II Kings 3:25 · Bible study
2 Kings 3:25 Commentary: Judgment in Moab
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Analysis of the total destruction of Moab in 2 Kings 3:25, the apparent contradiction with Deuteronomy 20:19, and the connection to the king's sacrifice.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The allies systematically destroyed Moab's agricultural capacity and strongholds, leaving only Kir-haraseth, which they attacked with slingers.
- Key words: “stone” (ʼeben H0068), “to throw” (shalakh H7993), “to tear down” (haras H2040), “slinger” (qallaʻ H7051).
- Main debate: Whether the destruction violated Deuteronomy 20:19, resolved by recognizing this as a specific divine judgment command.
- Theological theme: The judgment of God on rebellious nations and the tragic depths of pagan desperation in response.
- Best use: Teaching on the seriousness of sin, the sovereignty of God in judgment, and the contrast between true worship and human sacrifice.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
They destroyed the cities, and each man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.
WEB World English Bible 2000
They beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land each man cast his stone, and filled it. They also stopped all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees, until in Kir Hareseth all they left was its stones; however the men armed with slings went around it and attacked it.
KJV King James Version 1769
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 Kir–haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and the cities they break down, and on every good portion they cast each his stone, and have filled it, and every fountain of water they stop, and every good tree they cause to fall--till one had left its stones in Kir-Haraseth, and the slingers go round and smite it.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone and filled it, and they stopped every well of water, and felled every good tree, until they left [only] the stones at Kirhareseth; and the slingers went about it, and smote it.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And they destroyed the cities: And they filled every goodly field, every man casting his stone: and they stopt up all the springs of waters: and cut down all the trees that bore fruit, so that brick walls only remained: and the city was beset by the slingers, and a great part thereof destroyed.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y asolaron las ciudades, y en todas las heredades fértiles echó cada uno su piedra, y las llenaron; cegaron también todas las fuentes de las aguas, y derribaron todos los buenos árboles; hasta que en Kir-hareseth solamente dejaron sus piedras; porque los honderos la cercaron, y la hirieron.
E assolaram as cidades, e em todas as propriedades férteis lançou cada um sua pedra, e as encheram; fecharam também todas as fontes das águas, e derrubaram todas as boas árvores; até que em Quir-Haresete somente deixaram suas pedras; porque os atiradores de funda a cercaram e a feriram.
Ils renversèrent les villes, ils jetèrent chacun des pierres dans tous les meilleurs champs et les en remplirent, ils bouchèrent toutes les sources d’ eau, et ils abattirent tous les bons arbres; et les frondeurs enveloppèrent et battirent Kir-Haréseth, dont on ne laissa que les pierres.
Die Städte zerbrachen sie, und ein jeglicher warf seine Steine auf alle guten Äcker und machten sie voll und verstopften die Wasserbrunnen und fällten alle guten Bäume, bis daß nur die Steine von Kir- Hareseth übrigblieben; und es umgaben die Stadt die Schleuderer und warfen auf sie.
De steden nu braken zij af, en een iegelijk wierp zijn steen op alle goede stukken lands, en zij vulden ze, en stopten alle waterfonteinen, en velden alle goede bomen, totdat zij in Kir-hareseth alleen de stenen daarvan lieten overblijven; en de slingeraars omsingelden en sloegen hen.
Distrussero le città; ogni buon pezzo di terra lo riempirono di pietre, ciascuno gettandovi la sua; turarono tutte le sorgenti d’acque e abbatterono tutti i buoni alberi. Non rimasero che le mura di Kir-Hareseth, e i frombolieri la circondarono e l’attaccarono.
I miasta poburzyli, i na każde pole wyborne rzucił każdy kamień swój, i zarzucili je, i wszystkie żródła wód pozatykali, i wszystkie drzewa dobre podrąbali, tak, że tylko zaniechali kamienia w murze Kichareset. A obległszy je ci, co byli z procami dobywali go.
И города разрушили, и на всякий лучший участок в поле бросили каждый по камню и закидали его; и все протоки вод запрудили и все дерева лучшие срубили, так что оставались только каменья в Кир-Харешете. И обступили его пращники и разрушили его.
拆毀 摩押的城邑，各人 拋 石 填滿 一切 美 田，塞住 一切 水 泉，砍伐 各種 佳 樹，只 剩下吉珥‧哈列設 的石牆；甩石的兵 在四圍 攻打那城。
Pulling down the towns, covering every good field with stones, stopping up all the water-springs, and cutting down all the good trees; they went on driving Moab before them till only in Kir-hareseth were there any Moabites; and the fighting-men went round the town raining stones on it.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Kings 3:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the devastation described in this verse was a direct fulfillment of Elisha’s prophecy (2 Kings 3:19). Adam Clarke notes that Kir-haraseth was the royal city of Moab, exceedingly strong. Barnes identifies it with modern Kerak, a fortress that resisted dismantling. The Cambridge Bible observes that the stones from demolished walls were cast onto fields to ruin pastureland, and only the capital possessed solid stone walls. Gill emphasizes the thoroughness: all good trees felled, all springs stopped. Matthew Henry sees the campaign as divine judgment on Moab’s rebellion. The presence of the slingers indicates that even after the general devastation, the capital required continued assault. All agree that the verse sets the stage for the king’s desperate sacrifice in v.27, which ended the campaign.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Divine command overrides general law: Based on 2 Kings 3:19 and the prophetic authority of Elisha, this was a special judgment on Moab for rebellion, not a violation of Deuteronomy.
