MOABITES (ante), the descendants of Moab, son of Lot, whose primitive dwelling place was Zoar, on the south-eastern border of the Dead sea. Gradually supplanting the original inhabitants, they obtained possession of the fertile highlands—extending 40 or 50 m. in length by 10 in width on the e. of the Dead sea—and of the plains below. From the most elevated part of this territory they were expelled by the Amorites, who allowed them to retain only the southern half of the table-lands and the plain. This restricted region was strongly fortified by nature, having on the n. the chasm of the Arnon; on the w. cliffs, almost perpendicular, by the side of the Dead sea, intersected only by a few steep and narrow passes; and on the s. and e. semi-circular hills, through which pass only a branch of the Anion and the wadys or valleys that go down to the sea. Beyond these hills lay a ya,s.t extent of uncultivated pasture-grounds, described in the book of Numbers as the wilderness which faced Moab on the east. Through this Israel seems to have approached the promised land, without traversing Moab itself, but taking their position n. of the Anion. H during they remained their operations against Basilan. It was at this time that Balak, king of Moab, in his fear of Israel, sent for Balaton to curse them. and for the Midianites to make war against them. From the plains of Moab Moses ascended to the top of Pisgah to view the promised land; in the land of Moab he died; somewhere in tt valley of that land, over against Beth-poor, he was buried; and in the plains of Moab all Israel wept for him 30 days. After the conquest of Canaan, Eglon, king of Moab, with the assistance of the Ammonites and Amalekites, gained pos session of Jericho and ruled over Israel 18 years. From this bondage they were deliv ered under the leadership of Ehml, a Benjamite, who killed Eglon secretly, and aroused the people to a victorious conflict in which 10,900 Moabites were slain. Afterward peace and friendship between the nations were restored. While the judges ruled, Jews sometimes took refuge in the land of Moab; and long afterward, when David was hard pressed by Saul, he obtained from the king of Noah a temporary asylum for his father and mother. Saul waged war successfully against the Moabites, and David made them tributary. After the revolt of the 10 tribes, the kingdom of Israel levied this tribute, and
when, on the death of Ahab, the Moabites refused to pay it, Jehoram, with the help of Judah and Edom, attempted to hold them in subjection. The Moabites, in revenge, formed a powerful confederacy against Judah, hut the different armies which composed it, panic-stricken, turned their arms against each other. Still later, they acted against the -Jews as auxiliaries of the Chaldeaus, under Nebuchadnezzar: yet this monarch, according to Josephus, five years after the capture of Jerusalem, made war also upon them, and subdued them. After the return of the .Jews from captivity, they formed an intimate connection with the Moabites by intermarriages, which, however, the zeal of Ezra and Nehemiah broke up. Josephus mentions the cities between the Amon and Jab bok as cities of Moab. Thenceforth they were almost lost to view among the Arabians; and for many centuries little was known concerning the region in which they lived. Even in more modern times few travelers ventured to explore it. Seetzcn, in 1806, at the risk of his life, shed a new and unexpected light upon it. He found many ruined places still bearing the old names. In 1812 Burckhardt made the same tour from Damascus to Barak, and from that point advanced to Petra. From these and subsequent travelers we learn that the plains arc covered with the sites of towns on every eminence or spot suitable for one. The land is capable of rich cultivation. The form of fields is still visible, and there are remains of Roman highways which are in some places completely paved, and on which there are mile-stones of Trajan, Marcus Aurelius, and Severus, with the numbers legible upon them. Denunciations against Moab were made by Balaam, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other prophets, who during its highest prosperity foretold that its cities should become desolate without any to dwell in them; and at the present day, while the sites, ruins, and names of many of its ancient cities can be traced, not one of them has been found inhabited by man. At the present time the American engineers of the Palestine exploration society are engaged in making a scientific survey and exploration of the land.