The Moabites were a people descended from Moab, the son of Lot and his elder daughter, as recorded in Genesis 19:37. They inhabited the region east of the Dead Sea, in what is now modern-day Jordan. The relationship between the Israelites and the Moabites was complex, marked by both kinship and conflict.

Early Interactions and Hostility

The initial interactions between the Israelites and the Moabites were fraught with tension. During the Exodus, as the Israelites journeyed to the Promised Land, they sought passage through Moabite territory. However, the Moabites, led by King Balak, refused them passage and instead sought to curse them through the prophet Balaam (Numbers 22-24). Despite Balak's intentions, God turned Balaam's curses into blessings for Israel.

The Incident at Shittim

One of the most significant early conflicts occurred at Shittim, where the Israelites fell into idolatry and immorality with Moabite women. This led to God's anger and a subsequent plague that killed 24,000 Israelites (Numbers 25:1-9). This incident highlighted the spiritual and moral dangers posed by the Moabites to the Israelites.

The Period of the Judges

During the time of the Judges, the Moabites oppressed Israel for eighteen years under King Eglon. This oppression ended when Ehud, a judge of Israel, assassinated Eglon and led a successful revolt against the Moabites (Judges 3:12-30). This victory brought peace to Israel for a time.

The Reign of Saul and David

The Moabites continued to be a thorn in Israel's side during the reigns of Saul and David. Saul fought against the Moabites as part of his military campaigns to secure Israel's borders (1 Samuel 14:47). David, who had familial ties to Moab through his great-grandmother Ruth, initially sought refuge for his parents in Moab during his flight from Saul (1 Samuel 22:3-4). However, later in his reign, David defeated the Moabites and made them his subjects, imposing tribute upon them (2 Samuel 8:2).

The Divided Kingdom and Later Conflicts

After the division of the kingdom, Moab regained independence and became a persistent adversary to both Israel and Judah. During the reign of King Jehoram of Israel, the Moabites rebelled against Israelite control. This led to a coalition of Israel, Judah, and Edom marching against Moab, resulting in a significant but ultimately inconclusive battle (2 Kings 3:4-27).

The Moabites also participated in raids against Judah during the reign of Jehoshaphat, forming an alliance with the Ammonites and Meunites. However, God intervened, causing confusion among the enemy forces, leading to their self-destruction (2 Chronicles 20:1-30).

Prophetic Pronouncements

The prophets of Israel pronounced judgment against Moab for their pride and idolatry. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all prophesied the downfall of Moab, emphasizing God's sovereignty and justice (Isaiah 15-16; Jeremiah 48; Ezekiel 25:8-11).

Conclusion

The history of conflict between the Israelites and the Moabites serves as a testament to the complex interplay of kinship, politics, and faith in the biblical narrative. The Moabites, while related to the Israelites, often stood in opposition to God's chosen people, leading to numerous conflicts throughout the Old Testament.2 Kings 3:5-27
But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
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2 Kings 13:20
And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.
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2 Kings 24:2
And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servants the prophets.
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2 Chronicles 20:1
It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
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How Our People Served the Moabites Eighteen Years, and were Then ...
... When Othniel was dead, the affairs of the Israelites fell again ... increased, till Eglon,
king of the Moabites, did so ... And when he had built him a royal palace at ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 how our people.htm

The Nations of the South-East
... The Moabites must have hailed the Israelites as saviours ... They had delivered them
from their two assailants, the Amorites on the north, the Midianites on ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter iii the nations of.htm

The Israelites
... Canaan, was one of anarchy and constant war. ... sea-coast shortly before the Israelites
had invaded the ... Moabites and Midianites, Ammonites and Bedawin, even the ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter i the israelites.htm

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram
... And so it was with the Israelites in the desert ... God had given them a law"a constitution,
as ... by the wild warlike tribes, Midianites, Moabites, Amalekites"who ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon xiii korah dathan and.htm

Saul's Expedition against the Nation of the Ammonites and victory ...
... So they immediately sent to the Israelites, city by ... Hereupon Samuel, when such a
testimony had been given ... to overcome the Ammonites and the Moabites, and last ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 5 sauls expedition against.htm

2 Cor. xi. 21
... For it was not all Hebrews that were Israelites, since both the Ammonites and Moabites
were Hebrews ... For even if nothing from without had assailed him; yet ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xxv 2 cor xi.htm

Whether the Judicial Precepts Regarding Foreigners were Framed in ...
... hostile, such as the Ammonites and Moabites) were never ... But in the neighboring cities
which had been promised ... punish which God sent the Israelites as executor ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the judicial precepts regarding.htm

How Nebuzaradan Set Gedaliah Over the Jews that were Left in Judea ...
... of it, he made war against the Ammonites and Moabites; and when he had brought all ...
Now as to Shalmanezer, he removed the Israelites out of their country ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 9 how nebuzaradan set.htm

Joshua's Conquest.
... and on the east and southeast, the Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites ... A void still
remained and they still had to look ... 5) The cruelties of the Israelites to their ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter viii joshuas conquest.htm

Book 4 Footnotes
... were never to meddle with the Moabites, or Ammonites ... that had prostituted themselves
to the lewd Israelites, and the ... that they deserve to be had in constant ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 4 footnotes.htm

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