This was frequent among the Phoenicians, Romans, and Greeks; and it was the natural fruit of a religious system which had for the objects of its worship cruel and merciless divinities. Keeping DNA sequence after changing FASTA header on command line. Share Can you explain 2 Kings 3:27? [note 1] Two Hebrew terms are used to indicate they are a 'tribute' or 'levy' that is 'offered' or 'contributed' to Yahweh: Some scholars have concluded that these 32 human virgins were to be sacrificed to Yahweh as a burnt offering along with the animals. "[49], "The Phoenicians too, in great disasters whether of wars or droughts, or plagues, used to sacrifice one of their dearest, dedicating him to Kronos. The usual interpretation is that the king of Moab sacrificed his son to his god Chemosh. Thus, his oldest son could refer either to Meshas oldest son or to the king of Edoms oldest sonbut the latter is the closest antecedent, even though Mesha is the subject of the verbs in these verses. Three kings gather against the Moabites. 0000002959 00000 n [64] There are many indicators that politicians and politically connected wealthy businessmen are involved in sacrificing children in practice of traditional religion, which has become a commercial enterprise. However, " Smith also cites Ezekiel 20:2526 as an example of where Yahweh refers to "the sacrifice of every firstborn". 26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not. Apology 9.2-3, "Among ancient peoples in critically dangerous situations it was customary for the rulers of a city or nation, rather than lose everyone, to provide the dearest of their children as a propitiatory sacrifice to the avenging deities. Peter Warren. Admittedly he and some of his nation continued to exist, but in pasukim 24 & 25 it says clearly that the Israelites smote the Moabites. Answer Moab, a small kingdom in the central Transjordan, was a familiar setting in the Bible. There are then several different methods of explaining the verse. Stack Exchange network consists of 182 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. This sacrifice expressed Mesha's great wrath against Israel. Chazal Imply Gechazi was Rotten and Elisha Didn't Know -- What Lesson is Gained from This? Front Cover. Rab. He had been ritually murdered with the long bronze dagger engraved with a boar's head that lay beside him.[61]. When wars gravest dangers gripped the land, Kronos dressed his son in royal attire, prepared an altar and sacrificed him. Rav and Shmuel engage in a dispute concerning this. This story is puzzling. We have a principle that a positive prophecy will not be revoked. [2] The Bible contains many potentially ambiguous pronouns, whose antecedents must be determined by context as well as grammar. 27 Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The king of Edom plays a pivotal role in the events which follow. Moralia 2, De Superstitione 3, "With us, for instance, human sacrifice is not legal, but unholy, whereas the Carthaginians perform it as a thing they account holy and legal, and that too when some of them sacrifice even their own sons to Cronos, as I daresay you yourself have heard." Is there an extra virgin olive brand produced in Spain, called "Clorlina"? See 2 Chronicles 3:1 (where he appeared unto David his father), Matthew 27:3 (when he saw that he was condemned), etc. It is significant for naming Yahweh as the God of Israel, and for noting how the Gadites had lived in Ataroth since ancient times (cf. Once Mesha performed this sacrifice it either provided him with more merit, even though it was perhaps not what God 'wanted' the intention behind it was noble. There have also been depictions of child sacrifice in art. If they would receive the desired things, they would sacrifice it to the god. At that point, Jehoshaphat called for Elisha, who prophesied that God would supply them with water, and that Yahweh would deliver the Moabites into your hand. Furthermore the navi already said there would be victory. He may have been sacrificed to a pagan deity, or perhaps offered him as a burnt-offering is just a way of saying that Mesha bound him, cut him open, and burned him to death on a platform. It is not clear what happened to Yahweh's 0.1% share of the spoils of war, including 808 animals (verses 3639) and 32 human virgin women/girls (verse 40), who are entrusted to the Levites, who are responsible for maintaining Yahweh's tabernacle (verses 30 and 47). One says: The king sacrificed his son for the sake of Heaven, and one says: The king sacrificed his son for the sake of idol worship. It is probable that it was from this that Euripides has drawn the mythical story found in his works about the sacrifice in Tauris, in which he presents