Kir of Moab is mentioned in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Moab, the other being Ar. It is probably the same as the city called Kir-haresh, Kir-hareseth ( he, קִיר-חֲרֶשֶׂת; ), and Kir-heres ( he, קִיר חָרֶשׂ; ; , ). The word ''Kir'' alludes to a wall or fortress. It is identified with the later city Al Karak. According to the second Book of Kings, after the death of

Ahab Ahab (; akk, 𒀀𒄩𒀊𒁍 ''Aḫâbbu'' 'a-ḫa-ab-bu'' grc-koi, Ἀχαάβ ''Achaáb''; la, Achab) was the seventh king of Israel, the son and successor of King Omri and the husband of Jezebel of Sidon, according to the Hebrew Bib ...

, king of Israel,

Mesha King Mesha ( Moabite: 𐤌𐤔𐤏 *''Māšaʿ''; Hebrew: מֵישַׁע ''Mēšaʿ'') was a king of Moab in the 9th century BC, known most famously for having the Mesha Stele inscribed and erected at Dibon. In this inscription he calls himself ...

, the king of Moab (see Mesha Stele), threw off allegiance to the king of Israel. Ahab's successor,

Jehoram Jehoram (meaning " Jehovah is exalted" in Biblical Hebrew) was the name of several individuals in the Tanakh. The female version of this name is Athaliah. *The son of Toi, King of Hamath who was sent by his father to congratulate David on the oc ...

, in seeking to regain his supremacy over Moab, entered into an alliance with

Jehoshaphat Jehoshaphat (; alternatively spelled Jehosaphat, Josaphat, or Yehoshafat; ; el, Ἰωσαφάτ, Iosafát; la, Josaphat), according to 1 Kings 22:41, was the son of Asa, and the fourth king of the Kingdom of Judah, in succession to his fathe ...

, king of Judah, and with the king of

Edom Edom (; Edomite: ; he, אֱדוֹם , lit.: "red"; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Egyptian: ) was an ancient kingdom in Transjordan, located between Moab to the northeast, the Arabah to the west, and the Arabian Desert to the south and east.N ...

. The three kings lead their armies against Mesha, who was driven back to seek refuge in Kir-haraseth. The Moabites were driven to despair. Mesha then took his eldest son, who would have reigned in his stead, and sacrificed him as a

burnt-offering A holocaust is a religious animal sacrifice that is completely consumed by fire. The word derives from the Ancient Greek ''holokaustos'' which is used solely for one of the major forms of sacrifice, also known as a burnt offering. Etymology and ...

on the wall of the fortress in the sight of the allied armies. “There was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land(s).” The invaders evacuated the land of Moab, and Mesha achieved the independence of his country (-).

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...

said the kings pitied the need which the Moabite monarch had felt when he offered up his child, and so withdrew. Kir is also the name of another place in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Tiglath-Pileser carried the Aramean captives after he had taken the city of Damascus (; ). It is also the location from which the Arameans are said to have originated from ). mentions it along with Elam. Some scholars have supposed that Kir is a variant of Cush (Susiana), on the south of Elam.

References

{{Tanakh-stub Hebrew Bible cities Moab Book of Isaiah sv:Kir-Moab

See also

References