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MOABITE STONE

A victory stela commissioned by King Mesha of Moab, who ruled during the early 9th century b.c.e.; also known as the Mesha stela. The language of the inscription is Moabite, a Northwest Semitic dialect closely related to Hebrew. The script of the stela is Paleo-Hebrew.

In the inscription Mesha states that King Omri of Israel had made Moab a vassal state, but that during the reign of Omri’s “son,” Mesha regained Moab’s independence and even annexed certain regions traditionally associated with Israel (e.g., Nebo). Mesha attributed Israel’s hegemony over Moab to the anger of the god Chemosh, clearly implying that Moab’s successes were the result of the cessation of Chemosh’s anger and the resumption of his favor. Disaster and success are topoi frequently associated in the Bible with the anger or favor of Israel’s deity. Mesha also referred to his numerous public works in behalf of Moab, such as the (re)construction of walls, water systems, and cult structures. One of the most striking aspects of the inscription is the reference to Yahweh, the national God of Israel. Some consider the biblical and inscriptional materials to be two different episodes in the history of Israelite-Moabite relations, while others consider them supplementary versions (cf. 2 Kgs. 3:4-27).

The stone was discovered in the ruins of Dhiban, the capital of ancient Moab, by Bedouin, who brought it to the attention of F. A. Klein, an Anglican minister and medical missionary, in 1868. The stone is black basalt, ca. 1 m. × 60 cm. × 60 cm. (3.3 ft. × 23.6 in. × 23.6 in.), with an inscription of 34 lines. Klein’s arrangements to purchase the stone failed; Salīm el-Qārī made a hand copy of the first few lines, and shortly thereafter Yaʿqūb Karavaca made a paper squeeze. Because of complications in negotiating the purchase and delivery of the stone, the Prussian consul requested the help of the Turkish authorities. This displeased the Bedouin, who heated the stone in a fire and then poured cold water on it, causing it to break into scores of pieces. Some 57 pieces (about two-thirds of the inscription) were ultimately purchased, from which Charles Clermont-Ganneau, using the squeeze made by Karavaca, was able to reconstruct the entire inscription quite accurately.

Bibliography. J. A. Dearman, ed., Studies in the Mesha Inscription and Moab. SBLABS 2 (Atlanta, 1989); S. H. Horn, “The Discovery of the Moabite Stone,” in The Word of the Lord Shall Go Forth, ed. C. L. Meyers and M. O’Connor (Winona Lake, 1983), 497-505; G. L. Mattingly, “Moabites,” in Peoples of the Old Testament World, ed. A. J. Hoerth, Mattingly, and E. M. Yamauchi (Grand Rapids, 1994), 317-33.

Chris A. Rollston

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

MOABITE STONE

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)