Iphigeneia being asked by Orestes: "But what tomb shall receive me when I die? The verses quoted above are a terse conclusion to a chapter which describes a war involving Israel, Moab, Edom, and Judah. [Quran 6:137][non-primary source needed], Archaeologist Peter Warren was involved in the British School at Athens excavation of Palekastro for one season and the excavation at Lefkandi for two seasons. And what does Yahweh require of you? Mesha, when his sally failed, took, as a last resource, his first born son, and offered him as a burnt-offering to appease the manifest anger of his god Chemosh, and obtain his aid against his enemies. Mesha's sacrifice of his firstborn, seen in this new light, was virtually guaranteed to save the lives of the entire populationmen, women and childrenof the city under siege" (Baruch Margalit, "Why King Mesha of Moab Sacrificed His Oldest Son," Biblical Archaeology Review, Nov.-Dec. 1986, p. 63). The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays. The dearer any thing was to them, the more acceptable those idolaters thought the sacrifice, and therefore burnt their children in the fire to their honour. One scholar explains: "The Hebrew word translated 'indignation' is ketsef[which here] denotes the psychological breakdown or trauma that affected the Israelite forces when they beheld the sign of human sacrifice atop the walls of Kir-Hareseth. Early binding, mutual recursion, closures. Salem Media Group. p.195. " the words of Mesha's inscription: "Chemosh was angry with his lnd." Note, 2Kings 1:1 .) When he did so, "there was a great indignation against [or upon] Israel. During Ahabs reign, Moab had paid tribute to Israel, since Ahab was divinely granted extraordinary military success, particularly against Aram (Syria). endobj Mesha Stele - Wikipedia And the point is all three of these focus on God. That is, the data support the view that Tophets were cemeteries for those who died shortly before or after birth. So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. The Moabite Stone (also called the Mesha Stele) was discovered in 1868 and contains a Moabite inscription that confirms many of the events of 2 Kings 3 but gives it a distinctly pro-Moabite spin. 4855. [3] It is also questionable whether God would actually allow demonic forces to turn the tide of a human battle so dramatically, as if to vindicate such a despicable deed; the Bible always presents God as the one who controls the outcome of battles (1 Sam 17:47; Prov 21:31). [7] Through k'ex infants would substitute more powerful humans. 110 31 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. The children thus given up were slaughtered according to a secret ritual. [9] Archeologists found the remains of 137 children and 3 adults, along with 200 camelids, during excavations in 2011, 2014 and 2016, beneath the sands of a 15th-century site called Huanchaquito-Las Llamas. The armies also passed through Edomite territory to attack (v. 8). Cain And Abel Offer Their Sacrifices Deborah Praises Jael Elijah Raises The Son Of The Widow Of Zarephath King Solomon In Old Age Ammonite And Moabite Armies Are Destroyed Esther And The King Jesus Raises The Daughter Of Jairus Making The Tabernacle Laws For Sacrifices Israelites Ask For A King Saul Anointed King Saul Becomes King Saul Offers Sacrifices Saul Rejected As King David Anointed King Of Judah David Anointed King Of Israel Solomon Anointed King Bad Kings Of Israel War With Moab Jehu Anointed King Of Israel Jehoash King Of Israel Amaziah King Of Judah Hezekiah King Of Judah First Four Kings Of Judah Manasseh King Of Judah Daniel And The King's Food Speaking To The Pharisees Festus Consults King Agrippa Pictures Of The Kingdom Jesus Walking On The Sea Gentiles Seeking Jesus Jehu The King Boy Joash Crowned King Uzziah King Of Judah Humbled Hezekiah The Good King Esther Before The King King Of Zion Kingdom Of Christ Nature Of The Kingdom Kingdom Of Peace Rebuking And Encouraging Judah From The Taking Of The Ark To The Demand For A King From The Division Of The Kingdom To The Death Of Jeroboam And Rehoboam Kingdoms To The Accession Of Ahab Words Of King Lemuel Bride Seeking And Witnessing Looking Toward The Captivities Future Glory Of The Davidic Kingdom Inclusion Of Edom In The Future Kingdom Judgment Of The Nations Followed By Kingdom Blessing Under Messiah, And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through. Modern scholars unanimously identify this city with Kir of Moab. "The existence of this Moabite king is confirmed by an inscription on a pillar known as the Moabite Stone [now in the Louvre Museum in Paris]. Answer Second Kings 3 records a battle between Mesha, the Moabite king, and an alliance of kings comprised of Joram (king of Israel), Jehoshaphat (king of Judah), and the king of Edom. Mesha's sacrifice of his firstborn, seen in this new light, was virtually guaranteed to save the lives of the entire populationmen, women and childrenof the city under siege" (Baruch Margalit, "Why King Mesha of Moab Sacrificed His Oldest Son," Biblical Archaeology Review, Nov.