- Historical description without moral endorsement: The narrator records what happened; God may have allowed it but did not command every detail; the later 'great wrath' may indicate divine disapproval.
- Part of total war tactics in the ancient Near East: Comparable to Israel's destruction of Jericho or the practice of salting fields, indicating that such devastation was intended to break a nation's power permanently.
What is clear: The text presents the Israelite-led coalition as carrying out a devastating campaign against Moab, leaving only the fortress of Kir-haraseth standing, and this directly precedes the Moabite king's desperate child sacrifice.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Fulfillment of Prophecy | The destruction followed the command given by Elisha in 2 Kings 3:19. | Some see this as a straightforward execution of divine judgment; others struggle with the apparent harshness versus God's character in other texts. |
| Deuteronomy 20:19 Tension | The felling of good trees and marring of fields seems to conflict with the law about fruit trees during sieges. | Conservative interpreters point to the specific prophetic command as overriding the general law. Others see this as a historical description without divine approval. Most agree it was judgment, not ordinary war. |
| The Slingers' Role | Slingers surrounded Kir-haraseth and attacked it, likely clearing defenders from the walls. | Some commentators take the slingers as using sling stones to harass, others as engineers operating siege engines (Gill notes a Jewish interpretation of machines). |
| Outcome of the Campaign | The coalition devastated Moab but did not occupy the capital. | The reason for departure is attributed to 'great wrath', some see it as divine anger at Israel's overzealousness, others as the king's sacrifice invoking Chemosh's wrath, others as the horror of the act causing Israel to withdraw. |
| Historicity | The campaign is consistent with known geography and Moabite history (Mesha Stele mentions Omri's oppression). | The Mesha Stele does not mention this specific defeat, but describes Moab's liberation from Israel later; some see a lacuna, others question the biblical account's timing. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Moab had been a vassal of Israel since David’s time (2 Samuel 8:2). After Ahab’s death, King Mesha rebelled, withholding the tribute of lambs and wool (2 Kings 3:4, 5). Jehoram of Israel formed a coalition with Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom, marching through the wilderness of Edom to attack from the south. When the army faced a water crisis, Elisha promised water and victory, and God filled the dry riverbed with water. The Moabites, seeing the water red in the morning light, assumed the allies had turned on each other and walked into a trap.
The coalition then swept through the land, destroying cities and infrastructure. Covering fields with stones came from dismantling walls and houses, stones were picked out of fields for centuries and were now scattered back to ruin cultivation. Stopping springs and cutting fruit trees removed the means of survival. This was total war, but it was authorized by a specific prophetic command (v.19). The command stands in tension with Deuteronomy 20:19, which spares fruit trees during a siege. That law governed ordinary warfare; this was a divine judgment, where God gave the land into Israel’s hand as punishment for rebellion.
Only Kir-haraseth (Kerak) remained, a natural fortress on a high ridge east of the Dead Sea. Its stone walls could not be pulled down by the army, so slingers surrounded it, clearing the walls and harassing the garrison. This set the stage for the Moabite king’s final, desperate act: offering his own son as a burnt offering on the wall, which triggered ‘great wrath’ and caused Israel to withdraw.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is well-attested across manuscripts. The main differences among English translations are in the rendering of “Kir-haraseth” (also Kir-hareseth or Kir-heres) and the precise sense of the slingers’ action, whether they used hand-slings or siege engines. The BHS apparatus shows no variants that affect the interpretation.
Reception History
This verse has received less attention in devotional literature than the surrounding narrative. Early church fathers such as Jerome noted Kir-haraseth as a historical city. Medieval interpreters like the Glossa Ordinaria treated the judgment as typological of God’s judgment on sin. In the Reformation, Geneva Bible notes highlighted the fulfillment of prophecy but also the severity. In modern times, the verse is often cited in discussions of holy war and the ethics of ancient Israel’s warfare. The story of Mesha’s child sacrifice has been referenced in studies of ancient Near Eastern religion as an example of the cult of Chemosh.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Sin brings devastating consequences. Moab’s rebellion led to total devastation of its land and cities. The cost of turning from God, whether for a nation or a person, can be severe.
- God’s commands are situational. The general law of Deuteronomy 20 did not apply here because God had given a specific order for judgment. We must learn to discern when God’s direct leading supersedes general principles.
