| Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia QIR-HARESETH; KIR-HERES kur-har'-seth, -ha-re'-seth> (qir-charesh, Isaiah 16:7; in 2 Kings 3:25 the King James Version reads Kir-haraseth (pausal form)); (qir cheres, Jeremiah 48:31, 36; in Isaiah 16:11 the King James Version reads Kir-haresh (pausal form)): Modern scholars unanimously identify this city with Kir of Moab. In Jehoram's invasion of Moab it alone withstood his attack; and on the city wall the king of Moab sacrificed his son (2 Kings 3:25). It was obviously the capital, i.e. Kir Moab. The name is generally taken to mean "city of the sun." Cheyne, however, points out (EB, under the word):
(1) that this explanation was unknown to the ancients;
(2) that"kir" is nowhere suposed to mean "city," except in the compound names Kir-heres, Kir-hareseth, and Kir Moab;
(3) that cheres, "sun," nowhere has a feminine ending, and
(4) that Isaiah 16:7 Septuagint and Aquila.) indicates "d" and not "r" in the second part of the name (Deseth). He suggests, therefore, that we should possibly read qiryath chadhdshah, "new city."
W. Ewing |  | Multi-Version Concordance Kir-hareseth (3 Occurrences) 2 Kings 3:25 And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it. (ASV BBE JPS NAS) Isaiah 16:7 Therefore shall Moab wail for Moab, every one shall wail: for the raisin-cakes of Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn, utterly stricken. (ASV BBE JPS WBS YLT NAS) Isaiah 16:11 Wherefore my heart moaneth like a harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kir-heres. (See NAS) |