Lexical Summary Qiyr: Kir Original Word: קִיר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Kir The same as qiyr; fortress; Kir, a place in Assyrian; also one in Moab -- Kir. Compare Qiyr Cheres. see HEBREW qiyr see HEBREW Qiyr Cheres Brown-Driver-Briggs II. קִיר in proper name, of a location of Moabite cities (compare קר = city MI11, 12, 24, plural קרן Jeremiah 1:29); — ᵐ5 usually omitted, or reads τὸ τεῖχος; — 1 מוֺאָב ׳ק Isaiah 15:1, possibly Rabba, south of Arnon, see BuhlGeogr.270. 2 חֶ֫רֶשׂ ׳ק Jeremiah 48:31,36, חָ֑רֶשׂ ׳ק Isaiah 16:11 = חֲרֶ֫שֶׂת ׳ק Isaiah 16:7, חֲדָ֑שֶׂת ׳ק 2 Kings 3:25 (Gi חֲרָ֑שֶׁת ׳ק), perhaps Kerak, south of Rabba, see Buhllb., and compare (on Kerak) PalmerDes. of Exodus 2.472 DowlingPEQ. Oct. 1896, 327, especially Mauss in de LuynesVoyage à la Mer Morte (1864), ii. 106 ff., iii (Atlas, near the end), 13 plural III. קִיר proper name, of a territory or people ׳ק original house of Aram Amos 9:7; קִ֫ירָה as place of exile Amos 1:5; 2 Kings 16:9 (ᵐ5 τὴν πόλιν); קִיר as people in Assyrian army Isaiah 22:6 (Isaiah 22:5 see I. קִיר near the end). — Location dubious, see conspectus of older views DrAmos 1:5; plausible is some tribe in Southern Babylonia, east of Tigris WklAT Unters 178, compare HalREJ xi. 60; — WMMHast. DB KIB everywhere strike out, or emend קוֺעַ, but see I. קִיר 3 above קֵירֹס = קֵרֹס Topical Lexicon Occurrences2 Kings 16:9; Isaiah 15:1; Isaiah 22:6; Amos 1:5; Amos 9:7. Geographical and Historical Setting קִיר (Qir, Kir) is the Hebrew name of a fortified location east of the Jordan that functions in Scripture both as a Moabite stronghold and as the ancestral or exile land of the Arameans. Assyrian royal inscriptions picture Tiglath-pileser III deporting the population of Damascus “to Kir,” confirming the biblical report (2 Kings 16:9). Archaeologically, the Moabite Kir is widely identified with the lofty citadel of modern Kerak in Jordan, while the Aramean Kir is usually placed farther north or northeast, perhaps in the Zagros foothills—territory under Assyrian control during the eighth century B.C. Kir of Moab Isaiah 15:1 places Kir at the center of the oracle against Moab: “Because Kir of Moab is devastated in a night—Moab is destroyed—”. In the larger prophecy (Isaiah 15–16; Jeremiah 48), the city also appears as Kir-heres or Kir-hareseth, famed for its high walls and potters’ works. The sudden fall of this apparently impregnable fortress dramatizes the futility of human defenses when the Lord executes judgment. Kir’s doomed walls also anticipate the later ruin of Babylon and the eschatological overthrow of every proud stronghold (Revelation 18:8). Kir as Homeland and Exile of Aram Amos twice links Kir to Aram. First, judgment: “The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir” (Amos 1:5). Second, origin: “Did I not bring … the Arameans from Kir?” (Amos 9:7). Together the verses frame Aram’s entire national account between departure and return, proving God’s sovereign control over history. The forced march recorded in 2 Kings 16:9 fulfills Amos 1:5, placing Kir on the map of redemptive history as the terminus of Aramean pride. Isaiah 22:6 shows Kir cooperating with Elam against Judah, yet even that military display cannot alter the decree already revealed by Amos. Prophetic Significance 1. Instrument of Divine Discipline: Kir serves as a staging ground for God’s chastisement of Damascus and Moab, illustrating Proverbs 21:30: “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can prevail against the LORD.” 2. Proof of God’s Universal Governance: By equating the Aramean migration with Israel’s exodus (Amos 9:7), the prophet affirms that the covenant God is also the Lord of all nations (cf. Daniel 4:17). 3. Warning to Judah: Isaiah 22 juxtaposes foreign military equipment (“Kir uncovers the shield”) with Judah’s misplaced confidence in her own armory, inviting repentance and renewed trust in the Lord. Theological Themes • Sovereignty: God relocates peoples at will (Acts 17:26), using Kir as both cradle and grave for the Arameans. Ministry and Devotional Implications • National Destiny and Divine Purpose: Modern readers are reminded that political borders and migrations remain under God’s hand. Intercessors can pray confidently for nations, knowing that the Lord who relocated Aram can redirect today’s geopolitical tides. • Personal Strongholds: Kir’s fall urges believers to inspect their own “walls” of self-reliance. True refuge is found in Christ, the everlasting Rock (Isaiah 26:4). • Missional Perspective: Amos 9:7 challenges ethnocentrism. If God guided Aram and Philistia, the church must proclaim the gospel among all peoples, confident that God is already at work in every culture. Forms and Transliterations וְקִ֥יר וקיר מִקִּֽיר׃ מקיר׃ קִ֑ירָה קִ֖ירָה קִיר־ קיר־ קירה kir Kirah mikKir miq·qîr miqqîr qî·rāh qîr- qîrāh veKir wə·qîr wəqîrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Kings 16:9 HEB: וַֽיִּתְפְּשֶׂ֔הָ וַיַּגְלֶ֖הָ קִ֑ירָה וְאֶת־ רְצִ֖ין NAS: it, and carried [the people of] it away into exile to Kir, and put KJV: it, and carried [the people of] it captive to Kir, and slew INT: and captured and carried to Kir Rezin and put Isaiah 15:1 Isaiah 22:6 Amos 1:5 Amos 9:7 5 Occurrences |
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