2 Kings 3:25
New International Version
They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it.

New Living Translation
They destroyed the towns, covered their good land with stones, stopped up all the springs, and cut down all the good trees. Finally, only Kir-hareseth and its stone walls were left, but men with slings surrounded and attacked it.

English Standard Version
And they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees, till only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and attacked it.

Berean Standard Bible
They destroyed the cities, and each man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.

King James Bible
And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

New King James Version
Then they destroyed the cities, and each man threw a stone on every good piece of land and filled it; and they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees. But they left the stones of Kir Haraseth intact. However the slingers surrounded and attacked it.

New American Standard Bible
So they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every plot of good land and filled it. So they stopped up every spring of water and cut down every good tree, until in Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the rock slingers surrounded it and struck it.

NASB 1995
Thus they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every piece of good land and filled it. So they stopped all the springs of water and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the slingers went about it and struck it.

NASB 1977
Thus they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every piece of good land and filled it. So they stopped all the springs of water and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the slingers went about it and struck it.

Legacy Standard Bible
Thus they tore down the cities; and each one threw a stone on every piece of good land and filled it. And they stopped all the springs of water and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth they let its stones remain; however, the slingers went about it and struck it.

Amplified Bible
They destroyed the [walls of the] cities, and each man threw a stone on every piece of good land, covering it [with stones]. And they stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees, until they left nothing in Kir-hareseth [Moab’s capital city] but its stones. Then the [stone] slingers surrounded the city and destroyed it.

Christian Standard Bible
They would destroy the cities, and each of them would throw a stone to cover every good piece of land. They would stop up every spring and cut down every good tree. This went on until only the buildings of Kir-hareseth were left. Then men with slings surrounded the city and attacked it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They destroyed the cities, and each of them threw stones to cover every good piece of land. They stopped up every spring of water and cut down every good tree. In the end, only the buildings of Kir-hareseth were left. Then men with slings surrounded the city and attacked it.

American Standard Version
And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they overthrew the cities and they cast each man his stone on every beautiful inheritance and filled it, and every spring of waters they stopped up, and all trees that were beautiful they felled, until the stones in the wall were left ruined, and the throwers with a sling went around it and they destroyed it.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they razed the cities, and cast every man his stone on every good piece of land and filled it; and they stopped every well, and cut down every good tree, until they left only the stones of the wall cast down; and the slingers compassed the land, and smote it.

Contemporary English Version
The Israelites destroyed the Moabite towns. They chopped down the good trees and stopped up the springs of water, then covered the fertile fields with rocks. Finally, the only city left standing was Kir-Hareseth, but soldiers armed with slings surrounded and attacked it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they destroyed the cities: and they filled every goodly field, every man casting his stone: and they stopt up all the springs of waters: and cut down all the trees that bore fruit, so that brick walls only remained: and the city was beset by the slingers, and a great part thereof destroyed.

English Revised Version
And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees: until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then Israel tore down the cities, each man throwing rocks on every good field until it was covered. They sealed every well and cut down every good tree. Only the stones [in the walls] of Kir Hareseth were left. Soldiers surrounded Kir Hareseth and attacked it with slings and stones.

Good News Translation
and destroying their cities. As they passed by a fertile field, every Israelite would throw a stone on it until finally all the fields were covered; they also stopped up the springs and cut down the fruit trees. At last only the capital city of Kir Heres was left, and the slingers surrounded it and attacked it.

International Standard Version
They destroyed their cities, and all of them threw stones onto every piece of farm land, ruining the fields. Then they filled in all the water wells and chopped down all of the useful trees. Stone walls remained surrounding Kir-hareseth only, until the archers surrounded and attacked that city.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees; until there was left only Kir-hareseth with the stones of the wall thereof; so the slingers encompassed it, and smote it.

Literal Standard Version
and they break down the cities, and they each cast his stone [on] every good portion, and have filled it, and they stop every fountain of water, and they cause every good tree to fall—until one had left its stones in Kir-Haraseth, and the slingers go around and strike it.

Majority Standard Bible
They destroyed the cities, and each man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.

