Historical Background

According to Genesis 19:30–37, the Moabites descended from Moab, a son of Lot. This account explains the traditional family relationship between Moab and Israel.

During the period associated with Israel's journey toward Canaan, Moab appears as an established people living east of the Dead Sea. Numbers 22–24 describes King Balak's attempt to use the prophet Balaam against Israel.

The archaeological record shows the development of settled communities and regional political organization in Moab during the late second and early first millennia BC. The precise relationship between these developments and the earliest biblical narratives remains uncertain.