kur-har'-seth, -ha-re'-seth> (qir-charesh,Isa 16:7; in2Ki 3:25the King James Version reads Kir-haraseth (pausal form)); (qir cheres,Jer 48:31,36; inIsa 16:11the King James Version reads Kir-haresh (pausal form)): Modern scholars unanimously identify this city with Kir of Moab. In Jehoram's invasion of Moab it alone withstood his attack; and on the city wall the king of Moab sacrificed his son (2Ki 3:25). It was obviously the capital, i.e. Kir Moab. The name is generally taken to mean "city of the sun." Cheyne, however, points out (EB, under the word):
(1) that this explanation was unknown to the ancients;
(2) that"kir" is nowhere suposed to mean "city," except in the compound names Kir-heres, Kir-hareseth, and Kir Moab;
(3) that cheres, "sun," nowhere has a feminine ending, and
(4) thatIsa 16:7Septuagint and Aquila.) indicates "d" and not "r" in the second part of the name (Deseth). He suggests, therefore, that we should possibly read qiryath chadhdshah, "new city."
W. Ewing