Numbers 21:15

21:15 and the slope of the valleys ¹ 

that extends to the dwelling of Ar, ² 

and falls off at the border of Moab.”

Deuteronomy 2:9

2:9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass Moab and provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as your territory. This is because I have given Ar ³  to the descendants of Lot ⁴  as their possession.

Deuteronomy 2:18

2:18 “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab, that is, of Ar. ⁵ 

Isaiah 15:1-2

The Lord Will Judge Moab

15:1 Here is a message about Moab:

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Ar of Moab is destroyed!

Indeed, in a night it is devastated,

Kir of Moab is destroyed!

15:2 They went up to the temple, ⁶ 

the people of Dibon went up to the high places to lament. ⁷ 

Because of what happened to Nebo and Medeba, ⁸  Moab wails.

Every head is shaved bare,

every beard is trimmed off. ⁹ 

¹ tc There are many variations in this text, but the MT reading of something like “the descent of the torrents/valleys” is preferable, since it is describing the topography.

² sn The place is unknown; it is apparently an important city in the region.

³ sn Ar was a Moabite city on the Arnon River east of the Dead Sea. It is mentioned elsewhere in the “Book of the Wars of Yahweh” (Num 21:15; cf. 21:28; Isa 15:1). Here it is synonymous with the whole land of Moab.

⁴ sn The descendants of Lot. Following the destruction of the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah, as God’s judgment, Lot fathered two sons by his two daughters, namely, Moab and Ammon (Gen 19:30-38). Thus, these descendants of Lot in and around Ar were the Moabites.

⁵ sn Ar. See note on this word in Deut 2:9.

⁶ tn Heb “house.”

⁷ tn Heb “even Dibon [to] the high places to weep.” The verb “went up” does double duty in the parallel structure.

⁸ tn Heb “over [or “for”] Nebo and over [or “for”] Medeba.”

⁹ sn Shaving the head and beard were outward signs of mourning and grief.