H4338 H4338
Mesha, king of Moab (personal name, same root as 'deliverance'), known from biblical and extrabiblical sources
Second Kings 3:4 introduces Mesha as the king of Moab who rebelled against Israel after Ahab's death. This is perhaps the most famous biblical Mesha, also known from the Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone), where he records his own version of conflicts with Israel. The name appears in the Moabite inscription as משע, confirming the biblical spelling. His rebellion and the subsequent military campaign form the narrative of 2 Kings 3, culminating in a desperate act that shocked the Israelite coalition into retreat. Mesha represents Moabite national identity asserting itself against Israelite hegemony.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The personal name of the king of Moab who rebelled against Israel in 2 Kings 3:4, attested both biblically and in the famous Mesha Stele (circa 840 BCE). The inscription confirms the name as משע and provides Moab's perspective on the conflicts described in Kings. The form with conjunction 'and Mesha' marks his introduction into the narrative as a sheep-breeder who paid enormous tribute (100,000 lambs and wool of 100,000 rams) until Ahab's death emboldened rebellion. This Mesha stands as one of the few biblical figures whose own monumental inscription survives, offering rare extrabiblical corroboration. 1×
AR["وَمِيشَعُ"]·ben["এবং-মেশা"]·DE["und-Mesha"]·EN["and-Mesha"]·FR["et-Mesha"]·heb["ו-מישע"]·HI["और-मेशा"]·ID["Dan-Mesa"]·IT["e-Mesha"]·jav["Lan-Mésa"]·KO["그리고-메사가"]·PT["E-Mesha"]·RU["и-Меша"]·ES["Y-Mesa"]·SW["na-Mesha"]·TR["ve-Mesa"]·urd["اور-میسا"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מֵישַׁע n.pr.m. (deliverance)—Mesha, king of Moab 2 K 3:4 = משע MI 1; 𝔊 Μωσα.—v. Sm and SoMI, 1886 DrSm lxxxv ff.