Bible Encyclopedia: Kir

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

KIR

kur, kir (kir):

1. Meaning:

The meaning of Kir is "inclosure" or "walled place," and it is therefore doubtful whether it is a place-name in the true sense of the word. In 2 Kings 16:9 it is mentioned as the place whither Tiglath-pileser IV carried the Syrian (Aramean) captives which he deported from Damascus after he had taken that city. In Amos 1:5 the prophet announces that the people of Syria (Aram) shall go into captivity unto Kir, and in 9:7 it is again referred to as the place whence the Lord had brought the Syrians (Arameans) as Israel had been brought out of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor.

2. How Rendered in the Septuagint:

Except in one manuscript (Septuagint, Codex Alexandrinus), where it appears as the Libyan Cyrene (2 Kings 16:9), it is never rendered in the Septuagint as a place-name. Thus the place whence the Syrians were brought (Amos 9:7) is not Kir, but "the deep" or "the ditch" Septuagint ek bothrou, "pit"), probably a translation of some variant rather than of the word "Kit" itself. Comparing the Assyrian-Babylonian kiru (for qiru), "wall," "inclosure," "interior," or the like, Kir might have the general meaning of a place parted off for the reception of exiled captives. Parallels would be Kir Moab, "the enclosure of Moab," Kir Heres or Kir Chareseth, "the enclosure of brick" Septuagint hoi lithoi toni toichou). It seems probable that there was more than one place to which the Assyrians transported captives or exiles, and if their practice was to place them as far as they could from their native land, one would expect, for Palestinian exiles, a site or sites on the eastern side of the Tigris and Euphrates.

3. An Emendation of Isaiah 22:5:

In Isaiah 22:5 occurs the phrase, "a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains" (meqarqar qir we-shoa` 'el ha-har-"a surrounding of the wall," etc., would be better), and the mention of qir and shoa` here has caused Fried. Delitzsch to suggest that we have to read, instead of qir, qoa`, combined with shoa`, as in Ezekiel 23:23. Following this, but retaining qir, Cheyne translates "Kir undermineth, and Shoa is at the mount," but others accept Delitzsch's emendation, Winckler conjecturing that the rendering should be "Who stirreth up Koa` and Shoa` against the mountain" (Alttest. Untersuchungen, 177). In the next verse (Isaiah 22:6) Kir is mentioned with Elam-a position which a city for western exiles would require.

4. Soldiers of Kir in Assyrian Army:

The mention of Elam as taking the quiver, and Kir as uncovering the shield, apparently against "the valley of the vision" (in or close to Jerusalem), implies that soldiers from these two places, though one might expect them to be hostile to the Assyrians in general, were to be found in their armies, probably as mercenaries. See Fried. Delitzsch, Wo lag das Paradies? 233; Schrader, COT, 425.

T. G. Pinches

KIR OF MOAB

(qir moa'-abh; Septuagint has to teichos, "the wall," "fortress"):

1. Identification:

The name, at least in this form, appears only once (Isaiah 15:1) as that of a city in Moab. It is named with Ar of Moab, with which possibly it may be identical, since `ar or `ir is the Hebrew equivalent of the Moabite Qir. The Targum hence reads "Kerak in Moab." There can be no doubt that the Kerak here intended is represented by the modern town of that name, with which, consequently, Kir Moab is almost universally identified. It must always have been a place of importance. It is mentioned as Charakmoba (Karakmoba) in the Acts of the Council of Jerusalem (536 A.D.) and by the early geographers. It dominated the great caravan road connecting Syria with Egypt and Arabia. The Crusaders therefore directed attention to it, and held possession from 1167 till it fell again into the hands of the Moslems under Saladin, 1188. The Chroniclers speak of it as in el Belqa, and the chief city of Arabia Secunda. Under the title of Petra Deserti the Crusaders founded here a bishop's see. The Greek bishop of Petra still has his seat in Kerak.

2. Discription:

Kerak stands upon a lofty spur projecting westward from the Moab plateau, with Wady `Ain Franjy on the South, and Wady el-Kerak on the North, about 10 miles from the Dead Sea. The sides of the mountain sink sharply into these deep ravines, which unite immediately to the West, and, as Wady el-Kerak, the great hollow runs northwestward to the sea. It is a position of great natural strength, being connected with the uplands to the East only by a narrow neck. It is 3,370 ft. above the level of the sea. The mountains beyond the adjacent valleys are much higher. The place was surrounded by a strong wall, with five towers, which can still be traced in its whole length. The most northerly tower is well preserved. The most interesting building at Kerak is the huge castle on the southern side. It is separated from the adjoining hill on the right by a large artificial moat; and it is provided with a reservoir. A moat also skirts the northern side of the fortress, and on the East the wall has a sloped or battered base. The castle is then separated from the town. The walls are very thick, and are well preserved. Beneath the castle is a chapel in which traces of frescoes are still visible. In days of ancient warfare the place must have been practically impregnable. It could be entered only by two roads passing through rock-cut tunnels. The main danger must always have been failure of water supply. There are springs immediately outside the city; but those alone would not be sufficient. Great cisterns were therefore constructed in the town and also in the castle. The half-nomadic inhabitants of Kerak today number some 1,140 families (Musil, Arabia Petrea, III, 97). The Greek church claims about 2,000 souls; the rest are Moslems. They are wild and fearless people, not greatly inclined to treat strangers with courtesy and kindness. In the spring of 1911 the town was the center of a rising against the government, which was not quelled until much blood had been shed.

