The Mesha Stele (the Moabite Stone)
Israel's king Omri, his dynasty, his rule over Moab, and the name of Israel's God all appear in a hostile neighbour's monument written within living memory of the events.
Nommé hors de la BibleInscriptionc. 840 BC
King Mesha of Moab's own account of throwing off Israelite rule — the other side of the story told in 2 Kings 3. He names Omri king of Israel, names Israel's God, and describes taking back Moabite towns. Smashed by locals in a dispute soon after its discovery, it was reconstructed from a paper squeeze taken beforehand.
Omri was king of Israel, and he oppressed Moab many days… and his son succeeded him, and he too said, 'I will oppress Moab.'
- Découvert
- Dhiban (biblical Dibon), Jordan, 1868 — Frederick Augustus Klein
- Conservé à
- Musée du Louvre, Paris (AO 5066)
- Langue
- Moabite
Jusqu'où cela va
The Omri passage and the divine name are secure. A separate, damaged line (31) has been read by some as "House of David"; that reading is contested and should not be leaned on.
Ce qu'en font les historiens
A primary source for Iron Age Moab and for Israelite–Moabite relations in every secular treatment of the period.
Dans l'Écriture
Se rattache à
Sources
Ces textes sont pour l'instant en anglais. Les traductions suivront.