Bible Encyclopedia: Mesha

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

MESHA

me'-sha:

(1) (mesha`; Codex Vaticanus, Marisa; Codex Alexandrinus, Marisas): Caleb's firstborn son, the father of Ziph, probably the ancestor of the Ziphites (1 Chronicles 2:42).

(2) (mesha'; Codex Vaticanus, Misa; Codex Alexandrinus, Mosa): A Benjamite, son of Shaharaim by his wife Hodesh, born in the land of Moab (1 Chronicles 8:9).

(3) (mesha`; Mosa): A king of Moab. All the Biblical information regarding this monarch is contained in 2 Kings 3. Here we gather that Mesha was contemporary with Ahab, Ahaziah and Jehoram. He was tributary to Israel, his annual contribution consisting of 100,000 lambs and 100,000 rams. after the death of Ahab he asserted his independence. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the king of Edom joined forces with Jehoram in an attempt to quell the rebellion at the instance of Elisha, who accompanied the host, water was miraculously provided when the army of the allies was ready to perish of thirst. Mesha came out against them and fell upon the camp. His attack was repulsed with heavy slaughter, and the defeated king was chased by the victors until he took refuge in the great fortress of Kir-hareseth. A vigorous siege was begun. See ing that his case was desperate, Mesha attempted, with 700 men, to break through the lines. Failing in this, he offered his firstborn as a burnt offering upon the wall. Then "there came great wrath upon Israel" (by which, probably, panic is meant), and the besiegers retired, leaving their conquest incomplete.

In his inscription (see MOABITE STONE) Mesha gives an account of his rebellion, naming the places captured and fortified by him. It is not surprising that he says nothing of his defeat by Jehoram and his allies. There is, however, one serious discrepancy. The time Moab was under the supremacy of Israel, during the reign of Omri and half the reign of Ahab, he puts at 40 years. According to Biblical chronology, Omri and Ahab together reigned only 34 years. If, with Mesha, we deduct half the reign of Ahab, the period is reduced to 23 years. It is impossible to add to the length of either reign. So great a difference cannot be explained by the use of round numbers. Why Mesha should wish to increase the time of his people's subjection is not clear, unless, indeed, he thought in this way to magnify the glory of their deliverer.

In Mesha the sentiment of patriotism was wedded to some measure of military capacity. Judging by his inscription, he was also a deeply religious man according to his lights. Substitute "Yahweh" for "Chemosh," and his phraseology might be that of a pious Hebrew king. The sacrifice of his son is at once the mark of the heathen and an index of the strength of his devotion.

(4) (mesha'; Masse): This appears to mark the western boundary of the land occupied by the descendants of Joktan (Genesis 10:30). No certain identification is possible, but several more or less probable have been suggested: e.g.

(a) The Greek Mesene, on the Persian Gulf, not far from the mouth of the Tigris and the Euphrates;

(b) the Syro-Arabian desert, called Mashu in the Assyrian inscriptions; the name here, however, could hardly cover such a vast tract as this; more probably it denoted a place;

(c) Dillmann would alter the vowels and identify it with Massa', a branch of the Ishmaelite stock (Genesis 25:14 1 Chronicles 1:30). This, however, furnishes no clue to the locality, the territory of that tribe being also unidentified.

W. Ewing

Strong's Hebrew

4337. Mesha -- "deliverance," a son of Caleb
... 4336, 4337. Mesha. 4338 . "deliverance," a son of Caleb. Transliteration:
Mesha Phonetic Spelling: (may-shah') Short Definition: Mesha. ...
/hebrew/4337.htm - 6k

4852. Mesha -- one extremity of the territory of the Joktanites
... 4851, 4852. Mesha. 4853 . one extremity of the territory of the Joktanites.
Transliteration: Mesha Phonetic Spelling: (may-shaw') Short Definition: Mesha. ...
/hebrew/4852.htm - 6k

4338. Mesha -- "deliverance," king of Moab
... 4337, 4338. Mesha. 4339 . "deliverance," king of Moab. Transliteration:
Mesha Phonetic Spelling: (may-shaw') Short Definition: Mesha. ...
/hebrew/4338.htm - 6k

4331. Mesha -- a Benjamite
... 4330, 4331. Mesha. 4332 . a Benjamite. Transliteration: Mesha Phonetic
Spelling: (may-shaw') Short Definition: Mesha. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/4331.htm - 6k

