Ammonites

The Ammonites are a nation identified in the biblical text as the descendants of Ben-ammi, the son of Lot’s younger daughter (Genesis 19:38). According to the narrative, they inhabited the region east of the Jordan River, and the Israelites were commanded not to harass them or take their land because it had been given to the descendants of Lot (Deuteronomy 2:19). Despite this shared ancestry, the relationship between the two nations is characterized by frequent military conflict and political tension throughout the historical books.

The text identifies several prominent individuals who shaped the interactions between the two kingdoms. Nahash the Ammonite (1 Samuel 11) is described as a king who besieged Jabesh-gilead and demanded the right eyes of its inhabitants as a condition for a treaty (1 Samuel 11:1–2). His successor, Hanun provoked a war with Israel by humiliating the ambassadors of David shaving off half their beards and cutting their garments (2 Samuel 10:1–4). Not all interactions were hostile, however, as Shobi provided essential supplies and bedding to David while the king was fleeing from a rebellion (2 Samuel 17:27–29). Additionally, Zelek is listed among the elite warriors known as David’s Mighty Men (2 Samuel 23:37).

The influence of the Ammonites extended into the Judean royal court and the post-exilic period. Naamah the Ammonite was a wife of Solomon and the mother of Rehoboam, who eventually succeeded Solomon as king (1 Kings 14:21). Later, Shimeath is identified as an Ammonite woman whose son, Jozacar conspired against and assassinated King Joash of Judah (2 Kings 12:21). During the reconstruction of Jerusalem’s walls, Tobiah the Ammonite official emerged as a primary antagonist who mocked the building efforts (Nehemiah 2:10–19). His influence was bolstered by his son, Jehohanan, who married into a prominent Judean family to create a political alliance against Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:18).

In the prophetic and later historical books, the Ammonites are depicted as persistent rivals. Baalis, a king of the Ammonites, is recorded as the one who plotted the assassination of Gedaliah, the governor appointed over Judah after the fall of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 40:14). The text presents the nation as a recurring threat to the religious and political stability of Israel leading to various prohibitions against their entry into the assembly of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:3). Their presence in the narrative serves to highlight the ongoing friction between the Israelites and their neighboring kin.