Zoar

Zoar, also known as Bela, was a small city near Sodom where Lot fled when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah .

Zoar, also known as Bela, was one of the five cities of the plain, along with Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen.14.2,8). It was originally called Bela but was renamed Zoar, which means "small," when Lot pleaded for it to be spared from destruction due to its small size (Gen.19.20-22). Lot and his daughters fled to Zoar when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen.19.23). Later, Lot left Zoar and settled in the mountains with his daughters (Gen.19.30). Zoar is mentioned as a reference point for the description of the Promised Land (Deut.34:3). The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah used Zoar to illustrate the extent of God's judgment on Moab (Isa.15.5; Jer.48.34). Zoar is most likely located at the southern end of the Dead Sea, although its exact location is uncertain. It is possibly to be identified with Khirbet el-Keryeh or Tell Iktanu. The name Zair is used in reference to a different location, where Joram fought against Edom (2Ki.8.21).

Small, a town on the east or south-east of the Dead Sea, to which Lot and his daughters fled from Sodom (Gen. 19:22, 23). It was originally called Bela (14:2, 8). It is referred to by the prophets Isaiah (15:5) and Jeremiah (48:34). Its ruins are still seen at the opening of the ravine of Kerak, the Kir-Moab referred to in 2 Kings 3, the modern Tell esh-Shaghur.