-Dec. 1986, p. 63). [40]:404 Keil and Delitzsch (1870) argued the 32 were enslaved: Of the one half the priests received 675 head of small cattle, 72 oxen, 61 asses, and 32 maidens for Jehovah; and these Moses handed over to Eleazar, in all probability for the maintenance of the priests, in the same manner as the tithes (Numbers 18:2628, and Leviticus 27:3033), so that they might put the cattle into their own flocks (Numbers 35:3), and slay oxen or sheep as they required them, whilst they sold the asses, and made slaves of the gifts; and not in the character of a vow, in which case the clean animals would have had to be sacrificed, and the unclean animals, as well as the human beings, to be redeemed (Leviticus 27:213). 0000009805 00000 n 27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle, he and 700 swordsmen tried to break through and attack the king of Edom, but they failed. Also the story passed down among the Greeks from ancient myth that Cronus did away with his own children appears to have been kept in mind among the Carthaginians through this observance." CJB Then he took his firstborn son, who was to have succeeded him as king, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. During a battle, the king of Moab offered in his anxiety his oldest son, who would have become king after him, as a burnt offering to his pagan god. MSG 27 Then he took his son, his firstborn who would succeed him as king, and sacrificed him on the city wall. 0000002215 00000 n Can wires be bundled for neatness in a service panel? Here as well, the Jewish people learned from the king of Moab to engage in human sacrifice. Temple R was dedicated to the Aztec rain gods, including Tlloc, Ehecatl, Quetzalcoatl, and Hutzilpchtli. With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! 0000001811 00000 n Then he took his eldest son, that should have reigned in his stead Not the eldest son of the king of Edom, whom the king of Moab had in his hands before, which made the king of Edom the more willing to join in this expedition for the recovery of his son, as Joseph Kimchi thinks; or whom he took now in his sally out upon him, as Moses Kimchi and Ben Gersom, proceeding upon a mistaken sense of ( Amos 2:1 ) for the king of Edom could have no son that had a right, or was designed to succeed him, since he was but a deputy king himself; and besides, the sacrificing of him was not the way to cause the kings to raise the siege, but rather to provoke them to press it the more closely: it was the king of Moab that took his son and heir to the crown. [52], Greek, Roman and Israelite writers refer to Phoenician child sacrifice. Sol. [1], The practice of child sacrifice in Europe and the Near East appears to have ended as a part of the religious transformations of late antiquity. [65], For example, Methodist theologian Joel L. Watts (2019) wrote: "Only 32 men [sic] were given to the priests for the deity, leaving us to wonder if this surrendering was to die or to work.". This act was thoroughly in accordance with Moabitish notions. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. hb```. [55], The Quran documents pagan Arabians sacrificing their children to idols. What has Mesha achieved in killing his son? [Note: Baruch Margalit, "Why King Mesha of Moab Sacrificed His Oldest Son," Biblical Archaeology Review 12:6 (November-December 1986):62-63. Sunday 06/25/2023 :: Pastor Harley Doneburg :: 1 Samuel 22 2nd Mesha had asked his advisers why the G'd of the Jews always helps them. Traditional healers or witch doctors often grind up body parts and combine them with roots, herbs, seawater, animal parts, and other ingredients to prepare potions and spells for their clients. When he did so, "there was a great indignation against [or upon] Israel. 1988. [21] Francesca Stavrakopoulou contradicts this asserting that sacrifices were native to Israel and part of the royal line's attempts to perpetuate itself.[21]. This inscription is a testimony to the accuracy of the Bibles historical record, and it is one of many extrabiblical texts that have prevented intelligent but anti-Christian critics from dismissing the Bible as a fairy tale. [40]:405 Before the 7th-century BCE reformers of king Josiah of the southern Kingdom of Judah tried to end the practice of human/child sacrifice, it appears to have been commonplace in Israelite military culture.
