Ammon or Ammonites (עַמּוֹן "People", Standard Hebrew ʻAmmon, Tiberian Hebrew ʻAmmôn), also referred to in the Bible as the "children of Ammon," were a people living east of the Jordan river who along with the Moabites traced their origin to Lot, the nephew of the patriarch Abraham, and who were regarded as close relatives of the Israelites and Edomites. The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... Tiberian Hebrew is an oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient forms of Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Bible, that was given written form by masoretic scholars in the Jewish community at Tiberias in the early middle ages, beginning in the 8th century. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia. ... Moab (מוֹאָב Seed of father/leader, Standard Hebrew Moʾav, Tiberian Hebrew Môʾāḇ) is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in Jordan running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. ... Lot and his Daughters, Hendrik Goltzius, 1616. ... It has been suggested that Abraham (Hebrew Bible) be merged into this article or section. ... An Israelite is a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, descended from the twelve sons of the Biblical patriarch Jacob who was renamed Israel by God in the book of Genesis, 32:28 The Israelites were a group of Hebrews, as described in the Bible. ... Edom (אֱדוֹם, Standard Hebrew Edom, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĔḏôm) sounds like the Biblical Hebrew word for red and is a vividly apposite designation for the red sandstones of Edom. ...

[edit] Territory

The borders of the Ammonite territory are not clearly defined in the Bible. In Judges 11:13, the claim of the king of Ammon, who demands of the Israelites the restoration of the land "from Arnon even unto Jabbok and unto Jordan" is mentioned only as an unjust claim,^[1], since the Israelite part of this tract had been conquered from the Amorite king Sihon, who had, in turn, displaced the Moabites; in Judges 11:22 it is stated that the Israelites had possession "from the wilderness even unto Jordan", and that they laid claim to territory beyond this, so as to leave no room for Ammon. The Book of Numbers 21:24 describes the Hebrew conquest^[2] as having reached "even unto the children of Ammon, for the border of the children of Ammon was Jazer."^[3] Joshua 13:25, defines the frontier of the tribe of Gad as being "Jazer ... and half the land of the children of Ammon." The latter statement can be reconciled with Num. 21:24 and Deuteronomy 2:19, 37 by assuming that the northern part of Sihon's Amorite kingdom had formerly been Ammonite. This explains, in part, the claim mentioned above (Judges, 11:13). According to Deut. 2:37, the region along the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country formed the border of Israel. On the authority of Deut. 2:20, their territory had formerly been in the possession of a mysterious nation, the Zamzummim (also called Zuzim), and the war of Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14:5) with this nation may be connected with the history of Ammon. When the Israelites invaded Canaan, they passed by the frontier of the Ammonites.^[4] Book of Judges (Hebrew: Sefer Shoftim ספר שופטים) is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. ... A river and wadi of eastern Palestine, known in modern times in Arabic as Wadi al-Mawjib. ... Jabbok, puring out, river on the east side on Jordan, one of the so-called torrent valleys. ... Amorite (Hebrew ’emōrî, Egyptian Amar, Akkadian Tidnum or AmurrÅ«m (corresponding to Sumerian MAR.TU or Martu) refers to a Semitic people who occupied the country west of the Euphrates from the second half of the third millennium BC, and also the god they worshipped (see Amurru). ... The Bible describes that as the Israelites in their Exodus came to the country east of the Jordan, king Sihon of the Amorites refused to let them pass through his country. ... The Book of Numbers is the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew ba-midbar במדבר, i. ... Joshua stops the sun by Gustave Doré Joshua or Yehoshua (Hebrew: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Tiberian: , Israeli: YÉ™hoshúa) was an Israelite leader who succeeded Moses. ... The Tribe of Gad (גָּד soldier, Standard Hebrew Gad, Tiberian Hebrew Gāḏ) is one of the Hebrew tribes, founded by Gad son of Jacob, who was born to Zilpah, the handmaiden of Jacobs first wife, Leah. ... Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible. ... Chedorlaomer (Hebrew: כְדָרְלָעומֶר) is the name of the main figure in a narrative within Genesis concerning a civil war in Canaan. ...

