2 Kings 3:25

_AND THEY BEAT DOWN THE CITIES, AND ON EVERY GOOD PIECE OF LAND CAST EVERY MAN HIS STONE, AND FILLED IT; AND THEY STOPPED ALL THE WELLS OF WATER, AND FELLED ALL THE GOOD TREES: ONLY IN KIRHARASETH LEFT THEY THE STONES THEREOF; HOWBEIT THE SLINGERS WENT ABOUT IT, AND SMOTE IT._ In Kir-haraseth, х_ BA-QIYR-CHARAASET_ (H7025), in the fortress of Haraseth, or Kirheres-fortress of brick (Isaiah 16:7; Isaiah 16:11; Jeremiah 48:31; or Kir Moab, Isaiah 15:1)] - (now Kerak), castle of Moab, then probably the only fortress in the land (Porter's 'Handbook,' p. 59; Robinson, 'Biblical

20-27 It is a blessing to be favoured with the company of those who have power with God, and can prevail by their prayers. A kingdom may be upheld and prosper, in consequence of the fervent prayers of those who are dear to God. May we place our highest regard upon such as are most precious in his account. When sinners are saying Peace, peace, destruction comes upon them: despair will follow their mad presumption. In Satan's service and at his suggestion, such horrid deeds have been done, as cause the natural feelings of the heart to shudder; like the king of Moab's sacrificing his son. It is well not to urge the worst of men to extremities; we should rather leave them to the judgment of God....

Verse 2 Kings 3:25. _ON EVERY GOOD PIECE OF LAND_] On all cultivated ground, and especially fields that were sown. _ONLY IN KIR-HARASETH_] This was the royal city of the Moabites, and, as we learn from Scripture, exceedingly strong; (see Isaiah 16:7; Isaiah 16:11); so that it is probable the confederate armies could not easily reduce it. The _slingers_, we are informed, _went_ _about the wall_, and smote all the men that appeared on it, while no doubt the besieging army was employed in sapping the foundations....

Kir-Haraseth, also Kir-Hareseth, is identified almost certainly with the modern Kerak, a strong city on the highland immediately east of the southern part of the Dead Sea. It was the great fortress of Moab, though not the capital, which was Rabbath or Rabbah. It was an important strong-hold at the time of the Crusades, and is still a place of great strength. Kir seems to have meant “fortress.” It is found in Cir-cesium, Car-chemish, etc. Kir-Haraseth resisted all the attempts to dismantle it; but the slingers found places on the hills which surrounded it, from where they could throw their stones into it and harass the garrison, though they could not take the town....

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 3:1 THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF JEHORAM'S REIGN OVER ISRAEL; HIS WAR WITH MOAB. 2 KINGS 3:1 NOW JEHORAM THE SON OF AHAB BEGAN TO REIGN OVER ISRAEL IN SAMARIA THE EIGHTEENTH YEAR OF JEHOSHAPHAT KING OF JUDAH. This note of time is not quite in accordance with the chronology of 1 Kings, which gives Jehoshaphat a reign of twenty-five years (1 Kings 22:42), Ahab one of twenty-two years ...

AND THEY BEAT DOWN THE CITIES,.... Demolished the walls of them, and houses in them, wherever they came: AND ON EVERY GOOD PIECE OF LAND CAST EVERY MAN HIS STONE, AND FILLED IT; which they had taken out of the walls and houses they pulled down; or which they picked up in the highway, as they passed along, being a stony country; or which being laid in heaps, gathered out of the fields, they took and scattered them all over them: AND THEY STOPPED ALL THE WELLS OF WATER; with stones and dirt: AND FELLED ALL THE GOOD TREES; fruit bearing ones; 2 Kings 3:19, ONLY IN KIRHARASETH LEFT THEY THE STONES THEREOF; not able to demolish it, it being a strong fortified city, the principal of the kingdom, and into which the king of Moab had thrown himself, and the remains of his forces; of which see...

2. JEHORAM, MOAB, AND ELISHA CHAPTER 3 _ 1. Jehoram, King of Israel (2 Kings 3:1)_ 2. Moab's rebellion (2 Kings 3:4) 3. Elisha's message and prediction (2 Kings 3:10) 4. The defeat of Moab (2 Kings 3:21) In chapter 1:17 we read, “And Jehoram reigned in his stead (Ahaziah) in the second year of Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, King of Judah.” (He was associated with his father in the government of the kingdom. See 2 Kings 8:27;...

REIGN OF JEHORAM. WAR WITH MOAB. The only two kings of Israel on whom the censure pronounced is in any way qualified are Jehoram, the last of the house of Omri, and Hoshea (2 Kings 17:2), the last king of Israel. All the others are said to have done evil. The war with Moab is the subject of the famous inscription of Mesha discovered in 1868 (pp. 34, 69). On this Mesha states that Omri occupied the land of Mehedebah (Medeba, Numbers 21:30; Joshua 13:9; Isaiah 15:2) his days, half his son's days, forty years. In Kings it is specially said that Mesha's rebellion was after the death of Ahab. Omri and Ahab together according to Kings reigned on

KIR-HARASETH. The city of the hill. The capital of Moab. STONES [in the wall] thereof. Supply Figure of speech _Ellipsis._ App-6. HOWBEIT, &C.. and [till] the slingers should surround and smite it....

The Moabites attack the allied armies, but are defeated. The king of Moab sacrifices his eldest son (Not in Chronicles)...