Rabbah was the capital city of the ancient kingdom of the Ammonites.
The city was about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the Jordan River. It was near the beginning of the Jabbok River. Rabbah stood on the main trade road that went from Damascus in the north to the southern part of the land east of the Jordan River. This road was called the King’s Highway (Numbers 20:17; 21:22).
Today, the city of Amman in Jordan is built on the same location. During the third century BC, Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt rebuilt the city and renamed it Philadelphia. Later, in 63 BC, the Romans took control of the area and included Philadelphia in a group of cities called the Decapolis. In AD 106, the city became part of the Roman province of Arabia.
Rabbah in the Bible
Rabbah in the Time of Joshua
Rabbah first appears in the Bible as the place where Og, king of Bashan, kept his large iron bed (Deuteronomy 3:11). The King James Version calls it “Rabbath of the children of Ammon.” When the Israelites divided the land east of the Jordan River (called Transjordan) among the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, the land of Gad reached near Rabbah. But the tribe of Gad did not take Rabbah itself (Joshua 13:25).
Gezer in the Time of King David
Rabbah is most important in the Bible during the time of King David.
Joab, the commander of David’s army, attacked Rabbah. During the battle, David gave the order that led to the death of Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:1; 12:26–29).
The city had two parts—an upper city and a lower city. Joab captured the lower city, which may have included the water supply (12:27). Then he waited for David to come and finish the battle (verses 27–28). After defeating Rabbah, David took many valuable things from the city. But he did not leave Israelite soldiers there. Instead, he allowed the Ammonites to stay in the city. They had to serve Israel as vassals (people under Israel’s rule).
Rabbah in the Time of the Prophets
About 250 years later, the prophet Amos spoke a message of judgment against Rabbah. At that time, the city was rich and powerful (Amos 1:13–14). Later, Nebuchadnezzar passed through Rabbah when he invaded the land east of the Jordan River (Ezekiel 21:20). The city was still important then.
It was in Rabbah that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, planned the murder of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 40:14ff.). Gedaliah was the Babylonian governor of Judea. After his death, many people fled, and the prophet Jeremiah was taken to Egypt. Jeremiah also gave a prophecy against Rabbah (Jeremiah 49:2–3).
Remains of the City Today
Today, the modern city of Amman covers the site of ancient Rabbah. Because of this, archaeologists cannot dig in most parts of the old city.
In the center of Amman, there is a Roman theater that could hold about 6,000 people. Nearby, there are also broken remains of a Roman music hall (called an odeum) and a fountain from the same time.
Most of what can be seen on the old hilltop (called a citadel) comes from the Roman, Byzantine, or Arab periods. But in the northeast corner, part of the city wall from the Iron Age is still visible.
The Romans built a temple in the southwest corner of the citadel to honor Hercules.