From their original territory, the Ammonites are supposed to have been expelled by Sihon, king of the Amorites. Sihon was said to have been found by the Israelites, after their deliverance from Egypt, in possession of Gilead, that is, the whole country on the left bank of the Jordan, to the north of the Arnon.^[5] By this invasion, the Ammonites were driven out of Gilead across the upper waters of the Jabbok, where it flows from south to north, which continued to be their western boundary.^[6] The other limits of the Ammonites, or country of the Ammonites^[7] were not exactly defined. On the south, it probably adjoined the land of Moab; on the north, it may have met that of the king of Geshur^[8]; and on the east it may have melted away into the desert peopled by Kedarites and other nomadic tribes. The Bible describes that as the Israelites in their Exodus came to the country east of the Jordan, king Sihon of the Amorites refused to let them pass through his country. ... Amorite (Hebrew ’emōrî, Egyptian Amar, Akkadian Amurrū (corresponding to Sumerian MAR.TU or Martu) refers to a Semitic people who occupied the middle Euphrates area from the second half of the third millennium BC and also appear in the Tanakh. ... From the Scriptures, Gilead means hill of testimony or mound of witness, (Gen. ... Geshur was a territory in the northern part of Bashan, adjoining the province of Argob (Deuteronomy iii. ... Kedar is a son of Ishmael mentioned in the Bible. ...

The chief city of the country was Rabbah or Rabbath Ammon, i.e. the metropolis of the Ammonites,^[9] called Rabbathammana by the later Greeks.^[10] Ptolemy Philadelphus changed its name to Philadelphia, and made it a large and strong city with an acropolis, situated on both sides of a branch of the Jabbok, today known as Nahr `Amman, the river of Ammon -- whence the designation "city of waters"^[11] The city of Amman, Jordan is located on roughly the same site. The country to the south and east of Amman is distinguished by its fertility; and ruined towns are scattered thickly over it, attesting that it was once occupied by a population that, however fierce, was settled and industrious; a fact indicated also by the tribute of grain paid annually to Jotham.^[12] This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... Ptolemy Philadelphus (36 - 12 BC) was the youngest child of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. ... Acropolis of Athens from the south-west with the Propylaea and the Temple of Nike (left centre) and the theatre of Herodes Atticus (below left) Acropolis (Gr. ... Location of Amman Amman (Arabic عمان ʿAmmān), the capital of the Kingdom of Jordan, is a city of more than 1. ... Jotham (Yotam in Hebrew God is perfect or complete) was the king of Judah, and son of Uzziah with Jerusha, daughter of Zadok. ...

[edit] In the Torah, Joshua and Judges

Torah () is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. ... The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in both the Hebrew Tanakh and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Book of Judges (Hebrew: Sefer Shoftim ספר שופטים) is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. ...

[edit] Descent

According to the pedigree given in Genesis 19:37-38, the Ammonites were closely related to the Israelites and still more closely to their neighbors in the south, the Moabites. This relationship is supported by the fact that all names of Ammonitish persons show a pure Canaanite character. But the above passage indicates also the contempt and hatred for the Ammonites felt by the Hebrews.^[13] The Torah excludes the progeny of Ammonites from the assembly of the Lord.^[14] Genesis (Hebrew: ‎, Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah, the first book of the Tanakh and also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... The Canaanite languages are a subfamily of the Semitic languages, spoken by the ancient peoples of the Canaan region, including Canaanites, Hebrews, Phoenicians, and eventually Philistines. ...

Both the Ammonites and Moabites are sometimes spoken of under the common name of the children of Lot. ^[15] Both tribes hired Balaam to curse Israel, which he instead blessed (Deut. 23:4). Also known as the Beni-ammi,^[16] the Ammonites and the Israelites, throughout the Old Testament and recorded history, were antagonists. Balaam (Hebrew בִּלְעָם, Standard Hebrew Bilʻam, Tiberian Hebrew Bilʻām; could mean glutton or foreigner, but this etymology is uncertain), is a prophet in the Bible, his story occurring in the Book of Numbers. ...

