Kir Haraseth
“Wall of potsherds, or brick fortress”
Summary
A major fortified city of Moab, also known as Kir of Moab, that resisted Israelite siege and later became a subject of prophetic lamentation.
☩Identity and Location
Kir-haraseth, meaning 'brick fortress' or 'fortress of potsherds,' was a strong fortified city of Moab situated near the southeastern shore of the Dead Sea. It appears under several variant names in Scripture: Kir-haraseth (2 Kings 3:25), Kir-hareseth (Isaiah 16:7), Kir-haresh (Isaiah 16:11), Kir-heres (Jeremiah 48:31, 36), and Kir of Moab (Isaiah 15:1). The site is identified with modern Kerak, a city dramatically positioned on a rocky plateau surrounded by deep valleys.
☩Historical Siege
The city figures prominently in the account of the combined campaign of Israel, Judah, and Edom against Moab. When the allied armies devastated Moab, only Kir-haraseth remained, with slingers surrounding and attacking it. In desperation, the king of Moab attempted to break through to the king of Edom, and when he failed, he sacrificed his firstborn son on the wall. This act provoked such horror that the siege was abandoned.
☩Prophetic Oracles
Isaiah and Jeremiah include Kir-haraseth in their prophecies against Moab. Isaiah pronounces that Moab shall wail for the raisin-cakes of Kir-hareseth, and his heart cries out for Moab like a lyre for Kir-heres (Isaiah 16:7, 11). Jeremiah echoes this mourning: 'My heart moans for Moab like a flute, and like a flute for the men of Kir-heres' (Jeremiah 48:36). These oracles depict the fall of this proud fortress as part of Moab's comprehensive judgment.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Kir-Haraseth," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Kirharaseth," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.Edwin W. Rice, "Kir-haraseth," in The People's Dictionary of the Bible (American Sunday-School Union, 1893).