Kir

1. Mesopotamian city from which the Syrians migrated to Damascus and back to which they were later exiled by the Assyrians (Am 1:5; 9:7). Escape from Kir to Aram paralleled the exodus of the Israelites. It must have been a terribly bitter experience to have been deported (by Tiglath-pileser) back to Kir (2 Kgs 16:9). Whether the city actually existed or not is debatable. It could have become a metaphor for enslavement and exile.

2. Fortress usually identified with the ancient capital of Moab. Soldiers from Kir were associated with those from Elam (Is 22:6). Likewise, Kir was paralleled with Ar in Isaiah’s lament over Moab (15:1). Kir of Moab, therefore, is probably the same as Kir-hareseth (2 Kgs 3:25; Is 16:7), located at Kerak, 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) east of the southern end of the Dead Sea.