Kir, also known as Mizpeh, was a Moabite city that faced destruction by the Babylonians (Isaiah 15:1; Jeremiah 48:1, 23).
Also known as Kir-hareseth · Kir Hareseth · Kir-haaseth,Kir-haresh,Kir-heres · Mizpeh · Mizpah
Kir, also referred to as Mizpeh, was a city in Moab, east of the Dead Sea. It is mentioned several times in the prophetic books of Isaiah and Jeremiah in the context of God's judgment against Moab. Isaiah prophesied that Kir would be destroyed in a night (Isaiah 15:1), and Jeremiah foretold that Kir would face judgment and destruction by the Babylonians (Jeremiah 48:1, 23). The city was known for its fortifications, as the name "Kir" means "wall" or "fortress." According to 2Ki.3.25, during the campaign of the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom against Moab, they destroyed the cities and stopped up the springs of water, including those of Kir-hareseth, which may be another name for Kir. The exact location of Kir is uncertain, but it was likely situated in southern Moab, possibly near the modern-day town of Al-Karak.
Approximate location: 31.181, 35.702 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
7 verses in 4 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H7024
From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab, where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I learn what God will do for me.”
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.
This is the burden against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a night!
Therefore let Moab wail; let them wail together for Moab. Moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth, you who are utterly stricken.
Therefore my heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being for Kir-heres.
Therefore I will wail for Moab; I will cry out for all of Moab; I will moan for the men of Kir-heres.
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.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.