Kir of Moab

Kir of Moab (meaning wall of Moab or city of Moab) was one of the two principal strongholds of Moab—along with Ar of Moab—mentioned in Isaiah 15:1 in the oracle against Moab. The destruction of Kir of Moab in a single night is the opening image of Isaiah's Moab lament, a poem notable for its emotional depth and sympathy for Moab's suffering even while announcing divine judgment. Isaiah 16:7 and Jeremiah 48:31, 36 extend the lament.

Kir of Moab is generally identified with the modern Kerak (ancient Kir-hareseth), a spectacularly fortified hilltop town approximately seventeen miles south of the Arnon River in modern Jordan. The site sits on a ridge nearly 3,000 feet above sea level, surrounded by deep valleys on three sides, making it one of the most naturally defensible positions in the entire Transjordanian plateau—consistent with its biblical designation as a stronghold. The Crusader castle still standing at Kerak occupies the same strategic hilltop that made it so militarily significant in antiquity.