The Moabite Stone, also referred to as the Mesha Stele, is an inscribed stone that was discovered by Frederick Augustus Klein in 1868 at the ancient site of Dibon (which is now Dhiban, Jordan). After the discovery of the stele, some local Arab villagers broke the stone into fragments during a dispute over its ownership. These pieces were distributed among a number of these locals. A majority of the fragments containing the writings were later recovered and pieced back together. The stele now resides at the Louvre Museum in France.
King Mesha Of The Moabites
The Bible says King Mesha was a sheep breeder who had to pay the king of Israel a tribute of a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. When King Ahab died, Mesha decided to rebel against the new king (2 Kings 3:4-5). It is this rebellion against Israel that Mesha writes about on the Moabite Stone. It is his account of the same thing we read about in (2 Kings 3).
Yahweh, Chemosh, Omri, And Ahab
The writing on this stone mentions the name “Yahweh”, the God of Israel, as well as making several references to “Chemosh” the false god of the Moabs. The Bible makes reference to Chemosh a number of times in the Old Testament (Numbers 21:29, Judges 11:24, 2 Kings 23:13). The inscription also mentions King Omri and his son Ahab, whom we also find in the pages of the Bible.
(1 Kings 16:28) Omri rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. And Ahab his son succeeded him as king.
It is always fascinating to read about how archaeological discoveries such as the Moabite Stone verify the names, places, and stories of the Bible. Standing at about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide, the Moabite Stone proves once again God’s Word is true and should never be doubted!
