Moabites

The Moabites were an ancient Semitic people who inhabited Moab, the land east of the Jordan River between the Dead Sea and the Arabah in present-day Jordan. The core of their kingdom encompassed the mountainous plateau and river valleys around cities such as Dibon, Heshbon, Ataroth, and Medeba.

Origins and language: According to Genesis, they were descended from Moab, a son of Lot by his elder daughter, thereby forming a close genealogical tie to the Israelites. The Moabite language is a Northwest Semitic dialect closely related to Biblical Hebrew; the Mesha Stele, dated to about 840 BCE, is the best-known Moabite inscription.

Religion and society: Moabite religion centered on Chemosh; they shared features with other Canaanite cults, and the Hebrew Bible records tensions with Israel over worship practices. Politically, Moab often contested Israel and Judah: the book of Judges recounts the oppression of Israel by Eglon; in Numbers, Balak the Moabite king opposes Israel in a Balaam narrative; in the 9th century BCE Mesha, king of Moab, asserts independence and military victories in the Mesha Stele.

Later history: Moab gradually lost independence under successive empires and was incorporated into larger empires in antiquity, first under Assyrian influence and later under Babylonian and Persian rule. In the biblical account, Ruth, a Moabite woman, becomes an ancestor of King David, highlighting Moab's enduring presence in regional history.

Archaeology and legacy: The Mesha Stele (Dhiban) is the principal ancient Moabite inscription. Moabites are often described in contrast to Israelites and are a common subject in biblical narrative, illustrating cross-border interactions in the Iron Age Levant.