New American Bible
leveling the cities, each one casting the stones onto every fertile field and filling it, stopping up every spring, felling every fruit tree, until only the stones of Kir-hareseth remained. Then the slingers surrounded and attacked it.

NET Bible
They tore down the cities and each man threw a stone into every cultivated field until they were covered. They stopped up every spring and chopped down every productive tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left intact, but the slingers surrounded it and attacked it.

New Revised Standard Version
The cities they overturned, and on every good piece of land everyone threw a stone, until it was covered; every spring of water they stopped up, and every good tree they felled. Only at Kir-hareseth did the stone walls remain, until the slingers surrounded and attacked it.

New Heart English Bible
They beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the springs of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir Hareseth only they left its stones; however the men armed with slings went about it, and struck it.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirhara-seth they left the stones of it; but the slingers went about it, and smote it.

World English Bible
They beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land each man cast his stone, and filled it. They also stopped all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees, until in Kir Hareseth all they left was its stones; however the men armed with slings went around it and attacked it.

Young's Literal Translation
and the cities they break down, and on every good portion they cast each his stone, and have filled it, and every fountain of water they stop, and every good tree they cause to fall -- till one had left its stones in Kir-Haraseth, and the slingers go round and smite it.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joram Overcomes Moab's Rebellion
24But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked them, and they fled before them. So the Israelites invaded their land and struck down the Moabites. 25They destroyed the cities, and each man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well. 26When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not prevail.…

Cross References
Judges 9:45
And all that day Abimelech fought against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.

2 Kings 3:19
And you shall attack every fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field with stones."

2 Kings 3:24
But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked them, and they fled before them. So the Israelites invaded their land and struck down the Moabites.

2 Kings 3:26
When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not prevail.

Isaiah 16:7
Therefore let Moab wail; let them wail together for Moab. Moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth, you who are utterly stricken.

Jeremiah 48:31
Therefore I will wail for Moab; I will cry out for all of Moab; I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.

Jeremiah 48:36
Therefore My heart laments like a flute for Moab; it laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres, because the wealth they acquired has perished.


Treasury of Scripture

And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; however, the slingers went about it, and smote it.

beat down

2 Kings 3:19
And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

Judges 9:45
And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

2 Samuel 8:2
And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts.

stopped

Genesis 26:15,18
For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth…

2 Chronicles 32:4
So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?

and felled

Deuteronomy 20:19,20
When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege: …

only in, etc.

Deuteronomy 2:9
And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

Isaiah 16:7,11
Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kirhareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken…

Jeremiah 48:31,36
Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres…

Kir-heres

Jump to Previous
Armed Beat Cast Cities Felled Filled Good Hareseth Howbeit However Kir Piece Slingers Slings Smote Springs Stone Stones Stopped Thereof Trees Water
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Armed Beat Cast Cities Felled Filled Good Hareseth Howbeit However Kir Piece Slingers Slings Smote Springs Stone Stones Stopped Thereof Trees Water
2 Kings 3
1. Jehoram's reign
4. Mesha rebels
6. Jehoram, with Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom, being distressed for want of water,
13. by Elisha obtains water, and promise of victory
21. The Moabites, deceived by the colour of the water, coming to spoil, are overcome
26. The king of Moab sacrifices his son, and raises the siege














(25) And they beat down the cities.--Rather, And the cities they would overthrow, describing what happened again and again.

On every . . . filled it.--Literally, And every good plot, they would cast each man his stone, and fill it; and every fountain of water they would stop, and every good tree they would fell. All this as Elisha foretold, 2Kings 3:19.

Only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof.--Literally, as margin, until one left her stones in Kir-hareseth. This clause connects itself with the opening statement, "And the cities they would overthrow (or, kept overthrowing) until her stones were left in Kir-hareseth," i.e., the work of destruction stopped before the walls of this, the principal strong-hold of the country. In the other cities the invaders had not left one stone upon another.

Kir-haraseth.--Called "Kir-moab," Isaiah 15:1, and "Kir-heres," Isaiah 16:11. The Targum on Isaiah 15 calls it "Kerak (castle) of Moab," and it still bears that name. It stands upon a steep cliff of chalk.

Howbeit the slingers went about it.--And the slingers went round, surrounded it.

