8. Moab and Seir. Other prophecies against Moab are found in Isa. 15; Isa. 16; Jer. 48; Zeph. 2:8, 9. The two nations are possibly mentioned together here because of the similarity of their sins. They are later treated separately, Moab (Eze. 25:8-11) and Seir, or Edom ( 25:12-14). Seir is another name for Edom. The mentions only Moab here.
The Moabites were descendants of Lot by his elder daughter, and so were blood relatives of Israel, as were also the Ammonites (see on 2). These two countries, closely associated in their history and fortunes, are threatened with similar doom.
Moab is repeatedly mentioned in sacred history (see Num. 22; 24; 25; Judges 3:12-31; 1 Sam. 14:47; 2 Sam. 8:2; 2 Kings 3:5; 24:2; 2 Chron. 20). Sometimes Israel was in subjection to Moab, as under Eglon (Judges 3:12-31) and sometimes Moab was in subjection to Israel, as under David (2 Sam. 8:2).
The Moabite Stone, found in the ruins of Dibon in 1868, tells of the oppression of Moab by Omri, king of Israel, and of Moab’s revolt under Mesha, her king. Mesha attributes his victory over Israel to his god, Chemosh (see Additional Note on 2 Kings 3).
Like unto all the heathen. The inhabitants of Judah had asserted that their God was superior to heathen gods and was able to deliver them. Now Judah’s misfortune seemed to deny this claim. The Moabites exulted with malicious delight at the plight of their neighbors to the west.