The people of Moab had not been molested by Israel, yet they had watched with troubled forebodings all that had taken place in the surrounding countries. The Amorites, before whom they had been forced to retreat, had been conquered by the Hebrews, and the territory which the Amorites had wrested from Moab was now in the possession of Israel. The hosts of Bashan had yielded before the mysterious power enshrouded in the cloudy pillar, and the giant strongholds were occupied by the Hebrews. The Moabites dared not risk an attack upon them; an appeal to arms was hopeless in face of the supernatural agencies that wrought in their behalf. But they determined, as Pharaoh had done, to enlist the power of sorcery to counteract the work of God. They would bring a curse upon Israel.

Israelitterne havde ikke gjort moabitterne fortræd, men moabitterne havde alligevel med bange anelser fulgt med i alt, hvad der var sket i de omkringliggende lande. Hebræerne havde besejret amoritterne, som i sin tid havde tvunget moabitterne til at trække sig tilbage, og Israel havde nu herredømmet over det område, som amoritterne havde erobret fra moabitterne. Basans hære var blevet besejret af den mystiske magt, der var skjult i skystøtten, og hebræerne havde taget de stærke fæstninger i besiddelse. Moabitterne turde ikke angribe israelitterne. Det var håbløst at gribe til våben i betragtning af de overnaturlige kræfter, som stod på Israels side. Men ligesom Farao i sin tid besluttede de at benytte trolddom for at modarbejde Guds planer. De ville nedkalde en forbandelse over Israel.