מלכים ב, פרק ג׳, פסוק כ״ד

The Moabite army marched toward the battlefield driven by extreme overconfidence, a fatal miscalculation that led to their crushing defeat. Expecting an easy victory, they arrived not as warriors prepared for combat, but as opportunists simply looking to collect the spoils of war. This deep complacency was actually guided by God [רלב״ג]. Because the Moabites were so unprepared, the Israelites, who already held a clear numerical and military advantage, were able to rise up and easily overpower them [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Following this initial blow, the Moabite forces broke and ran. However, the Israelites refused to ease their pressure. They chased the retreating soldiers all the way back into Moabite territory, delivering a continuous and relentless series of attacks [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The exact progression of this counterattack unfolds in different ways according to the commentators. The primary approach among commentators is that the pursuit carried deep into the land of Moab itself, where the Israelites continued to strike down their enemies [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Expanding on this geographic pursuit, [רד״ק] explains that the Israelite army systematically entered every single city where the Moabites sought refuge, defeating them within those very walls. Alternatively, [רלב״ג] views the battle as a distinct campaign with two phases. In his view, the initial slaughter took place directly inside the Israelite camp where the unsuspecting Moabites had first arrived. Only after securing their own camp did the Israelites push forward to finish the battle in Moabite territory.