- Pagan desperation shows the need for a true God. The king’s child sacrifice is the ultimate expression of a religion without grace. It points to the stark difference between the God of Israel, who provides a substitute, and the gods who demand our children.
Five-point outline
- Rebellion’s price: Moab had prospered under tribute; now it lost everything.
- Prophetic warrant: Elisha’s word gave Israel confidence to carry out total destruction.
- Systematic ruin: Every good field, spring, and tree was targeted, war as agricultural extinction.
- The fortress that held: Kir-haraseth’s strength illustrates that some human strongholds resist even divine judgment until the time is right.
- The sacrifice that broke the siege: The king’s act stirred wrath, perhaps divine horror at the act itself, or a tactical withdrawal by the allies appalled at what they had driven him to do.
Illustration hooks
- A farmer whose field is deliberately salted by an enemy, the long-term loss of productivity mirrors the stones cast on Moab’s land.
- A sports team that not only wins but runs up the score, embarrassing the opponent, an analogy for the thoroughness of the victory.
- A person who, in desperation, makes an extreme sacrifice to try to control a crisis, parallels the king’s child sacrifice as a last-ditch attempt to appease his god.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why did God command the destruction of fruit trees when He had prohibited it in Deuteronomy?
- Did the child sacrifice actually work? Why did Israel withdraw afterward?
- How can we reconcile the severity of this judgment with God’s mercy in other parts of Scripture?
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts us with the harsh reality of divine judgment in the Old Testament. As you discuss, remember that God is patient, Moab had been under Israel’s authority for generations, but His patience has limits. The total destruction sets the scene for one of the most disturbing acts in Scripture: a king sacrificing his own son. Consider what this tells us about both the justice of God and the depravity of human hearts apart from Him.
Discussion questions
- List every detail of the destruction described in verse 25. What does this level of devastation communicate about the goal of the campaign?
- Read Deuteronomy 20:19, 20. How does this law compare with the actions in 2 Kings 3:25? What are possible reasons for the difference?
- Elisha’s prophecy in v.19 included this very destruction. How does the fact that it was a prophetic word affect how you understand the morality of the act?
- Why do you think only Kir-haraseth was left? What made it different from the other cities?
- What does the king’s sacrifice of his son tell us about Moabite religion? How is it different from Israelite worship?
- Verse 27 says “great wrath” came against Israel. What do you think caused this, God’s anger, Chemosh’s supposed power, or human revulsion? Support your view from the text.
- Where do you see traces of desperate “sacrifice” in your own life or world today, attempts to manipulate God or fate by giving up something precious?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 26:15 | Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped, and filled with earth. |
| Genesis 26:18 | Isaac dug again the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham. He called their names after the names by which his father had called them. |
| Deuteronomy 2:9 | Yahweh said to me, “Don’t bother Moab, neither contend with them in battle; for I will not give you any of his land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot for a possession.” |
| Deuteronomy 20:19 | When you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you? |
| Deuteronomy 20:20 | Only the trees that you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down. You shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls. |
| Judges 9:45 | Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city and killed the people in it. He beat down the city and sowed it with salt. |
| II Samuel 8:2 | He defeated Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. The Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute. |
| II Kings 3:19 | You shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.’” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that Kir-haraseth was the Moabite royal city, exceptionally strong and hard to reduce by siege. He observes that while slingers picked off defenders on the wall, the main army worked to sap the city's foundations, a methodical destruction.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies Kir-Haraseth as the great fortress of Moab, nearly impossible to dismantle by direct assault. However, slingers stationed on the surrounding hills could still hurl stones into the city and harass its defenders, even though they could not capture it.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator explains that the allied armies deliberately threw stones onto the Moabite fields to ruin them for grazing. Only the capital Kirharaseth was left standing, since it was the only truly fortified city. Slingers were used to clear its walls of defenders.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the thoroughness of Israel's judgment: every good field was covered with stones, every spring stopped, every good tree felled. Only Kirharaseth's stones remained, but even that city was attacked with slings. The detail shows a methodical, almost ritual devastation of the land and its resources.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes the thoroughness of the destruction, noting that the invaders deliberately ruined every good field by scattering stones across it, then stopped the wells and cut down the fruit trees. Only the fortified city of Kirharaseth held out, its stone walls left intact, yet slingers still attacked its defenders on the ramparts.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB identifies Kir-haraseth as the modern Kerak, describing it as the castle or primary stronghold of Moab and likely the only fortress in the entire region at that time.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the great indignation was not divine wrath against Israel, but the army's own horror at the king of Moab's human sacrifice. The Israelites were so repulsed by the blood-guilt polluting the land that they chose to withdraw rather than possess a place under such a curse.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the water God sent served a double purpose: it revived Israel's thirsty army and also tricked the Moabites, who mistook its red reflection for blood. The same divine gift that strengthened Israel became the very means of the enemy's confusion and defeat.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes the Moabite capital was reduced to its bare walls and buildings, with nothing else left standing. He explains that slingers with large stones breached the city walls, following the common siege method of that era.