MOABITES, a tribe descended from Moab the son of Lot, and consequently related to the He brews (Gen. xix. 37). Previous to the exodus of the latter from Egypt, the former, after expelling the original inhabitants, called Emints (Gen. xiv. 5 ; Deut. ii. II), had possessed them selves of the region on the east of the Dead Sea and the Jordan, as far north as the river Jabbok. But the northern, and indeed the finest and best portion of the territory, viz., that extending front the Jabbok to the Amon, had passed into the hands of the who founded there one of their kingdoms, with Heshbon for its capital (Num. xxi. 26). Og had established another at Bashan. Hence at the time of the exodus the valley and river Anion constituted the northern boundary of Moab (Num. xxi. t3 ; Judg. xi. 18 ; Joseph. Antiq. iv. 5. 1). As the Hebrews ad vanced in order to take possession of Canaan, they did not enter the proper territory of the Moabites (Dent. ii. 9 ; Judg. xi. 18), but conquered the kingdom of the Amorites (a Canaanitish tribe), which had formerly belonged to Moab, whence the western part, lying along the Jordan, fre quently occurs under the name of 1Kin plains of Moab' (Deut. i. 5 ; xxix. 1). The Moabites, fearing the numbers that were marching around them, showed them at least no kindness (Deut. xxiii. 3) ; and their king (Balak) hired Balaam to utter prophetic curses, which, however, were cone] ted into blessings in his mouth (Num. xxii., seg.) The Gadites now took possession of the northern portion of this territory, which the Amorites had wrested from the Moabites, and established themselves there ; while the Reubenites settled in the southern part (Num. xxxii. 34 ; comp. Josh. xiii., which, however, differs somewhat in the designation of particular towns).
We see the first hostilities breaking out in the beginning of the period of the Judges, when the Hebrews had been for a long time tributary to the Moabites, but threw off their yoke under Ehud (Judg. iii. 12-3o). Towards the end of this period, however, peace and friendship were restored, mu tual honours were reciprocated (as the history of Ruth shows), and Moab appears often to have afforded a place of refuge to outcasts and emigrant Hebrews (Ruth i. r ; comp. I Sam. xxii. 3, 4 ; Jer. xl. I I ; Is. xvi. 2). After Saul had waged successful war against them (I Sam. xiv. 47), David made them tributary (2 Sam. viii. 2, 12; xxiii. 2o). The right to levy this tribute seems to have been transferred to Israel after the division of the king dom; for, upon the death of Ahab (about B.C. 896), they refused to pay the customary tribute of to0,000 lambs and as many rams (2 Kings i. I ; iii. 4 ; comp. Is. xvi. t). Jehoram (B.c. 896), in alliance with Judah and Edom, sought indeed to bring them back to their subjection. The invading army, after having been preserved from perishing by thirst through the intervention of Elisha, de feated the Moabites and ravaged the country ; but through the strange conduct of the king, in offer ing up in sacrifice his son [MESHA], were induced to retire without completing the object of the expedition. The Moabites deeply resented the
part which the king of Judah took in this invasion, and formed a powerful confederacy with the Am monites, Edomites, and others, who marched in great force into Judaea, and formed their camp at Engedi, where they fell out among themselves and destroyed each other, through the special interposi tion of Providence in favour of Jehoshaphat and his people (2 Kings iii. 4, seg. ; comp. 2 Chron. xx. 1-30) [ELIsHA ; JEHottAm ; JEHOSHAPHAT]. Under Jehoash (B. c. 849) we see them undertake incursions into the kingdom of Israel, and carry on offensive war against it (2 Kings xiii. 2o).
Though the subsequent history of Israel often mentions the Moabites, yet it is silent respecting a circumstance which, in relation to one passage, is of the greatest importance, namely, the re-conquest of the territory between the Arnon and the Jabbok, which was wrested from the Moabites by the Amorites, and afterwards of the territory possessed by the tribes of Reuben and Gad. This territory in general we see, according to Is. xvi., in the possession of the Moabites again. Even Selah, the ancient capital of the Edomites, seems like wise, from Is. xvi. 1, to have belonged to them, at least for a time. The most natural supposition is that of Reland (Palestina, p. 72o), Paulus (Clavis, p. Ito), and Rosenniiiller (in lac), that, after the carrying away of those tribes into cap. tivity, the Moabites occupied their territory ; as it is expressly stated (Jer. xlix. 1-5) that the Amorites intruded themselves into the territory of the cap tive Gadites, as the Edomites did in respect to the Jews at a later period (Joseph. De Bell. 7ud. v. 79). The tribes of Reuben and Gad were not, however, as is commonly supposed, first carried away after the destruction of Samaria (B. c. 722) by Shalmaneser (2 Kings xviii. 9, to), but, accord ing to I Chron. v. 26, by Pul and Tiglathpileser certainly, and perhaps (for the account is some what indefinite) in the earliest campaign against Menahem, B. C. 774 (2 Kings xv. 19), and Pekah, B. C. 741 (2 Kings xv. 29). Nevertheless the sin gular fact remains, that here, where we should have expected every wrong done to the Israelites by Moab to be made prominent, this usurpation of their territory is not noticed. Hence we cannot wholly resist the conjecture that it was with that territory as with the territory of the Philis tines, Tyrians, and Sidonians • i. e., it was never permanently possessed by the Hebrew tribes, and the division of this region into many parts in the book of Joshua remained ideal (an assignment in partibus infidelium), without being generally re alised in history. Perhaps also many of these cities were as little inhabited by the Hebrews as Tyre and Sidon, which are likewise assigned them in the book of Joshua. In like manner it may be explained why many cities (Num. xxxii. 34, seq.) were apportioned to the tribe of Reuben, which are afterwards ascribed (Josh. xiii.) to Gad, and vice vers& (Reland, Palestina, pp. 582, 720, 735).