[edit] Role in the Israelite Exodus

When the Israelites of the Exodus paused before their territory, the Ammonites prohibited them from passing through their lands. For this act, they were denied entry into "the congregation of the Lord" until ten generations had passed.^[17]

Sometimes a slight distinction only seems to be made between the Ammonites and their southern brothers, the Moabites. Deuteronomy 23:4, 5, for instance, states that the Ammonites and Moabites hired Balaam to curse the Israelites, while in Numbers 22:3 et seq. Moab alone is mentioned. Some authorities overcome this discrepancy by the help of the emended text of Numbers 22:5, according to which Balaam came "from the land of the children of Ammon." This is the reading of most ancient versions; the Septuagint, however, has it like the present Hebrew text: "the children of his people" ("ammo"). Balaam (Hebrew בִּלְעָם, Standard Hebrew Bilʻam, Tiberian Hebrew Bilʻām; could mean glutton or foreigner, but this etymology is uncertain), is a prophet in the Bible, his story occurring in the Book of Numbers. ...

[edit] In the time of the Judges

In Judges, 3:13, the Ammonites appear as furnishing assistance to King Eglon of Moab against Israel; but in Judges, 10:7-9, in which not only Gilead is oppressed but a victorious war is waged also west of the Jordan, Ammon alone is mentioned. The speech of Jephthah which follows, however, is clearly addressed to the Moabites as well, for he speaks of their god Chemosh.^[18] Some scholars find that these varying statements conflict^[19]; others conclude that the brother-nations still formed a unit. The small nation of Ammon could face Israel only in alliance with other non-Israelites.^[20] The attack of King Nahash upon the frontier city Jabesh Gilead was easily repulsed by Saul.^[21] A Biblical name, Eglon refers to either: A Canaanite city, whose king Debir joined a confederacy against Gibeon when that city made peace with Israel. ... Chemosh, was the god of the Moabites (Num. ... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... Jabesh-Gilead, an ancient town in the territory of the Tribe of Gad. ... Saul (Hebrew Shaul meaning demanded) is: 1. ...

[edit] During the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah

Attacks by the Ammonites on Israelite communities east of the Jordan were the impetus behind the unification of the tribes under Saul, who defeated them.^[22] Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה, Standard Hebrew Malḫut YÉ™huda, Tiberian Hebrew Malḵûṯ YÉ™hûḏāh) in the times of the Hebrew Bible, was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin after the Kingdom of Israel was divided, and was named after Judah... Saul (שאול המלך) (or Shaul) (Hebrew: שָׁאוּל, Standard Tiberian  ; asked for or borrowed) is a figure identified in the Books of Samuel as having been the first king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel. ...

From Samuel II 10:2, it may be concluded that Nahash assisted David out of hatred for Saul; but his son Hanun provoked David by ill-treating his ambassadors, and brought about the defeat of the Ammonites, despite assistance from their northern neighbors in Aram.^[23] Their capital Rabbah was captured,^[24] and numerous captives were taken from "all the cities of the children of Ammon." This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... Hanun was a king of Ammon described in 2 Samuel. ... The term Aram can refer to: Aram (אֲרָם or ), the fifth semite grandson of Noah, in the Book of Genesis. ...

In 2 Samuel 12:31, King David is described slaughtering Ammonites:

And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon.

David's treatment of the captives^[25] was not necessarily barbarous; the description may be interpreted to mean that he employed them as laborers in various public works. Some scholars claim that these passages recount symbolic gestures of submission common to the times rather than actual reports of massacres. The Chronicler, however, takes it in the most cruel sense.^[26] The Ammonites, themselves, had a reputation for exceeding cruelty in warfare.^[27] The new king, Shobi, a brother of Hanun, evidently appointed by David, kept peace, his attitude being even friendly.^[28] There were Ammonite mercenaries in David's army^[29] and Solomon's chief wife, the mother of his heir, was Naamah, the Ammonitess (I Kings, xiv. 21; compare xi. 1), probably a daughter of Shobi. She became the mother of Rehoboam.^[30] Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... An old brick wall in English bond laid with alternating courses of headers and Brick is an artificial stone made by forming clay into rectangular blocks which are hardened, either by burning in a kiln or sometimes, in warm countries, by sun-drying. ... Charcoal Kilns, California Gold Kiln, Victoria, Australia Hop kiln. ... Shobi ben Nahash was the son of King Nahash of Ammon (nation) and brother of his successor Hanun. ... Mercenary (disambiguation). ... Naamah or Naamah (Hebrew: נעמה, meaning pleasant) may refer to: Naamah, the daughter of Lamech, descendant of Cain. ... Rehoboam was king of Judah, succeeding his father Solomon. ...

