of the capital city in which he was being besieged. If the latter is the case, the interpretation would be that Mesha's deed caused Edom to withdraw from the coalition. While it is plausible that one king held the eldest son of a neighbouring king hostage and sacrificed him when attacked, it is at least as plausible that he offered his own son to his main god in exchange for deliverance from destruction. Although the stele and the Bible do agree that the revolt occurred, the stele claims that Mesha won decisively, while the Bible conversely says that Israel did not suffer any losses. In any case, the effect stated in the Bible is remarkable. "And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land." (). See also List of biblical figures identified in extra-biblical sources Further reading "The Cambridge Ancient History", Vol. III Pt. i, 2nd Ed.; Boardman, Edwards, Hammond & Sollberger eds.; Cambridge University Press, 1982 "Reading the Old Testament"; Lawrence Boadt; Paulist Press, 1984 "The History and Religion of Israel"; G.W. Anderson; Oxford University Press, 1966 References 9th-century BC monarchs Moab Monarchs of the Hebrew Bible Sacrifice Middle Eastern kings Books of Kings people