Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 3:4

"Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master; and he rendered unto the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams." — 2 Kings 3:4 (ASV)

The revolt of Moab, continued from 2 Kings 1:1. Ahaziah did not reign two full years, and his accident seems to have prevented any attempt on his part to subdue the Moabites.

Mesha.—The name means “deliverance, salvation,” and occurs on the monument set up by this king, describing his victories and buildings (see Note on 2 Kings 1:1).

A sheep-master.—Hebrew, nôqçd (Amos 1:1). In Arabic, naqad means a kind of sheep of superior wool, and naqqâd means the owner or shepherd of such sheep. The land of Moab is mountainous but well-watered and rich in fertile valleys, and was therefore especially suited for pasture; and the Arabian wilderness lay open to the Moabite shepherds and their flocks.

Rendered.—Used to render (waw conversive of the perfect); namely, year by year. This tribute is referred to in Isaiah 16:1.

With the wool.—Rather, in wool (an accusative of limitation). The word rendered “lambs” (kârîm) means lambs fatted for food. The expression “in wool,” therefore, relates only to the rams. Mesha’s annual tribute was paid in kind and consisted of a hundred thousand fatted lambs and the fleeces of a hundred thousand rams. This was a heavy burden for a country no larger than the county of Huntingdon (compare Mesha’s own allusions to the “oppression” of Moab by Omri and Ahab, 2 Kings 1:1, Note).

The Septuagint adds, ἐν τῇ ἐπαναστάσει (“in the revolt”), implying that this present rebellion was distinct from that of 2 Kings 1:1, and that this tribute was imposed as an indemnity for the former revolt. This addition is probably due to a transcriber.