Dibon

Dibon (meaning pining or wasting) was one of the most prominent cities of Moab, situated approximately four miles north of the Arnon Gorge on the Transjordanian plateau. It appears first as one of the cities taken from Sihon king of the Amorites during Israel's passage through Transjordan (Num. 21:30) and was subsequently assigned to the tribes of Reuben and Gad as a rebuilt settlement (Num. 32:3, 34; Josh. 13:9, 17). Also called Dibon-gad, it served as an important Moabite administrative center in later periods.

The Moabite Stone (Mesha Stele), discovered at modern Dhiban in 1868, was inscribed by the Moabite king Mesha and references Dibon as his capital city—providing extrabiblical confirmation of the city's prominence. Isaiah 15:2 and Jeremiah 48:18, 22 include Dibon in sweeping oracles of judgment against Moab. Archaeological excavations at Dhiban have confirmed continuous occupation from the Early Bronze Age onward.