מלכים ב, פרק ג׳, פסוק כ״ו

During the siege on his city, the king of Moab realizes his forces are rapidly failing. The sheer strength of the opposing armies proves too much for him to withstand [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Recognizing that fighting from a distance is no longer effective, he abandons the safety of the walls and launches a bold, desperate surprise attack. He gathers a specialized force of seven hundred men armed with swords, bringing them along [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ] for close-quarters combat. This weapon choice marks a deliberate shift from the bows and arrows previously used to defend the city from its walls [מלבי״ם].

The primary goal of this sudden charge is to split the enemy lines and break through [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון]. Knowing he cannot defeat the combined armies of all three allied kings, the king of Moab focuses his assault entirely on the camp of the king of Edom [אברבנאל]. Commentators offer several reasons for targeting Edom. The Edomite camp might have been the closest to the city [רד״ק, אברבנאל], or it may have been positioned on an isolated flank, making it the weakest link in the coalition [מלבי״ם]. Alternatively, the king of Moab may have harbored a deep personal hatred for the king of Edom, making his capture a specific, personal goal [אברבנאל].

Despite the intense effort, the Moabite warriors are ultimately repelled by the defending Edomites and fail to reach or capture the king [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד]. This tactical failure leads to a dramatic and tragic turning point in the battle. Unable to secure the king himself, the king of Moab captures the king of Edom's firstborn son, the heir to the throne, and sacrifices him as a burnt offering on the city wall in an act of revenge. This cruel display sparks immense anger from Edom toward the Israelites. The Edomites are furious that the Israelites allowed them to face the sudden assault alone and did not come to their aid to save the prince [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].

While the straightforward reading of the events indicates that the victim was the Edomite prince, an alternative tradition suggests a different tragedy. According to this view, the king of Moab sacrificed his own son, either for idol worship or in an attempt to imitate the Binding of Isaac. This act provoked God's wrath against the Israelites by bringing their own sins to mind. Nevertheless, the primary literal approach maintains that the sacrificed son belonged to the king of Edom [אברבנאל].