And smote it--i.e., shot at the men on the walls with deadly effect. . . .

Verse 25. - And they beat down the cities - i.e. destroyed them - leveled them with the ground - and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone (see ver. 19 and the comment ad loc.), and filled it [with stones]. And they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees - i.e. the fruit trees, δένδρα ἥμερα (Josephus) - only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; literally, until in Kir-haraseth - i.e., in Kir-haraseth only - left he the stones thereof. He (i.e. the commander, or the army) went on destroying and leveling the cities, until he came to Kir-haraseth, which proved too strong for him. There he was obliged to leave the stones untouched. Kir-haraseth, which is not mentioned among the early Moabite towns, nor even upon the Moabite Stone, and which is therefore thought to have been a newly constructed fortress (Ewald), was, in the later times, one of the most important of the strongholds of Moab (see Isaiah 15:1; Isaiah 16:7, 11; Jeremiah 48:36). It was sometimes called Kir-Moab, "the fortress of Moab." At what time it got the name of Kerak is uncertain; but we find it spoken of as Kerak-Moab by Ptolemy (about A.D. ), and by Stephen of Byzantium (about A.D. ). It was a place of much importance in the time of the Crusades. The situation is one of great strength. The fortress is built upon the top of a steep hill, surrounded on all sides by a deep arid narrow valley, which again is completely enclosed by mountains, rising higher than the fort itself. It is undoubtedly one of the strongest positions within the territory anciently possessed by the Moabites. Howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it. Ewald thinks that by "slingers" are meant, not mere ordinary slingers, but persons who worked more elaborate engines, as catapults and the like ('History of Israel,' vol. 4. p. 89, note, Eng. trans.). He is undoubtedly correct in saying that "all sorts of elaborate modes of attacking fortifications were very early known in Asia;" but it is very questionable whether the Hebrew word used (הַקַּלָּעִים) can mean anything but "slingers" in the usual sense. The LXX. translate by σφενδονῆται. The situation is one which would allow of "slingers," in the ordinary sense, sending their missiles into the place, and grievously harassing it.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They destroyed
יַהֲרֹ֡סוּ (ya·hă·rō·sū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2040: To pull down, in pieces, break, & destroy

the cities,
וְהֶעָרִ֣ים (wə·he·‘ā·rîm)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5892: Excitement

and each man
אִישׁ־ (’îš-)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

threw
יַשְׁלִ֨יכוּ (yaš·lî·ḵū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7993: To throw out, down, away

stones
אַבְנ֜וֹ (’aḇ·nōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 68: A stone

on every
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

good
ט֠וֹבָה (ṭō·w·ḇāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

field
חֶלְקָ֣ה (ḥel·qāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2513: Smoothness, flattery, an allotment

until it was covered.
וּמִלְא֗וּהָ (ū·mil·’ū·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4390: To fill, be full of

They stopped up
יִסְתֹּ֙מוּ֙ (yis·tō·mū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5640: To stop up, to repair, to keep secret

every
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

spring
מַעְיַן־ (ma‘·yan-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4599: A fountain, a source

and cut down
יַפִּ֔ילוּ (yap·pî·lū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

every
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

good
ט֣וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

tree.
עֵֽץ־ (‘êṣ-)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6086: Tree, trees, wood

Only
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

Kir-haraseth
חֲרָ֑שֶׂת (ḥă·rā·śeṯ)
Preposition, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7025: Kir-hareseth -- 'wall of earthenware', a fortified city in Moab

was left
הִשְׁאִ֧יר (hiš·’îr)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7604: To swell up, be, redundant

with stones in place,
אֲבָנֶ֛יהָ (’ă·ḇā·ne·hā)
Noun - feminine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 68: A stone

but men with slings
הַקַּלָּעִ֖ים (haq·qal·lā·‘îm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7051: A slinger

surrounded it
וַיָּסֹ֥בּוּ (way·yā·sōb·bū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5437: To turn about, go around, surround

and attacked it [as well].
וַיַּכּֽוּהָ׃ (way·yak·kū·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5221: To strike


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OT History: 2 Kings 3:25 They beat down the cities (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 3:24
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