After this, hostilities again broke out, under Jehoshaphat,^[31] Jeroboam II^[32], and under Jotham, who subjected the Ammonites.^[33] In the Bible, Jehoshaphat or Josaphat or Yehoshafat (יְהוֹשָׁפָט The LORD is judge, Standard Hebrew Yəhošafat, Tiberian Hebrew Yəhôšāp̄āṭ) was the son and successor of Asa, king of... Jeroboam II was the son and successor of Jehoash, and the fourteenth king of Israel, over which he ruled for forty-one years (2 Kings 14:23). ... Jotham (Jehovah is perfect) is the name of two people of the Old Testament: 1. ...

From the Assyrian inscriptions, we learn that the Ammonite king Ba'sa (Baasha) son of Ruhubi, with 1000 men, joined Ahab and the Syrian allies against Shalmaneser III at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC. They may at this time have been vassals of Bar-Hadad II, the Aramaean king of Damascus. In 734 their king Sanipu was a vassal of Tiglath-Pileser III and his successor, Pudu-ilu, held the same position under Sennacherib and Esarhaddon. An Assyrian tribute-list from this period, showing that Ammon paid one-fifth of Judah's tribute, gives evidence of the scanty extent and resources of the country.^[34] For other uses, see Assyria (disambiguation). ... Baasha ben Ruhubi was the king of Ammon in 853 BCE. Kurkh stela of Shalmaneser that reports battle of Karkar Along with Bar-Hadad II of Damascus, Ahab of the Kingdom of Israel, the Arab king Gindibu, and a coalition of other Levantine monarchs, Baasha fought against the Assyrian king... Ruhubi was the father of Baasha ben Ruhubi, who was king of Ammon in the 850s BCE. Whether Ruhubi himself was king of Ammon is unclear, as no Ammonite inscriptions from his reign have been unearthed and he is not mentioned independently in any Assyrian sources. ... Ahab or Achav (אַחְאָב Brother of the father, Standard Hebrew Aḥʼav, Tiberian Hebrew ʼAḥăʼāḇ, ʼAḫʼāḇ) was King of the province of Samaria in the greater Kingdom of Israel, and the son and successor of Omri (1 Kings 16:29-34). ... Shalmaneser III (Šulmānu-ašarēdu, the god Shulmanu is pre-eminent) was king of Assyria (859 BC-824 BC), and son of the previous ruler, Ashurnasirpal II. His long reign was a constant series of campaigns against the eastern tribes, the Babylonians, the nations of Mesopotamia and Syria... Combatants Assyria An alliance of 12 Kings Commanders Shalmaneser III Hadadezer Strength Assyrian records claim 100,000 troops; modern scholars believe Assyrian forces were smaller 60,000 men, 2,450 chariots, 1,900 horsemen, and 10,000 camel riders Kurkh stela of Shalmaneser that reports battle of Karkar The Battle... Centuries: 10th century BC - 9th century BC - 8th century BC Decades: 900s BC 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC - 850s BC - 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC 810s BC 800s BC Years: 859 BC 858 BC 857 BC 856 BC 855 BC 854 BC 853 BC 852 BC... Look up vassal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hadadezer (Hadad is my help); also known as Bar-Hadad II (Aram. ... Damascus at sunset Damascus ( translit: Also commonly: الشام ash-Shām) is the largest city of Syria and is also the capital. ... Centuries: 9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC Decades: 780s BC 770s BC 760s BC 750s BC 740s BC - 730s BC - 720s BC 710s BC 700s BC 690s BC 680s BC Events and Trends 739 BC - Hiram II becomes king of Tyre 738 BC - King Tiglath-Pileser III... Shanip (in Assyrian, Sanipu) was king of Ammon in the mid eighth century BCE. He is mentioned as a vassal of the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pilesar III. His name, which invokes the name of the god El (as do the names of his fellow Ammonite kings Hissalel and Barakel suggests... Tiglath-Pileser III — stela from the walls of his palace (British Museum, London) Tiglath-Pileser III (Akkadian: Tukultī-Apil-Ešarra) was a prominent king of Assyria in the 8th century BC (ruled 745–727 BC) and is widely regarded as the founder of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. ... Padoel (in Assyrian, Pudu-ilu was king of Ammon in the 720s BCE and probably the successor of Shanip. ... It has been proposed that Sennacherib be renamed and moved to Sin-ahhe-eriba. ... Esarhaddon (Greek and Biblical form; Akkadian Aššur-aha-iddina Ashur has given a brother to me), was a king of Assyria who reigned 681 BC-669 BC), the youngest son of Sennacherib and the Aramaic queen Naqia (Zakitu), Sennacheribs second wife. ... A tribute (from Latin tribulum, contribution) is wealth one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. ...

