The majority of commentators agree that Mesha offered up his own son as a sacrifice to his god Chemosh. The few who think otherwise say it was a captured son of the king of Edom that was sacrificed, citing Amos 2:1 as evidence, where reference is made to Moab “burning the bones of the king of Edom for lime.” Though grammatically the Hebrew will allow for such an interpretation, this latter suggestion seems contrary to other known facts. For example, it was unheard of for Moabites and Ammonites, Israel’s neighbors, to offer up their enemies as sacrifices to their gods, but it was a known practice of their religion to offer their own children as burnt sacrifices to appease the anger of their gods. (De 12:30, 31; Mic 6:6, 7) It is therefore understandable why this Chemosh worshiper, Mesha, faced with imminent danger of defeat, would have resorted to such drastic measures.

In boasting of his being very religious, of building cities and a highway, as well as of a victory that he claims over Israel, Mesha gives all the credit to the god Chemosh. Mesha also knew of Israel’s God Jehovah, for in the 18th line of this document the Tetragrammaton is found. There Mesha brags: “I took from there the [vessels] of Yahweh, dragging them before Chemosh.” (PICTURE, Vol. 1, p. 946)