· Translation: KJV

2 Kings 3:4Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder; and he rendered to the king of Israel the wool of one hundred thousand lambs, and of one hundred thousand rams.

The setting

Moab (modern Jordan), ~850 BC. King Mesha oversees massive flocks, sending tribute north to Israel...

The emotion here: matter-of-fact about economic realities

The original word

noqed (נקד) — sheep breeder, specifically one who raises a hardy desert breed

Why it matters

100,000 lambs plus 100,000 rams equals roughly 3-4 million pounds of wool annually

Read with care

What most readers miss in 2 Kings 3:4

This tribute represented about 25% of Moab's entire economy — crushing taxation

Common misconceptionThis sounds like peaceful trade, but it was actually forced tribute that bankrupted Moab and led to rebellion.

Bible Genome reading

2 Kings 3:4 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
EraDivided Kingdom
Primary emotionresting
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power30%
Quotability20%
Memorability40%
Crisis relevance20%
Standalone40%
Themes:tribute systemeconomic relationshipspolitical submission

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 2 Kings 3

2 Kings 3:4 comes from the book of 2 Kings, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is resting, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is conversational. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include tribute system, economic relationships, political submission. Notable phrases: sheep breeder; hundred thousand lambs.

Your reflection

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