Somewhat later, their king Amminadab I was among the tributaries who suffered in the course of the great Arabian campaign of Assurbanipal. Other kings attested to in contemporary sources are Barakel (attested to in several contemporary seals and Hissalel who reigned about 620 BCE (and who is mentioned on an inscription on a bottle found at Tel Siran, Jordan along with his son, King Amminadab II, who reigned around 600 BCE.) Amminadab (my people are generous) was the name of two kings of Ammon: Amminadab I ruled c. ... Assurbanipal in a relief from the north palace at Nineveh There were several Assyrian kings named Assur-bani-pal, also spelled Asurbanipal, Assurbanipal (most commonly), Ashurbanipal and Ashshurbanipal, but the best known was Assurbanipal IV.  Ashurbanipal, or Assurbanipal, (reigned 668 - 627 BCE), the son of Esarhaddon and Naqia-Zakutu... Barakhel or Barakel (blessed by El) was a king of Ammon in the 670s BCE. He is known from a small (15. ... Seal on envelope A seal is an impression printed on, embossed upon, or affixed to a document (or any other object) in order to authenticate it, in lieu of or in addition to a signature. ... Hissalel ben Amminadab was an Ammonite king of the late seventh century BCE, reigning approximately 620 BCE. He is mentioned on an inscription on a bronze situla found at Tel Siran in Jordan. ... Heshbon was a town in Ancient Israel. ...

With the neighbouring tribes, the Ammonites under King Baalis helped the Babylonian monarch Nebuchadrezzar against Jehoiakim^[35]; and if they joined Zedekiah's conspiracy,^[36], and were threatened by the Babylonian army,^[37] they do not appear to have suffered greatly. Baalis is the name given in the Book of Jeremiah for the king of Ammon. ... Babylonia was an ancient state in Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... A coin that might depict Nebuchadnezzar II Nebuchadnezzar II is perhaps the best known ruler of Babylon in the Chaldean Dynasty, who reigned ca. ... King Jehoiakim (he whom Jehovah has set up, Hebrew language: יהוֹיָקִים) is a biblical character, whose original name was Eliakim. ... Zedekiah or Tzidkiyáhu (צִדְקִיָּהוּ Righteous of/is the LORD, Standard Hebrew Ẓidqiyyáhu, Tiberian Hebrew Ṣiḏqiyyāhû; BoM Arabic صدقيا Ṣidqiyyā) was the last king of Judah. ... Babylonia was an ancient state in Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ...

[edit] Subsequent History

Map of the southern Levant, c.830 BCE.

In the time of Nebuchadnezzar, the Ammonites seem to have been fickle in their political attitude. They assisted the Babylonian army against the Jews^[38]; encroached upon the territory of the Gad; and occupied Heshbon and Jazer^[39]; but the prophetic threatenings in Jeremiah 9:26, 25:21, 27:3, and Ezra, 21:20, point to rebellion by them against Babylonian supremacy. They received Jews fleeing before the Babylonians (Jeremiah 40:11), and their king, Baalis, instigated the murder of Gedaliah, the Babylonians' Jewish governor of Jerusalem and its environs.^[40] Image File history File links Levant_830. ... Image File history File links Levant_830. ... The Levant The Levant is an imprecise geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. ... Nebuchadnezzar (or Nebudchadrezzar) II (ca. ... Babylonia, named for its capital city, Babylon, an ancient state in the south part of Mesopotamia (in modern Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... The Tribe of Gad (גָּד soldier, Standard Hebrew Gad, Tiberian Hebrew Gāḏ) is one of the Hebrew tribes, founded by Gad son of Jacob, who was born to Zilpah, the handmaiden of Jacobs first wife, Leah. ... Heshbon was a town in Ancient Israel. ... Ezra is a name derived from Hebrew, written variously as עֶזְרָא ( Standard Hebrew ), Ê¿Ezra, ( Tiberian Hebrew ), Ê¿Ezrâ: short for עַזְרִיאֵל My help/court is God, Standard Hebrew Ê¿Azriʾel, Tiberian Hebrew Ê¿Azrîʾēl, Arabic: عزير. // The historical Ezra was a priestly scribe who is thought to have led about 5,000 Israelite exiles... Baalis is the name given in the Book of Jeremiah for the king of Ammon. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