Library

The Nations of the South-East
... In the time of Ahab, Mesha, the son of Chemosh-melech, sent each year 100,000
lambs and 100,000 rams. Mesha subsequently succeeded ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter iii the nations of.htm

The Old Testament and Archeology
... F. Klein, discovered at Diban, the site of an ancient royal city of Moab, a large
stone, with an inscription of Mesha, a king of Moab in the ninth century BC ...
/.../the christian view of the old testament/chapter iv the old testament.htm

The Secret of Its Greatness
... It is called 'The Moabite Stone,' and was set up by Mesha, king of Moab. ... [Illustration:
First words of Kin Mesha's writing on the Moabite Stone. ...
/.../duff/the bible in its making/chapter ii the secret of.htm

History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7
... Judah and Israel, the death of Ahab (853 BC); Damascus successfully resists the
attacks of Assyria (849-846 BC) -- Moab delivered from Israel, Mesha; the death ...
/.../history of egypt chaldaea syria babylonia and assyria v 7/title page.htm

How Joram and Jehoshaphat Made an Expedition against the Moabites ...
... 1. When Joram had taken upon him the kingdom, he determined to make an expedition
against the king of Moab, whose name was Mesha; for, as we told you before ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 how joram and.htm

Chapter x
... 30. The section inhabited by them extended from Mesha in the direction
of Sephar, to the eastern mountains. The Hebrew expression ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter x.htm

Appendices
... 910 Baasha 908 Elah 884 Zimri, for 7 days 882 Omri 882 Ahab 874 Ahab and his allies
defeated by the Assyrians at Qarqar 853 Ahaziah 852 Revolt of Mesha of Moab ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/appendices.htm

The Cavils of the Pharisees Concerning Purification, and the ...
... designation for it is Netilath Yadayim, [3330] literally, the lifting of the hands;
while for the washing before meat the term Meshi or Mesha [3331] is also ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxxi the cavils of.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... It had preserved its independence ever since the reign of Mesha, having escaped
from being drawn into the wars which had laid waste the rest of Syria. ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
... Aramaean alphabet as being in current use in Northern Syria at the beginning of
the ninth century, some forty years before the date of Mesha's inscription (ie ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Mesha

burden; salvation

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Mesha

(freedom).

The name of one of the geographical limits of the Joktanites when they first settled in Arabia. (Genesis 10:30)
The king of Moab who was tributary to Ahab, (2 Kings 3:4) but when Ahab fell at Ramoth-gilead, Mesha refused to pay tribute to his successor, Jehoram. When Jehoram succeeded to the throne of Israel, one of his first acts was to secure the assistance of Jehoshaphat, his father's ally, in reducing the Moabites to their former condition of tributaries. The Moabites were defeated, and the king took refuge in his last stronghold, and defended himself with the energy of despair. With 700 fighting men he made a vigorous attempt to cut his way through the beleaguering army, and when beaten back, he withdrew to the wall of his city, and there, in sight of the allied host, offered his first-born son, his successor in the kingdom, as a burnt offering to Chemosh, the ruthless fire-god of Moab. His bloody sacrifice had so far the desired effect that the besiegers retired from him to their own land. (At Dibon in Moab has lately been discovered the famous Moabite Stone, which contains inscriptions concerning King Mesha and his wars, and which confirms the Bible account. --ED.)
The eldest son of Caleb the son of Hezron by his wife Azubah, as Kimchi conjectures. (1 Chronicles 2:42)
A Benjamite, son of Shabaraim by his wife Hodesh, who bore him in the land of Moab. (1 Chronicles 8:9)

ATS Bible Dictionary

Mesha

1. A place on the eastern frontier of the territory of Joktan, Genesis 10:30, supposed to have been in the region of Bassora, at the northwest end of the Persian Gulf.

2. A king of Moab, who paid an enormous tribute to Ahab king of Israel, but revolted at his death, 2 Kings 1:1; 3:4-27. Joram the son of Ahab, with the aid of Judah and Edom, made war upon him, and besieged him in his capital. Unable to force his way through the besieging host, King Mesha sought the aid of his gods by sacrificing his own son on the city wall; and the besiegers, horrorstruck at this atrocious act, withdrew in terror, lest some curse should fall on them.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Middle district, Vulgate, Messa.