W. Ewing

Strong's Hebrew

3600. kir -- cooking furnace
... 3599, 3600. kir. 3601 . cooking furnace. Transliteration: kir Phonetic Spelling:
(keer) Short Definition: stove. ... 3599, 3600. kir. 3601 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/3600.htm - 6k

7025. Qir Cheres -- "wall of earthenware," a fortified city in ...
... "wall of earthenware," a fortified city in Moab. Transliteration: Qir Cheres or
Qir Chareseth Phonetic Spelling: (keer kheh'-res) Short Definition: Kir-hareseth ...
/hebrew/7025.htm - 6k

7024. Qiyr -- "wall," a city in Moab
... 7023, 7024. Qiyr. 7024a . "wall," a city in Moab. Transliteration: Qiyr
Phonetic Spelling: (keer) Short Definition: Kir. Kir The ...
/hebrew/7024.htm - 5k

7024b. Qir -- a place of exile in S. Bab.
... Transliteration: Qir Short Definition: Kir. Word Origin from the same as qir Definition
a place of exile in S. Bab. NASB Word Usage Kir (4). 7024a, 7024b. ...
/hebrew/7024b.htm - 5k

7024a. Qir -- "wall," a city in Moab
... "wall," a city in Moab. Transliteration: Qir Short Definition: Kir. Word Origin
from the same as qir Definition "wall," a city in Moab NASB Word Usage Kir (1). ...
/hebrew/7024a.htm - 5k

7741. Shaveh Qiryathayim -- a plain East of the Jordan
... a plain East of the Jordan. Transliteration: Shaveh Qiryathayim Phonetic Spelling:
(shaw-vay' kir-yaw-thah'-yim) Short Definition: Shaveh-kiriathaim. ...
/hebrew/7741.htm - 6k

7151. qiryah -- a town, city
... 7150, 7151. qiryah. 7152 . a town, city. Transliteration: qiryah Phonetic
Spelling: (kir-yaw') Short Definition: city. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/7151.htm - 6k

3765. kirsem -- to tear off
... 3764, 3765. kirsem. 3766 . to tear off. Transliteration: kirsem Phonetic
Spelling: (kir-same') Short Definition: away. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/3765.htm - 6k

Library

And ii.
... In Jeremiah 48:31, eg, "Therefore will I howl over Moab, and cry out over all Moab,
over the men of Kir-heres shall he groan," the "he" in the last clause ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/chap i and ii.htm

The Prophet Amos.
... of such a mode of viewing things is shown by the prophecy of events such as that
mentioned in i.15: "The people of Aram are carried away to Kir, saith the Lord ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/the prophet amos.htm

Matt. Ii. 2
... form of the name is cited: beelphegr .--R.]. [357] Amos 9:7. "The Philistines
from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir," Heb. [The LXX. ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily viii matt ii 2.htm

The Old Testament and Archeology
... allied kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom marched with their armies against the Moabites,
who fled for refuge within the strong fortress of Kir-hareseth, where ...
/.../the christian view of the old testament/chapter iv the old testament.htm

True Prayer --True Power!
... Your bowels have not sounded like a harp for Kir-haresh, neither has your spirit
been moved, because of the defenses of the tribe of Reuben. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/true prayertrue power.htm

Sennacherib (705-681 BC )
... their entrenchments with their auxiliaries ranged behind them to support them:
"Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the ...
/.../chapter isennacherib 705-681 b c.htm

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7. <. ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... Jeroboam made a furious onslaught upon its cities"Ar of Moab, Kir of Moab, Dibon,
Medeba, Heshbon, Elealeh"and destroyed them all in succession. ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Kir

a city; wall; meeting

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Kir

(fortress) is mentioned by Amos, (Amos 9:7) as the land from which the Syrians (Aramaeans) were once "brought up;" i.e. apparently as the country where they had dwelt before migrating to the region north of Palestine. (A difference of opinion exists in regard to the position of Kir, since some suppose it to be identical with Carma, a city of Media, in the south, on the river Mardus; others place it in Armenia, on the river Kar. --ED.)

ATS Bible Dictionary

Kir

1. A strong city of Moab; called also Kir-hareseth, Kir-haresh, and Kir-heres, Isaiah 15:1; 16:7,11; Jeremiah 48:31. It was once nearly destroyed by Joram king of Israel, 2 Kings 3:25. It is now called Kerak, and is a town of three hundred families, on a steep hill at the head of a ravine running up fifteen miles into the mountains of Moab. Three-fourths of its present inhabitants are nominal Christians, greatly oppressed by the Mohammedan Arabs around them.

