Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Daniel:

On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 11:03 AM, Daniel Buck <bucksburg AT yahoo.com> wrote:

> …
>
> Is it certain that the king of Moab sacrificed his own son?


That’s what the text says, and with human sacrifice not an unusual event in
pagan societies, even of adult victims, is there any reason to doubt the
text?


>  Could we not
> alternatively read it thus?
>
> "the king of Moab . . .[tried] to break through to the king of Edom, but
> they
> could not. Then he took [the king of Edom']s eldest son, that should have
> reigned in his place, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall.
>

The verses in question are 2 Kings 3:26–7. Can it be read as saying anything
other than that the king of Moab sacrificed his own eldest son? I don’t see
that as a possibility.

>
> See Amos 2:1
> "For three transgressions of Moab and for four I will not revoke its
> punishment,
> Because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime."
>

Why couldn’t this refer to a different event? There are plenty of other wars
that Edom and Moab were party to.

>
> Daniel Buck
>
> Karl W. Randolph.