After King Solomon’s death, Israel split into two kingdoms: Judah in the south under Rehoboam, and Israel in the north under Jeroboam. This division sparked years of instability and idolatry, especially under King Ahab and Jezebel’s reign in the north.
During this turmoil, Moab, a vassal kingdom, rebelled under King Mesha. The Bible tells how Israel’s King Jeroham and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat joined forces to fight Moab but faced severe challenges. Although the prophet Elisha promised victory, Moab escaped destruction when Mesha sacrificed his heir to their god Chemosh (2 Kings 3).
In 1868, archaeologists discovered the Mesha Stele at Dhiban, Jordan—now housed in the Louvre—which confirms key biblical facts:
• Israel’s kingdom named five times
• Moab and its capital Dibon
• Kings Omri and Jeroham of Israel
• The Davidic dynasty
• The conflict between Israel and Moab
• And a rare ancient mention of God’s name, the Tetragrammaton
This remarkable artifact shows these biblical events and figures were not legend—they were history.
