Ammon

Lore & Background

The name Ammon comes from the element ʻamm- meaning 'grandfather, forefather' in Proto-West-Semitic, with the suffix -ōn meaning 'of the grandfather'. Genesis 19:37-38 describes the Ammonites as descended from Ben-ʻAmmi, a son of Lot with his younger daughter; Ben-ʻAmmi literally means 'son of my grandfather'. The kingdom occupied the northern Central Trans-Jordanian Plateau from the latter part of the second millennium BC to at least the second century AD. Ammon maintained independence from the Neo-Assyrian Empire by paying tribute. The Kurkh Monolith lists the Ammonite king Baasha ben Ruhubi's army fighting alongside Ahab of Israel and Syrian allies against Shalmaneser III at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC. In 734 BC, King Sanipu was a vassal of Tiglath-Pileser III; his successor Pudu-ilu held the same position under Sennacherib and Esarhaddon. An Assyrian tribute-list shows Ammon paid one-fifth as much tribute as Judah. King Amminadab I (fl. 650 BC) was among tributaries in Assurbanipal's campaign. Other kings attested include Barachel and Hissalel (reigned about 620 BC), and his son Amminadab II (reigned around 600 BC). Ammon flourished during the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626–539 BC), becoming a Babylonian province after devastation by Nebuchadnezzar II in the 580s BC. Around 255 BC, Rabbath Amman was seized by Ptolemy II, who renamed it Philadelphia. The city became part of the Nabataean Kingdom by the early second century BC. In the First Book of Maccabees, Ammonites resisted Judas Maccabaeus (167–160 BC). The dynast Hyrcanus founded Qasr Al Abd, a descendant of the Tobiad dynasty of Tobiah, whom Nehemiah mentions as an Ammonite. By the Roman conquest in 63 BC, Ammon lost its distinct identity. The last notice of the Ammonites occurs in Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho (§ 119) in the second century AD, affirming they were still numerous.

Reader's Guide

The biblical account in Genesis 19:37-38 depicts the Ammonites as descended from Ben-ʻAmmi, son of Lot with his younger daughter. The Ammonites settled east of the Jordan, invading the Rephaim lands between Jabbok and Arnon. Their territory originally comprised all from the Jordan to the wilderness, and from the Jabbok south to the Arnon. Before the Israelite Exodus, the Amorites under King Sihon invaded and occupied a large portion of Moab and Ammon, driving the Ammonites to the mountains and valleys east. Throughout the Bible, Ammonites and Israelites are portrayed as mutual antagonists. During the Exodus, the Israelites were prohibited by the Ammonites from passing through their lands. In the times of Judges, the Ammonites allied with Eglon of Moab against Israel. During Jephthah's days, they occupied lands east of the Jordan and invaded west. King Nahash of Ammon (c. 1010–990 BC) besieged Jabesh-Gilead, offering terms of death or having right eyes gouged out; Saul raised an army and defeated Nahash at Bezek. Under King David, the Ammonites humiliated David's messengers and hired Aramean armies, leading to a war and year-long siege of Rabbah, ending with Ammonite cities conquered and inhabitants killed or put to forced labor. Naamah, an Ammonite, was the only wife of Solomon mentioned by name as bearing a child—Solomon's successor Rehoboam.

Did You Know?

• The name Ben-ʻAmmi literally means 'son of my grandfather'.
• The chief city Rabbah or Rabbat Ammon is the site of modern Amman, Jordan's capital.
• Ammon paid one-fifth as much tribute to Assyria as Judah did.
• The last historical notice of the Ammonites is from Justin Martyr in the second century AD.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Ammon was an ancient Semitic-speaking kingdom occupying the east of the Jordan River, between the torrent valleys of Arnon and Jabbok, in present-day Jordan." — Ammon "And the remnant of My people shall possess them." — Ammon