(1.) A plain in that part of the boundaries of Arabia inhabited by the descendants of Joktan (Genesis 10:30).

(2.) Hebrews meysh'a, "deliverance," the eldest son of Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:42), and brother of Jerahmeel.

(3.) Hebrews id, a king of Moab, the son of Chemosh-Gad, a man of great wealth in flocks and herds (2 Kings 3:4). After the death of Ahab at Ramoth-Gilead, Mesha shook off the yoke of Israel; but on the ascension of Jehoram to the throne of Israel, that king sought the help of Jehoshaphat in an attempt to reduce the Moabites again to their former condition. The united armies of the two kings came unexpectedly on the army of the Moabites, and gained over them an easy victory. The whole land was devastated by the conquering armies, and Mesha sought refuge in his last stronghold, Kir-harasheth (q.v.). Reduced to despair, he ascended the wall of the city, and there, in the sight of the allied armies, offered his first-born son a sacrifice to Chemosh, the fire-god of the Moabites. This fearful spectacle filled the beholders with horror, and they retired from before the besieged city, and recrossed the Jordan laden with spoil (2 Kings 3:25-27).

The exploits of Mesha are recorded in the Phoenician inscription on a block of black basalt found at Dibon, in Moab, usually called the "Moabite stone" (q.v.).

Thesaurus

Mesha (4 Occurrences)
... id, a king of Moab, the son of Chemosh-Gad, a man of great wealth in flocks and
herds (2 Kings 3:4). After the death of Ahab at Ramoth-Gilead, Mesha shook off ...
/m/mesha.htm - 12k

Chemosh (8 Occurrences)
... On the "Moabite Stone" (qv), Mesha (2 Kings 3:5) ascribes his victories over the
king of Israel to this god, "And Chemosh drove him before my sight.". Int. ...
/c/chemosh.htm - 20k

Joram (26 Occurrences)
... 2. The Moabite War: Immediately upon his accession, Jehoram came into conflict with
Mesha, king of Moab (2 Kings 3:4). The account of the conflict is of ...
/j/joram.htm - 27k

Jehoram (27 Occurrences)
... victory. The Moabites under Mesha their king were utterly routed and their
cities destroyed. At Kir-haraseth Mesha made a final stand. ...
/j/jehoram.htm - 30k

Moabite (13 Occurrences)
... During the one hundred and fifty years which followed the defeat of the Moabites,
after the death of Ahab (see MESHA), they regained, apparently, much of their ...
/m/moabite.htm - 23k

Kir-haraseth (1 Occurrence)
... After the death of Ahab, Mesha, king of Moab (see MOABITE STONE), threw off allegiance
to the king of Israel, and fought successfully for the independence of ...
/k/kir-haraseth.htm - 8k

Kirharaseth (1 Occurrence)
... After the death of Ahab, Mesha, king of Moab (see MOABITE STONE), threw off allegiance
to the king of Israel, and fought successfully for the independence of ...
/k/kirharaseth.htm - 8k

Arnon (23 Occurrences)
... From the inscription of Mesha on the Moabite Stone we gather that Moab had established
herself on the north of the Arnon before the time of Omri. ...
/a/arnon.htm - 17k

Moabites (26 Occurrences)
... This is clear from the inscription on the Moabite Stone, a monument of Mesha, king
of Moab, erected about 850 BC, and discovered among the ruins of Dibon in ...
/m/moabites.htm - 28k

Stone (290 Occurrences)
... A monument erected at Dibon (Dhiban) by Mesha, king of Moab (2 Kings 3:4, 5), to
commemorate his successful revolt from Israel and his conquest of Israelite ...
/s/stone.htm - 54k

Bible Concordance

Mesha (4 Occurrences)

Genesis 10:30 Their dwelling was from Mesha, as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 3:4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder; and he rendered to the king of Israel the wool of one hundred thousand lambs, and of one hundred thousand rams.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Chronicles 2:42 The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph; and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Chronicles 8:9 He became the father of Hodesh his wife, Jobab, and Zibia, and Mesha, and Malcam,
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Mesha

Mesha: A Benjamite

Mesha: A Place in Possession of the Joktanites

Mesha: King of Moab: Tributary to Ahab

Mesha: Son of Caleb

Related Terms

Chemosh (8 Occurrences)

Joram (26 Occurrences)

Jehoram (27 Occurrences)

Moabite (13 Occurrences)