Talk about pressure!

The Israelites weren’t exactly waging war on Moab, but their very presence – a kind of “hostile, though not warlike, attitude” as Ginzberg phrases it in Legends of the Jews – was enough to send shivers down the spines of Moabite kings. They felt like strangers in their own land. Can you blame them? They were terrified they'd end up like the Egyptians. Remember, the Israelites initially came to Egypt as guests, but eventually, they basically took over, forcing the Egyptians to become their tenants.

But why were the Moabites so convinced that Israel would disregard God's command not to attack the descendants of Lot (from whom Moab was descended, according to the Torah)? They figured that Israel wouldn't respect that boundary. After all, hadn’t they already snatched up the kingdoms of Sihon and Og? Even though those territories had once belonged to Ammon and Moab! Talk about adding insult to injury.

The story gets even more tangled. The Moabites’ troubles weren’t exactly new. Their capital city, Heshbon, had actually been taken from them earlier by the Amorites. And how did the Amorites manage that? This is where it gets really interesting: through the "support" of none other than Balaam and his father, Beor. Yes, that Balaam! The same one we know from the talking donkey story.

Apparently, the Amorites hired Balaam and his dad—sorcerers both—to curse Moab. The result? A crushing defeat for the Moabites in their war against Sihon. Ginzberg quotes some truly ominous words that Balaam and Beor used: "Woe to thee, Moab! Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh!" That doesn’t sound good, does it?

Now, who was this Chemosh? Chemosh, we learn, was a black stone carved in the form of a woman, and worshipped by the Moabites as their god. Imagine the despair – not only losing territory and power, but feeling abandoned by your own deity!

So, what’s the takeaway here? Is it just a history lesson about ancient anxieties? Perhaps it’s a reminder of how deeply intertwined history, religion, and even magic were in shaping the destinies of nations. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a cautionary tale about the long-lasting consequences of bad decisions and the power of fear to distort our perceptions. What do you think?