Moab ( / ˈmoʊæb /) is the name of an ancient kingdom whose territory is today located in the modern state of Jordan. The land is mountainous and lies alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea.

In the ancient Moabite language, which is closely related to Hebrew, the term “Moab” is believed to mean “seed of the father.” This meaning aligns with the biblical account of Moab’s ancestry. There is also another theory suggesting that the term “Moab” may have Egyptian origins.

The name Moab is a Biblical name for a land just short of the Promised Land. The Moabites were historically regarded as the perpetual enemy of the Israelites, "God's Chosen People." Physically, the region was a green, verdant valley in the middle of a serious desert; an emerald in the sand, so to speak.