At the time of the rebuilding of Jerusalem by Ezra and Nehemiah, they were hostile to the Jews, and Tobiah, an Ammonite (possibly the governor of Ammon), incited them to hinder the work (Neh. iii. 35). But inter-marriages between Jews and Ammonites were frequent.^[41] Nehemiah or Nechemya (נְחֶמְיָה Comforted of/is the LORD (YHWH), Standard Hebrew Nəḥemya, Tiberian Hebrew Nəḥemyāh) was a person in the Bible, believed to be the primary author of the Book of Nehemiah. ... Tobias is a Greek version of the Hebrew biblical name Tobijah, meaning god is good. It is a popular male given name in Germany, Great Britain, and the United States. ...

Little mention is made of the Ammonites through the Persian and early Hellenistic periods. Their name appears, however, during the time of the Maccabees. The Ammonites, with some of the neighbouring tribes, did their utmost to resist and check the revival of the Jewish power under Judas Maccabaeus.^[42] The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau (Irān - Land of the Aryans[1]) and beyond. ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... Wojciech Stattlers Machabeusze (Maccabees), 1844 The Maccabees (Hebrew: מכבים or מקבים, Makabim) were Jewish rebels who fought against the rule of Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty, who was succeeded by his infant son Antiochus V Eupator. ... Judas Maccabeus (also called Judah the Maccabee) was the third son of the Jewish priest Mathathias. ...

It is stated^[43] that the Ammonites under Timotheus were defeated by Judas; but it is possible that, after the exile, the term Ammonite denoted all peoples living in the former country of Ammon and Gad. Ezekiel 25:4-5 seems to mark the beginning of an immigration of tribes from the Arabian desert.^[44] Timotheus is the name given in the 1 Maccabees for an Ammonite general of the mid second century BCE. He was defeated by Judas Maccabeus at Dathema in Gilead. ... Ezekiel the Prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures is depicted on a 1510 Sistine Chapel fresco by Michelangelo. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ...

The last notice of the Ammonites themselves is in Justin Martyr^[45], where it is affirmed that they were still a numerous people. Justin Martyr (Justin the Martyr, also known as Justin of Caesarea) (100 – 165) was an early Christian apologist. ...

[edit] Language

Main Article: Ammonite language The Ammonite language is the extinct Canaanite language of the Ammonite people mentioned in the Bible, who used to live in modern-day Jordan, and after whom its capital Amman is named. ...

The few Ammonite names that have been preserved (Nahash, Hanun, and those mentioned above; Zelek in 2 Samuel 23:37 is textually uncertain) testify, in harmony with other considerations, that their language was Semitic, closely related to the Hebrew language and the Moabite language. Hanun was a king of Ammon described in 2 Samuel. ... Zelek (ze-lek), an Ammonite; one of King David’s men Reference: “2 Samuel 23:37”. “1 Chronicles 11:39” Meaning: cleft External links Eastons Bible Dictionary: Zelek Categories: Hebrew Bible ... In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic (from the Biblical Shem, Hebrew: שם, translated as name, Arabic: سام) was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages. ... Hebrew redirects here. ... The Moabite language is an extinct Hebrew Canaanite dialect, spoken in Moab (modern-day northwestern Jordan) in the early first millennium BC. Most of our knowledge about Moabite comes from the Mesha Stele, as well as the El-Kerak Stela; this is sufficient to show that it was extremely similar...

