Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 3
In 2 Kings 6:32, Elisha called Joram a ‘murderer’. Joram, the king of northern and central Israel, had shown great cruelty in his war against Moab. He destroyed everything until just one city, Kir Hareseth, remained under the control of the king of Moab.
When the defeat of that city seemed likely, Moab’s king tried to escape in the direction of the king of Edom. Edom’s army was supporting Joram. Perhaps Moab’s king thought that Edom’s king would not be as cruel as Joram to him. However, that plan failed. The king of Moab had to return to the city.
In that desperate situation, Moab’s king turned for help to a very wicked religion. In Numbers 25:1-3, Moab’s people had been serving the false god Baal. It was the same, or a similar, evil religion to the one that Ahab introduced to Israel (1 Kings 16:32). However, later they turned to an even more evil religion, the religion of the false god Chemosh (1 Kings 11:7).
As an act of prayer in an evil religion, Moab’s king offered to his god, the most precious thing that he possessed. It was his oldest son, whom he murdered publicly on the city wall. Then, the king took his son’s body and burned it as a gift to his false god.
The reaction to this awful act was very terrible anger. We do not know who felt most angry. Israel’s soldiers may have been angry with each other that this awful thing had happened. Moab’s soldiers became even more angry against their enemies. However, perhaps Israel’s soldiers became very afraid of God’s anger. That might explain why they did not continue the fight. They left the battle and they returned to their homes. That was how the war against Moab ended.
Next part: A family in a desperate situation, because of debt (2 Kings 4:1)
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© 2025, Keith Simons.