MIZZAH

(i.e. the inhabitants of Upper Egypt), Casluhim, and Caphtorim (Gn 10«- "■ "). Of. also art. Pathros.

F. Ll. Griffith.

MIZZAH.— A ' duke ' of Edom (Gn 36"- " = 1 Ch 1").

MNASON of Cyprus, mentioned in Ac 2V as one who entertained Paul and his companions on their journey from Csesarea to Jerusalem. The Greek in this passage admits of two constructions, either 'bringing with them one Mnason,' or 'bringing us to Mnason.' The most probable explanation is that Mnason lived in some village between Csesarea and Jerusalem, and that Paul broke his journey there and stayed the night with him. The distance was between ,60 and 70 miles, too great for a day's journey.

He is called 'an old (RV 'early ') disciple,' that is, one of the first disciples, probably one of those converted on the day of Pentecost. Mohley Stevenson.

MOAB, MOABITES. — Moab occupied the lofty table-land to the east of the Dead Sea. It was bounded on the E. by the Arabian desert, on the S. by the land of Edom, on the W. by the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley. Its N. boundary fluctuated at different periods between the Arnon and an indistinct line some distance north of Heshbon. This table-land is elevated some 3000 feet above the level of the Mediterranean, and 4300 feet above the Dead Sea. It is traversed by three deep valleys, the middle one of which, the Arnon, is the deepest, and is often mentioned in the Bible. The northern portion consists of broad stretches of rolling country, the reddish soil of which is fertile, while in the southern portion more hills are found, and the deep wrinkles interfere more with agriculture. In the winter months the rain-fall is adequate, and renders the country very desirable in comparison with the deserts on its border.

In the earliest times known to us this land was called Lotan (Egyp. Ruten), or Lot. The narrative of Gn. 19, which makes Lot (wh. see) the father of Moab, apparently means that the Moabites settled in this land of Lot. The meaning of Moab is undetermined. The etymology of Gn 19" (LXX) is not philological, and modern guesses are uncertain.

The narrative of Gn 19 shows that the Israelites recognized the Moabites as their kinsmen. That they really were such, their language, rehgion, and customs, so far as knovrai to us, also testify. Probably, then, the Moabites came with the wave of Aramaean migration which brought the Israelites, secured a foothold in the land of Lotan while the Israelites were still nomads, and adopted the Canaanitish speech of the people among whom they settled. Sayce believes they were settled in this territory by c. B.C. 1300, for Bameses ii., he thinks, alludes to the country Moab (cf. Patriarchal Palestine, p. 22), but this lacks confirmation.

At the time of the|approach of the Hebrews to Palestine the Moabites were so strongly intrenched in their land that the invaders avoided all conflict with them {Dt 2», Jg 11", 2 Ch 20'°), although they conquered king Sihon, who had subdued all of Moab north of the Arnon (Nu 2121-31, Dt 2»'-3s). The Moabites viewed the coming of Israel with alarm, and desired to attack them, but did not dare (Nu 22-24, Dt 23*, Jg 11").

According to the Priestly narratives, the Israelites secured at this time the territory north of the Arnon; but the narratives differ as to whether its cities were all assigned to Reuben (so Jos 13"-"), or whether some of the most southerly (Dibon, Ataroth, and Aroer) were assigned to Gad (Nu 32'*'). Perhaps the latter view represents the fact. The Gadites obtained some of the southern cities, and the Reubenites some of the northern. Probably the conquest was not very complete.

Early in the period of the Judges, the Moabites not only had regained control of all this territory, but had extended their power into western Palestine so as to oppress the Benjamites (Jg 3'2-30). This led to the assassination of Eglon, king of Moab, by Ehud. In

MOAB, MOABITES

course of time the Moabites absorbed the tribe of Reuben, though the latter maintained their identity for a con-siderable period.

According to the Book of Ruth, friendly intercourse existed between Moab and Israel at this period. Saul fought with the Moabites' (1 S 14"), but with what result we do not know. Towards the end of his reign they aided David against him (1 S 22'"). David sub-jugated Moab, and rendered the country tributary to Israel (2 S 8'- 2. 12). This subjugation apparently continued during the reign of Solomon, for he had Moabitish women in his harem, and built a shrine for Chemosh, the god of Moab (1 K ll'- ')•

After the reign of Solomon, Moab apparently gained its independence. Our next information comes from the so-called ' Moabite Stone,' an inscription of Mesha, king of Moab, found at the ancient Dibon, and now preserved in the Louvre. Mesha states that Omri, king of Israel, conquered Moab, and that Moab continued subject to Israel till the middle of the reign of Ahab, when Chemosh enabled him (Mesha) to vrin victories over Israel, which secured Moabitish independence, and which he describes in detail. A somewhat confused allusion to this is found in 2 K Z^-. Jehoram, Ahab's successor, under-took, with the aid of Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom, to reduce Moab once more, and almost succeeded, The country was overrun, the capital besieged and reduced to great extremity, when the king of Moab sacriflced to Chemosh his firstborn son on the city wall in sight of both armies (2 K 3^'). The courage which this aroused in the Moabites, and the superstitious dread which it excited in the besieging army, secured a victory for the former. It appears from 2 K 13™ that after this, Moabites frequently invaded Israel.

Amos (21-3) in the next century reproved Moab for barbarities to Edom, and Tiglath-pileser in. of Assyria enumerates the king of Moab among his tribute-payers {.KIB ii. 20). Sennacherib, alJout b.c. 700, received tribute from Chemosh-nadab, king of Moab {KIB ii. 91), and the country remained vassal to Assyria during the following reigns of Esarhaddou and Ashurbanipal (cf. KIB ii. 148, 238).

Moabites aided Nebuchadnezzar against Jehoiakim at the very end of the same century (2 K 24^). Is 15. 16, Zeph 2'-", Jer 48, and Ezk 25'^- contain prophecies against Moab, but do not add to our knowledge of the history. Jer 48 indicates that a great calamity was impending over them. In Neh 4' Arabians rather than Moabites are aUies of the Ammonites (cf . also 1 Mac ga2.t! and Jos. Ant. xiii. xiii. 5, xiv. i. 4). We know that the Nabatasans were in possession of this country a little later, and it is probable that by the time of Nehemiah they had tor ever brought the Moabite power to an end. Some infer from Jeremiah's prophecy that Moab rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar as Israel and Ammon did, and that he carried enough of them captive to weaken them and render them an easy prey to the Nabatseans. Possibly this is true, but we know nothing of it.

The language of the Moabites was, as the Moabite Stone shows, identical with that of Israel. That peculiar construction known as Waw Consecutive is found, outside of Biblical Hebrew, only in the Moabite Stone and one or two Phoenician inscriptions.

The religion of the Moabites was very similar to that of early Israel. The references to Chemosh in Mesha's inscription are very similar to references to Jahweh in Israelitish writings of the same period. The Divine name Ashtar-Chemosh indicates that the worship of the feminine divinity known to the Babylonians as Ishtar, and to the Phoenicians as Astart, was also mingled with the worship of Chemosh. Traces of the repellent nature of this worship appear in the OT (Nu 25* 31'», Jos 22', Ps 106"). No great ethical prophets, such as elevated the rehgion of Israel, rescued the religion of Moab from the level of its barbaric Semitic origin.

Geokqe a. Barton.

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