Original Word: מוֹאָבִי
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: Mow'abiy
Pronunciation: mo-aw-bee' / mo-aw-bee-yah'
Phonetic Spelling: (mo-aw-bee')
KJV: (woman) of Moab, Moabite(-ish, -ss)
NASB: Moabite, Moabitess, Moabites, Moab
Word Origin: [patronymical from H4124 (מוֹאָב - Moab)]

1. a Moabite or Moabitess, i.e. a descendant from Moab

woman of Moab, Moabite,

Feminine Mownabiyah {mo-aw-bee-yaw'}; or Mowabiyth {mo-aw-beeth'}; patronymical from Mow'ab; a Moabite or Moabitess, i.e. A descendant from Moab -- (woman) of Moab, Moabite(-ish, -ss).

see HEBREW Mow'ab

Word Origin
from Moab
Definition
desc. of Moab
NASB Translation
Moab (1), Moabite (6), Moabites (3), Moabitess (6).

מ֥וֺאָבִי, מוֺאֲבִיָּה adjective, of a people Moabitish; — ׳מ Deuteronomy 23:4 2t., מֹאָבִי Ezra 9:1; plural מֹאָבִים Deuteronomy 2:11; ׳מוֺאָב Deuteronomy 2:29; feminine singular מוֺאֲבִיָּה Ruth 1:22 4t.; ׳מֹאֲב Ruth 4:10; מוֺאָבִית2Chronicles 24:26; feminine plural מוֺאֲבִיּוֺת 1 Kings 11:1; Nehemiah 13:23; ׳מֹאֲב Ruth 1:4: — masculine = a Moabite Deuteronomy 23:4; Nehemiah 13:1; ׳הַמ = the Moabite 1 Chronicles 11:46; collective = the Moabites Ezra 9:1, so plural Deuteronomy 2:11,29; feminine plural as adjective ׳נָשִׁים מ Ruth 1:4; as substantive, 1 Kings 11:1; Nehemiah 13:23; feminine singular as adjective 2Chronicles 24:26; especially ׳רוּת הַמ Ruth 1:22; Ruth 2:2,21; Ruth 4:5,10; ׳מ as noun feminine singular Ruth 2:6.

מוֺאל see מול.

[מוֺבָא] see מָבוֺא below בוא.

Definition and Scope

מוֹאָבִי (Moʾabi) designates an individual descended from Moab, whether male or female, or anything pertaining to that nation. While the root refers to the people group, Scripture uses the term primarily to highlight covenantal distance, cultural interaction, or unexpected inclusion within the redemptive plan of God.

Origin of the Moabites

The Moabites arose from the incestuous union of Lot and his eldest daughter (Genesis 19:37). Geographically, they occupied the upland plateau east of the Dead Sea. Spiritually, they inherited a heritage detached from the Abrahamic covenant, yet never beyond the sovereign purposes of God.

Covenantal Exclusion and Its Rationale

Deuteronomy 23:3 establishes a stern boundary: “No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of their descendants shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD”. Moses explains the reason—Moab’s refusal to supply Israel with bread and water and their complicity in hiring Balaam to curse God’s people (Deuteronomy 23:4-5). The edict underscored God’s zeal to protect Israel’s purity of worship, not ethnic hostility. Nevertheless, the chapter itself foreshadows mercy by allowing marriage with a Moabite widow under levirate provisions (cf. Ruth).

Encounters during the Wilderness Journey

Israel’s march toward Canaan skirted Moabite territory (Deuteronomy 2:8-9). Though the Israelites were told, “Do not harass Moab” (Deuteronomy 2:9), Moab voluntarily proved hostile. Exchanges in Deuteronomy 2:11 and Deuteronomy 2:29 reflect negotiated passage contrasted with actual resistance, showcasing Moab’s early posture of distrust.

The Moabite Women and Balaam

Numbers 25 (though the word 4125 is not used here) records Moabite women seducing Israelite men into Baal worship, leading to a devastating plague. This event cemented Moab’s reputation as a spiritual threat and clarified the practical outworking of the Deuteronomic exclusion.

Ruth the Moabite: Grace Triumphing over Lineage

The Book of Ruth contains ten of the sixteen occurrences of מוֹאָבִי/מוֹאֲבִיָּה. The narrator deliberately repeats “Moabite” to magnify the surprise of her acceptance.
• Ruth 1:22: “So Naomi returned from the land of Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth the Moabitess.”
• Ruth 2:2: Ruth asks, “Let me go into the fields and glean.” The text identifies her as “the Moabite” to stress social vulnerability.
• Ruth 4:10: Boaz states, “I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, to be my wife…”.

Under levirate custom, Ruth is enfolded into Judah’s line; her faith and covenant loyalty eclipse her ethnic origin. The narrative climaxes in David’s genealogy (Ruth 4:17-22), illustrating that God’s messianic purposes can incorporate a Moabite without contradicting Deuteronomy 23 because the law targeted unrepentant Moabite nationalism, not a believing individual who sought refuge under the wings of the LORD (Ruth 2:12).

Royal Entanglements and Apostasy

1 Kings 11:1 notes Solomon’s love for “many foreign women,” including the Moabites, leading to idolatry. The failure contrasts sharply with Boaz’s godly union and warns that intermarriage devoid of covenantal fidelity invites spiritual compromise. The Chronicler records a valiant “Moabite” warrior in David’s mighty men list (1 Chronicles 11:46), suggesting Moabite individuals continued to assimilate under Israel’s God.

Military and Administrative Contexts

2 Chronicles 24:26 names Zabad “the son of an Ammonite woman” and Jehozabad “the son of a Moabite woman” as conspirators in the assassination of King Joash, indicating that foreign descent within Israel could play either constructive or destructive roles depending on covenant allegiance.

Post-Exilic Reforms

Ezra 9:1 laments intermarriage with, among others, “the Moabites,” endangering the fledgling community’s holiness.