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--- text:mesha_stele [2025/08/07 07:24] – [Discovery of the Stele] graham
+++ text:mesha_stele [2025/08/10 10:03] (current) – [Significance of the Stele] graham
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 ====== Mesha Stele ======
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-The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, is an inscribed basalt monument dating to approximately 840 BC, commissioned by King Mesha of Moab. The inscription, written in Moabite, a Northwest Semitic language closely related to Hebrew and using a script similar to paleo-Hebrew, consists of 34 lines. It records Mesha’s military campaigns, construction projects, and religious devotion to the god Chemosh. Significantly, it contains references to Yahweh and to King Omri of the northern kingdom of Israel, establishing a significant historical parallel with the biblical account in [[2 Kings 3]].
+The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, is an inscribed basalt monument dating to approximately 840 BC, commissioned by King Mesha of Moab. The inscription, written in Moabite, a Northwest Semitic language closely related to Hebrew and using a script similar to paleo-Hebrew, consists of 34 lines. It records Mesha’s military campaigns, construction projects, and religious devotion to the god Chemosh. Significantly, it contains references to Yahweh and to King Omri of the northern kingdom of Israel, establishing a significant historical parallel with the biblical account in [[:2 Kings 3]].
 The stele is roughly 60 cm wide and 60 cm thick, carved in durable black basalt. It provides one of the earliest extra-biblical attestations to figures and places mentioned in the Old Testament and offers a Moabite perspective on Israel-Moab relations in the 9th century BC.
+<gallery>
+:text:mesha_stele_photo.jpeg Photograph of the Moabite Stone
+</gallery>
 ===== Discovery and Preservation =====
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 ===== Significance of the Stele =====
-The stone is especially important because it mentions Yahweh as the God of Israel, as well the Omri, king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Omri reigned from 885 BC to 874 BC and conquered Moab. He was succeeded by his son Ahab, who died in 853 BC. At this time, Moab was under the power of the northern Kingdom of Israel, and was required to pay tribute ([[2 Kings 3:4|2 Kings 3:4]])
+The Mesha Stele is of importance to biblical archaeology and ancient Near Eastern studies because it confirms details found in [[:2 Kings 3]]. Not only does it contain a reference to Yahweh, it also mentions King Omri. Omri reigned in Israel from approximately 885 to 874 BC and is described in the text as having conquered Moab and made it a vassal state. This is consistent with the account in [[:2 Kings 3:4|2 Kings 3:4]]:
-  * {{page>2_kings_3:4:nlt}}
+  * //{{page>:2_kings_3:4:nlt}}//
-The inscription of the stone tells of the anger of the Moabite god Chemosh and of how he assisted King Mesha to throw of the yoke of Israel after the death of King Ahab, restoring independence to the lands of Moab. Mesha brags brags about his battle with the men of Gad, as well as his conquest of Nebo, where he killed everyone in the town, 7000 men, boys, women, girls and slaves. This occurred somewhere around 840 BC and the account of the stele aligns with [[2 Kings 3:5|2 Kings 3:5]].
+Following Omri’s reign, his son Ahab (874–853 BC) maintained Israelite control over Moab. The biblical account in [[:2 Kings 3:5|2 Kings 3:5]] states that after Ahab’s death, Mesha rebelled against Israel:
-  * {{page>2_kings_3:5:nlt}}
+  * //{{page>:2_kings_3:5:nlt}}//
-In 2022, using advances in imaging techniques and photography, André Lemaire and Jean‑Philippe Delorme published a paper suggesting that a difficult to read section (line 31) of the stone cited the "House of David", making the stone one of the earliest non-biblical references to the dynasty of King David.
+The inscription on the stele affirms this rebellion, attributing Mesha’s success to the will of Chemosh, the national god of Moab. Mesha describes, in brutal terms, his military victories, including the slaughter of 7,000 inhabitants of the Israelite-held town of Nebo, including men, women, boys, girls and slaves. He also boasts of victories over the tribe of Gad and the reclamation of cities such as Ataroth and Jahaz. These events are generally dated to around 840 BC and appear to align closely with the biblical narrative, though told from Moab’s perspective.
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+A debated element of the stele is found in line 31, which is fragmentary and very difficult to read. In 2022, scholars André Lemaire and Jean‑Philippe Delorme, using advanced imaging technologies, proposed that this line refers to the “House of David” (𐤁𐤕 𐤃𐤅𐤃). If accurate, this would make the Mesha Stele one of the earliest non-biblical references to the Davidic dynasty, complementing the Tel Dan Stele, which also mentions the “House of David.”
-Return to: [[:text:Start|Ancient texts, manuscripts and inscriptions]] <- [[:Christianity]] <- [[:Start|Home Page]]
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+Return to: [[Start|Home Page]] -> [[:Christianity]]  -> [[Text:|Texts]]
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