Topical Bible: Offerings: Human Sacrifices: Moabites

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The practice of human sacrifice among the Moabites is a subject of significant interest within biblical studies, particularly in understanding the religious and cultural practices of ancient Near Eastern peoples. The Moabites, descendants of Lot through his elder daughter (Genesis 19:37), were neighbors and frequent adversaries of Israel. Their religious practices, including human sacrifice, are mentioned in the biblical narrative, providing insight into their worship and the abominations condemned by the God of Israel.

One of the most notable references to Moabite human sacrifice is found in 2 Kings 3:26-27. During a military conflict between Israel, Judah, and Edom against Moab, the Moabite king Mesha, in a desperate attempt to turn the tide of battle, offered his firstborn son as a burnt offering on the city wall. The text states: "When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not prevail. So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there was great wrath against Israel, so they withdrew and returned to their own land" (2 Kings 3:26-27). This act of desperation highlights the Moabite belief in appeasing their gods through human sacrifice, a practice that was abhorrent to the Israelites.

The Moabite religion was centered around the worship of Chemosh, their chief deity, often associated with war and destruction. The offering of human sacrifices, particularly of royal heirs, was seen as a means to secure divine favor or intervention in times of crisis. This practice is further corroborated by the Mesha Stele, an ancient Moabite stone inscription, which records King Mesha's victories and his dedication of captured Israelite cities to Chemosh.

The biblical condemnation of human sacrifice is clear and unequivocal. The Israelites were expressly forbidden from engaging in such practices, as stated in Leviticus 18:21: "You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD" . The abhorrence of human sacrifice is reiterated throughout the Old Testament, emphasizing the sanctity of human life and the distinctiveness of Israel's worship of Yahweh.

The Moabite practice of human sacrifice serves as a stark contrast to the worship of Yahweh, who abhors such offerings. The biblical narrative uses these accounts to underscore the moral and spiritual distinctions between Israel and its neighbors, highlighting the call for Israel to remain faithful to the covenant and to reject the detestable practices of surrounding nations.

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2 Kings 3:27
Then he took his oldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
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Library

The Pioneer's Influence Upon a Nation's Ideals.
... prophets preserve the story of the sacrifices of Isaac ... I come before him with
burnt-offerings, With calves ... and obedience, or the needlessness of human sacrifice ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study v the pioneers influence.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... and Astarte, plant-gods and stone-gods-Religion, human sacrifices, festivals; sacred ...
the Hebrews, the children of Ishmael and Edom, the Moabites and Ammonites ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

CHAP. I. -II. 3 (II. 1).
... trusted, which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their
drink-offerings? ... the prejudice of love towards the whole human race, or ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/chap i -ii 3 ii 1.htm

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
... Here he bathed his weapons in the waters, and offered the customary sacrifices to
the gods of the sea, while the Phoenicians, with their wonted prudence ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... mazda as a distinct species from the human, but they ... us, and receive us with plenteous
offerings of food ... in the council who may ever offer us sacrifices with a ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... the East, sheikhs of the Midianites, Moabites, and Ammonites ... upon common interests,
and to offer sacrifices in the ... from the caldron the meat offerings of the ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
... the household of the god, of the shops for the offerings and for ... Abbasside caliphs,
his faithful worshippers continued to sacrifice to him human victims, whose ...
/.../chapter ithe first chaldaean empire.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... by a reign which he estimated at the mean duration of a human generation, thirty ...
but His protection was not extended to those places where sacrifices were no ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm