ehud to rescue the people.
• 2 Kings 3 narrates the conflict between Israel and Moab in the ninth century BC.
• David entrusted his father and mother to the king of Moab while he dealt with Saul’s enmity (1 Samuel 22:3-4).
• Solomon married foreign women, including those from Moab, and engaged in idolatrous worship.
Chemosh, the god of Moab, led him astray from the Lord, resulting in the loss of his kingdom. «But king Solomon loved many foreign women, including the daughter of Pharaoh, women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and the Hittites; », (1 Kings 11:1,7, 33).
• The initial part of Ruth and Naomi’s narrative unfolded in Moab, a nation in conflict with Israel (Ruth 1—2). Ruth, a Moabite, later became the great-grandmother of King David. Her inclusion in the lineage of Jesus Christ serves as a poignant display of God’s fairness.
• The Psalms and various prophets depict Moab as an adversary of Israel (Psalm 60:8;Isaiah 15—16;Jeremiah 48).
