And when they came to the camp of Israel,.... Not in an orderly regular manner, in rank and file, as an army should march, but in a confused manner, everyone striving who should get thither first, and have the largest share of the booty:

the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them; being prepared for them, they fell upon them sword in hand, and soon obliged them to flee:

but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country; they pursued them closely, and slew them as they fled, and followed them not only to their borders, but into their own country: though Schultens (m), from the use of the word in the Arabic language, renders the passage, "and they blunted their swords in it (in that slaughter), even by smiting the Moabites".

(m) De Defect. Hod. Ling. Heb. sect. 26.

The Israelites followed the fugitives into their own land and laid it waste, as Elisha had prophesied (2 Kings 3:25 compared with 2 Kings 3:19). The Chethb ויבו־בהּ is to be read בהּ ויּבו (for ויּבוא as in 1 Kings 12:12): and (Israel) came into the land and smote Moab. The Keri ויּכּוּ is a bad emendation. הכּות is either the infinitive construct used instead of the infin. absolute (Ewald, 351, c.), or an unusual form of the inf. absol. (Ewald, 240, b.). עד־השׁאיר, till one ( equals so that one only) left its stones in Kir-chareseth. On the infinitive form השׁאיר see at Joshua 8:22. The suffix in אבניה probably points forward to the following noun (Ewald, 309, c.). The city called חרשׂת קיר here and Isaiah 16:7, and חרשׂ קיר in Isaiah 16:11 and Jeremiah 48:31, Jeremiah 48:36, i.e., probably city of potsherds, is called elsewhere מואב קיר, the citadel of Moab (Isaiah 15:1), as the principal fortress of the land (in the Chaldee Vers. דמואב כרכּא), and still exists under the name of Kerak, with a strong castle build by the Crusaders, upon a lofty and steep chalk rock, surrounded by a deep and narrow valley, which runs westward under the name of Wady Kerak and falls into the Dead Sea (vid., Burckhardt, Syr. pp. 643ff., C. v. Raumer, Pal. pp. 271,272). This fortress the allied kings besieged. "The slingers surrounded and smote it," i.e., bombarded it.

And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they {p} went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.

(p) Meaning, they followed them into the towns.

they went...: or, they smote in it even smiting

3:20-27 It is a blessing to be favoured with the company of those who have power with God, and can prevail by their prayers. A kingdom may be upheld and prosper, in consequence of the fervent prayers of those who are dear to God. May we place our highest regard upon such as are most precious in his account. When sinners are saying Peace, peace, destruction comes upon them: despair will follow their mad presumption. In Satan's service and at his suggestion, such horrid deeds have been done, as cause the natural feelings of the heart to shudder; like the king of Moab's sacrificing his son. It is well not to urge the worst of men to extremities; we should rather leave them to the judgment of God.