『…摩西和祭司以利亞撒…在摩押平原與耶利哥相對的約但河邊，數點以色列人。』(民數記 26:63)
『…耶和華在摩押平原與耶利哥相對的約但河邊，藉著摩西所吩咐以色列人的命令和典章。』(民數記 36:13)
摩押 (Moab，意，從父親) 是羅得和他女兒亂倫所生的兒子（創十九30∼38）；因此，摩押代表肉體情慾的果子。摩押的後裔居住在今日死海東岸的約旦境內，是一個多山的狹長地帶。古時的摩押人經常與他們的鄰居以色列人有衝突；但曾有一段時間，兩個民族的通婚很常見，這可從舊約路得記看出來，波阿斯娶摩押女子路得，成了後來大衛王的先祖。
摩押地是許多自然資源的產地，包括來自死海地區的石灰石、食鹽和香液。摩押並且占有王道（King’s Highway）極其重要的一段，王道是古代連接埃及和兩河流域、敘利亞和安納托利亞的商隊路線。摩押平原(The Plains of Moab) 則是指約但河東，死海的東北方上的一小塊平原，與耶利哥相對。現存的歷史資料中，摩押在波斯帝國時代消失了，領土隨後被北阿拉伯的部落占據。
“These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.” (Numbers 26:63)
Moab is the name of an ancient kingdom that is today located in the modern state of Jordan. The land is mountainous and lies alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. According to the Bible, Moab was often in conflict with its Israelite neighbours to the west.
The country of Moab was the source of numerous natural resources, including limestone, salt and balsam from the Dead Sea region. The Moabites occupied a vital place along the King’s Highway, the ancient trade route connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia. Trade along this route gave them considerable revenue.
Sometime during the Persian period Moab disappears from the extant historical record. Its territory was subsequently overrun by waves of tribes from northern Arabia.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/kokiahouse/posts/2401527913435035
