The Ammonites were a people of Semitic descent. They lived in a fertile region northeast of Moab, in the land called Transjordan (east of the Jordan River). Ammon was between two rivers, the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. The land also stretched east to the Syrian Desert. The main city of the Ammonites was Rabbah (also called Rabbath-ammon). Today, this city is called Amman. It is the capital of the modern country of Jordan.
Origins and Name
The Ammonites came from the family line of Lot’s younger daughter (Genesis 19:38). The name Ammon in Hebrew first meant “son of my father’s clan.” This name kept the memory of an early family group and person. It also showed a connection between the Ammonites and the Israelites.
The name Ammon appears often in ancient writings from the middle of the second millennium BC. One form of the name appears in Assyrian writings. Other forms appear in Ugaritic writings from the 1400s BC. The name also appears in writings from Mari, Amarna, and Alalakh.
The Ammonites were a people group who first lived in the southern part of Transjordan. They lived there from about the early second millennium BC. The Ammonites came from mixed family lines but their language was very close to Hebrew.
The Ammonites used the old Canaanite-Phoenician script for writing. Israelites could likely read and understand it. The Ammonites often married people from Israel (1 Kings 14:21, 31; 2 Chronicles 12:13). Ammonite names also show some early Arabic influence.
The Ammonites were very similar to the Amorites in language, ethnicity, and physical appearance. These people groups were likely closely related. Both groups may have entered the land around the same time. When Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan, both the Ammonite kingdom and the Amorite kingdom of Heshbon were already strong and well established.
Early History of the Ammonites
The Old Testament says that a race of giants once lived in the land of Ammon. These giants were called Rephaim or Zamzummim (Deuteronomy 2:20–21; Genesis 14:5, where they are called Zuzim). We do not know much about them.
The Genesis Apocryphon, a text found with the Dead Sea Scrolls, also mentions the Rephaim. It says they were defeated by an alliance of four kings (Genesis 14:1, 5). One of these kings, Chedorlaomer of Elam, led an expedition that broke the power of these giants. This may have made it easier for the people of Esau, Ammon, and Moab to settle in the land. The Ammonites also knew of King Og (Deuteronomy 3:11). People believed he was one of the last descendants of the Rephaim. People honored his bed because it was so large.
When the Israelites came to Kadesh, they met the strong kingdom of Edom. The king of Edom refused to let them pass through his land (Numbers 20:14–21). The Israelites then traveled north toward the land of Ammon. At that time, an Amorite king named Sihon controlled the land. He also refused to let the Israelites pass. The Israelites fought him, won the battle, and took his land (Numbers 21:21–24). God told Moses that the Israelites must not fight for Ammonite land. That land had already been given to the descendants of Lot (Deuteronomy 2:19, 37).
Early Conflicts with Israel
As they continued north, the Israelites defeated King Og of Bashan (Deuteronomy 3:1–11), then went down to the Jordan Valley, where they camped on the plains of Moab. There, Balak, the king of Moab, hired a prophet named Balaam to curse the Israelites, but Balaam blessed them instead (Numbers 22–24). Because the Ammonites helped the Moabites, they were excluded from the assembly of the Lord for ten generations (Deuteronomy 23:3; Nehemiah 13:1–2).
The tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh chose to settle in the fertile Transjordan region. This land had once belonged to the Amorites and to Bashan. These tribes settled near the border of Ammon (Numbers 32; Deuteronomy 3:16; Joshua 13:8–32). Later, these tribes built an altar beside the Jordan River. At first, the other Israelite tribes thought this was an act of rebellion. They feared it might become a rival place of worship (Joshua 22:10–34).
Before the Israelites entered Canaan, the Ammonites were not as organized or settled as the Moabites and Edomites. Even in the seventh century BC, the Ammonites still lived mainly as nomads (people who move from place to place). After Israel settled in Canaan, the Ammonites joined the Moabites and Amalekites in battle. They helped King Eglon of Moab, who tried to take back old Moabite land near the north end of the Dead Sea (Judges 3:12–13).
