A place marking the Joktanite territory
Mesha
Named in 1 verse of Genesis, first in Genesis 10:30.
מֵשָׁאMesha
The name means “burden; salvation.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869
About Mesha Written by AI
Mesha is mentioned in Genesis 10:30 as one of the boundaries of the territory settled by the descendants of Joktan, son of Eber. The verse states that "their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east." This suggests that Mesha was located in the Arabian Peninsula, possibly in the western or southern region. However, the exact location of Mesha remains unknown, and no further details about the place are provided in the Bible.
Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.
Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897
This entry is on the name Mesha, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.
Middle district, Vulgate, Messa. (1.) A plain in that part of the boundaries of Arabia inhabited by the descendants of Joktan (Gen. 10:30).
(2.) Heb. meysh’a, “deliverance,” the eldest son of Caleb (1 Chr. 2:42), and brother of Jerahmeel.
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(3.) Heb. id, a king of Moab, the son of Chemosh-Gad, a man of great wealth in flocks and herds (2 Kings 3:4). After the death of Ahab at Ramoth-Gilead, Mesha shook off the yoke of Israel; but on the ascension of Jehoram to the throne of Israel, that king sought the help of Jehoshaphat in an attempt to reduce the Moabites again to their former condition. The united armies of the two kings came unexpectedly on the army of the Moabites, and gained over them an easy victory. The whole land was devastated by the conquering armies, and Mesha sought refuge in his last stronghold, Kir-harasheth (q.v.). Reduced to despair, he ascended the wall of the city, and there, in the sight of the allied armies, offered his first-born son a sacrifice to Chemosh, the fire-god of the Moabites. This fearful spectacle filled the beholders with horror, and they retired from before the besieged city, and recrossed the Jordan laden with spoil (2 Kings 3:25-27).
The exploits of Mesha are recorded in the Phoenician inscription on a block of black basalt found at Dibon, in Moab, usually called the “Moabite stone” (q.v.).
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.
28.857, 34.859 See it on a map
Where the Bible names it
- Genesis 10:30
Their territory extended from Mesha to Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.