2. A region to which Tiglath-pileser transported the captive people of Damascus, 2 Kings 16:9; believed to have been in the vicinity of the river Kur or Cyrus, on the northeast of Armenia. The Kur flows southeast, unites with the Araxes, and empties into the Caspian Sea.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

A wall or fortress, a place to which Tiglath-pileser carried the Syrians captive after he had taken the city of Damascus (2 Kings 16:9; Amos 1:5; 9:7). Isaiah (22:6), who also was contemporary with these events, mentions it along with Elam. Some have supposed that Kir is a variant of Cush (Susiana), on the south of Elam.

Kir of Moab

Isaiah 15:1. The two strongholds of Moab were Ar and Kir, which latter is probably the Kir-haraseth (16:7) following.

Thesaurus

Kir (11 Occurrences)
... along with Elam. Some have supposed that Kir is a variant of Cush (Susiana),
on the south of Elam. Kir of Moab. Isaiah 15:1. The ...
/k/kir.htm - 17k

Kir-hareseth (3 Occurrences)
Kir-hareseth. Kirhareseth, Kir-hareseth. Kir-har'eseth . Int. Standard
Bible Encyclopedia QIR-HARESETH; KIR-HERES. kur-har ...
/k/kir-hareseth.htm - 8k

Kir-heres (3 Occurrences)
Kir-heres. Kirheres, Kir-heres. Kir-he'res . Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia QIR-HARESETH; KIR-HERES. kur-har'-seth, -ha ...
/k/kir-heres.htm - 8k

Kir-haraseth (1 Occurrence)
Kir-haraseth. Kirharaseth, Kir-haraseth. Kirhara-seth . Easton's Bible
Dictionary Built fortress, a city and fortress of Moab, the ...
/k/kir-haraseth.htm - 8k

Kir-haresh (1 Occurrence)
Kir-haresh. Kirharesh, Kir-haresh. Kirheres . Multi-Version Concordance
Kir-haresh (1 Occurrence). Isaiah 16:11 Wherefore ...
/k/kir-haresh.htm - 6k

Kir-he'res (3 Occurrences)
Kir-he'res. Kir-heres, Kir-he'res. Kiriath . Multi-Version Concordance
Kir-he'res (3 Occurrences). Isaiah 16:11 Wherefore ...
/k/kir-he'res.htm - 7k

Kir-har'eseth (2 Occurrences)
Kir-har'eseth. Kir-hareseth, Kir-har'eseth. Kirharesh . Multi-Version
Concordance Kir-har'eseth (2 Occurrences). 2 Kings ...
/k/kir-har'eseth.htm - 7k

Kir'iatha'im (1 Occurrence)
Kir'iatha'im. Kiriatha'im, Kir'iatha'im. Kiriatharba . Multi-Version
Concordance Kir'iatha'im (1 Occurrence). Joshua ...
/k/kir'iatha'im.htm - 6k

Kir'iathar'im (1 Occurrence)
Kir'iathar'im. Kiriatharim, Kir'iathar'im. Kiriath-arim .
Multi-Version Concordance Kir'iathar'im (1 Occurrence). Ezra ...
/k/kir'iathar'im.htm - 6k

Kir'iath-se'pher (4 Occurrences)
Kir'iath-se'pher. Kiriath-sepher, Kir'iath-se'pher. Kirioth .
Multi-Version Concordance Kir'iath-se'pher (4 Occurrences). ...
/k/kir'iath-se'pher.htm - 7k

Bible Concordance

Kir (11 Occurrences)

2 Kings 3:25 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 springs of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir Hareseth only they left its stones; however the men armed with slings went about it, and struck it.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Kings 16:9 The king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 15:1 The burden of Moab: for in a night, Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing; for in a night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to nothing.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 16:7 Therefore Moab will wail for Moab. Everyone will wail. You will mourn for the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth, utterly stricken.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 16:11 Therefore my heart sounds like a harp for Moab, and my inward parts for Kir Heres.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 22:5 For it is a day of discomfiture, and of treading down, and of perplexity, from the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, in the valley of vision; a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains.
(See JPS)

Isaiah 22:6 Elam carried his quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 48:31 Therefore will I wail for Moab; yes, I will cry out for all Moab: for the men of Kir Heres shall they mourn.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 48:36 Therefore my heart sounds for Moab like pipes, and my heart sounds like pipes for the men of Kir Heres: therefore the abundance that he has gotten is perished.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Amos 1:5 I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir," says Yahweh.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Amos 9:7 Are you not like the children of the Ethiopians to me, children of Israel?" says Yahweh. "Haven't I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Kir

Kir of Moab

Kir: Prophecies Concerning

Kir: The Inhabitants of Damascus Carried Into Captivity To, by the King of Assyria

Related Terms

Kir-hareseth (3 Occurrences)

Kir-heres (3 Occurrences)

Kir-haraseth (1 Occurrence)

Kir-haresh (1 Occurrence)

Kir-he'res (3 Occurrences)

Kir-har'eseth (2 Occurrences)