Medeba

Medeba was an ancient city located in Moab, east of the Dead Sea. It was captured by the Israelites during their conquest of the region (Numbers 21:30; Joshua 13:9, 16). The city and its surrounding plain were allotted to the tribe of Reuben. During the reign of King David, the Ammonites hired Syrian mercenaries and gathered at Medeba to fight against Israel (1 Chronicles 19:7). The Moabite Stone, an important archaeological find, mentions Medeba as a city that the Moabite King Mesha had captured from Israel. The prophet Isaiah, in his oracle against Moab, mentions Medeba as one of the cities that would mourn over the coming destruction (Isaiah 15:2).