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NASB | Ruth 1:1 Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ruth 1:1 In the days when the judges governed [Israel], there was a famine in the land [of Canaan]. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live temporarily in the country of Moab with his wife and his two sons. |
Subject: Which "land of Moab" in Ruth? |
Bible Note: Hi Steve, Thank you for your response and for answering the call of my questions. I’m afraid that your statements, “There was only one land of Moab” and “The plains of Moab were between Ammon and Moab, but under Moabite control” are not accurate. I think we can agree that the “plains of Moab” are located between the Arnon River on the south, the Jabbok River on the north, the Jordon River on the west and the Ammonites on the east. Reference: The Holman Bible Atlas, plates 32, 36, and 42. This same area is referred to several times in scripture as “the land of Moab.” This area was part of the nation of Moab. But, before Israel arrived from Egypt, this part of Moab, from the Arnon to the Jabbok was lost to Sihon, King of the Amorites. When Israel arrived, they asked Sihon to let them pass through his land. Sihon refused and then made war against Israel. “Israel struck him with the edge of the sword and took possession of the land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon.” These facts are detailed in Numbers 21: 13-26. This put the nation of Moab in such fear that they hired Balaam to curse Israel! Then the land was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad as an inheritance if they would help the other tribes conquer the Promised Land. Why did Reuben and Gad want the “plains of Moab”, AKA: “the land of Moab”? The land was good land for livestock. Therefore, it must have had plentiful grass and water. Numbers 23:49-50 “They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab. Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying,” Deuteronomy 1:5 “Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound this law, saying,” Deuteronomy 29:1 “These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the sons of Israel in the land of Moab, besides the covenant which He had made with them at Horeb.” Deuteronomy 32: 48-49 “The LORD spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. Deuteronomy 34:1-6 “Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, and all Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there." So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day.” So there is a “land of Moab,” containing the “plains of Moab,” above the Arnon River. This land was possessed by the tribes of Reuben and Gad at the time of Ruth. The nation of Moab was located below the Arnon. To which did Elimelech, Naomi and their sons travel? What scripture supports the nation of Moab? Or where am I wrong above? Thanks again, Jim |