By the end of the 12th century BC, the Israelites were firmly living in Canaan. But they "did evil in the sight of the LORD" by worshiping the gods of the Syrians, Sidonians, Moabites, Ammonites, and Philistines (Judges 10:6). At this time, the Ammonites began to grow stronger. They attacked Israel and took land in Gilead (Judges 10:7–8). Then they crossed the Jordan River and attacked the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim (Judges 10:9).
In their trouble, the leaders of Gilead asked Jephthah for help. Jephthah was someone the people had rejected, but he was a strong military leader (Judges 11:1–11). He defeated the Ammonites in battle. The victory was so great that Jephthah did not need to fight more battles against the Ammonites west of the Jordan (Judges 11:12–33).
Conflicts with the Kings of Israel
Near the end of the 11th century BC, an Ammonite king named Nahash came to power. He wanted to take control of Israelite land in Transjordan. Around 1020 BC, he led a strong military campaign. He reached as far north as Jabesh-gilead. The people of Jabesh-gilead were ready to surrender. But they delayed and asked Saul, the new king of Israel, for help. Saul quickly gathered an army and defeated the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:1–11). This victory kept the Ammonites from ruling in the Jordan Valley for many years. Later in his reign, Saul fought other battles against Israel’s enemies, including more fights with the Ammonites (1 Samuel 14:47–48).
When David became king, he took silver and gold from the Ammonites, Philistines, and Amalekites. Sometimes this was taken in battle, and sometimes it was given as tribute (2 Samuel 8:11–12; 1 Chronicles 18:11). Later, David sent Joab with a large army to attack the Ammonite land. They surrounded the capital city of Rabba (2 Samuel 11:1; 1 Chronicles 20:2). The battle lasted many months. Joab weakened the city, and David finished taking it (2 Samuel 12:26–29).
After the city surrendered, the Ammonite king’s large gold crown was placed on David’s head (2 Samuel 12:30; 1 Chronicles 20:1). David’s army took the city’s wealth and made slaves of the people. Other Ammonite cities were also captured. The nation became one of Israel’s vassal states (2 Samuel 12:31; 1 Chronicles 20:3). The number of states under Israel's control was growing. David chose a ruler from the Ammonite royal family to govern the people of Ammon. Shobi, a son of Nahash, became their leader. He later helped David when Absalom rebelled (2 Samuel 17:27). One of David’s best warriors was also an Ammonite (2 Samuel 23:37).
During the reign of Solomon, the Ammonites lived in peace with Israel. They shared in the wealth of that time. After Solomon died, the kingdom of Israel divided in two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. The armies of Shishak, king of Egypt, invaded Palestine and Ammonite land. The Ammonites then declared their independence from Israel and Judah.
Later, the Ammonites joined with the Moabites and Meunites to attack King Jehoshaphat of Judah (who ruled from 871 to 848 BC). Jehoshaphat prayed to God for help (2 Chronicles 20:1–12). Then the Ammonites and their allies fought each other. The people of Judah gathered the spoils of war for three days (2 Chronicles 20:22–25).
Ammon Under Babylonian Rule
The Ammonites soon recovered. By the end of the seventh century BC, Ammon was again strong and ruled much of southern Transjordan. But Ammonite independence did not last long. In 599 BC, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar led his army into Syria and began attacking southern Palestine. In 593 BC, Ammonite leaders met in Jerusalem with other nations to plan a rebellion against Babylon (Jeremiah 27:1–3). The prophet Jeremiah warned them that God would cause their plan to fail (Jeremiah 27:4–22). Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem, destroyed the city in 586 BC, and took many Jews to Babylon.
The land of Ammon was not invaded right away. Many Judeans fled there (Jeremiah 40:11). One of them, Ishmael, worked with Baalis, king of Ammon. They plotted to kill Gedaliah, the governor of Judah, which was now a province of Babylonia. After the killing, Ishmael escaped to Ammon (Jeremiah 40:13–16). After killing Gedaliah, Ishmael escaped to Ammon (Jeremiah 41:1–15). Nebuchadnezzar's troops then attacked Rabbah and took captive many of the Ammonites. The city was not destroyed, but the land around it was ruined. Arab groups invaded. They destroyed what remained of Ammon’s political power. This ended Ammon as an independent state.