[edit] Religion

Of the customs, religion, and constitution of the Ammonites, little is known. The frequent assumption that, living on the borders of the desert, they remained more pastoral than the Moabites and Israelites, is unfounded.^[46] The environs of Rabbah, at least, were fertile and were tilled. In regard to other cities than Rabbah, see Judges, xi. 33; II Sam. xii. 31. Of their gods the name of only the chief deity, Milcom^[47]. In Jer. 49:1, 49:3, "Malcam" is to be translated by "Milcom" (the god) and not as in the Authorized Version, "their king." In the Bible Milcom is described as having been worshipped with human sacrifice. Judges may refer to the Book of Judges in the Bible more than one judge. ... Moloch or Molech or Molekh representing Hebrew מלך mlk is either the name of a god or the name of a particular kind of sacrifice associated historically with Phoenician and related cultures in north Africa and the Levant. ... Human sacrifice was practiced in many ancient cultures. ...

From the names of their kings, it seems logical that the cult of the Baalim probably coexisted in Ammon, as, possibly, that of El. The name Tobiah suggests that YHWH may have been worshipped in Ammon as well; possibly this was an import from the era of Israelite domination. Other inscriptions and names suggest the possibility that such gods as the Edomite deity Kaus had Ammonite cults. This article does not discuss cult in its original sense of religious practice; for that usage see Cult (religious practice). ... For other uses, see Baal (disambiguation). ... Ä’l (אל) is a Northwest Semitic word and name translated into English as either god or God or left untranslated as El, depending on the context. ... The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to 300 CE), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts. ... Edom (אֱדוֹם, Standard Hebrew Edom, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĔḏôm) sounds like the Biblical Hebrew word for red and is a vividly apposite designation for the red sandstones of Edom. ... Kaus was the national god of the Edomites. ...

[edit] Economy

Like its sister-kingdom of Moab, Ammon was the source of numerous natural resources, including sandstone and limestone. It had a productive agricultural sector and occupied a vital place along the King's Highway, the ancient trade route connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia. As with the Edomites and Moabites, trade along this route gave them considerable revenue. Red sandstone interior of Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona, worn smooth due to erosion by flash flooding over millions of years Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... The King’s Highway was a trade route of vital importance to the ancient Middle East. ... Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and Southwest Iran. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

[edit] In Jewish law

The Ammonites, still numerous in the south of Palestine in the second Christian century according to Justin Martyr ("Dialogus cum Tryphone," chapter 119), presented a serious problem to the Pharisees because many marriages with Ammonite and Moabite wives had taken place in the days of Nehemiah.^[48] Still later, it is not improbable that when Judas Maccabeus had inflicted a crushing defeat upon the Ammonites, Jewish warriors took Ammonite women as wives, and their sons, sword in hand, claimed recognition as Jews notwithstanding the law^[49] that "an Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord." Such a condition or a similar incident is reflected in the story told in the Talmud^[50] that in the days of King Saul the legitimacy of David's claim to royalty was disputed on account of his descent from Ruth, the Moabite; whereupon Ithra, the Israelite ^[51] girt with his sword, strode like an Ishmaelite into the schoolhouse of Jesse, declaring upon the authority of Samuel, the prophet, and his bet din (court of justice), that the law excluding the Ammonite and Moabite from the Jewish congregation referred only to the men—who alone had sinned in not meeting Israel with bread and water—and not to the women. The story reflects actual conditions in pre-Talmudic times, conditions that led to the fixed rule stated in the Mishnah^[52]: "Ammonite and Moabite men are excluded from the Jewish community for all time; their women are admissible." Halakha (הלכה in Hebrew or Halakhah, Halacha, Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish law, custom and tradition regulating all aspects of behavior. ... Map of the British Mandate of Palestine. ... The word Pharisees comes from the Hebrew perushim, from parash, meaning to separate, from a root related to the Aramaic wordas upharsin (and divided) in the writing on the wall in Daniel 5:25. ... The first page of the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a The Talmud (Hebrew: תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. ... Jether is a name mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. ... The IsmāīlÄ« (Arabic الإسماعيليون, Persian: اسماعیلیان Esmailiyan) branch of Islam is the second largest Shīˤa community after the Twelvers, who are dominant in Iran. ... Jesse or Yishai (Hebrew: יִשַׁי, ) is the father of the Biblical King David mentioned in the Books of Samuel of the Hebrew Bible. ... Samuel or Shmuel (Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל, Standard Tiberian ) is an important leader of ancient Israel in the Book(s) of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. ... A beth din (בית דין, Hebrew: house of judgment, plural battei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. ... The Mishnah (Hebrew משנה, repetition) is a major source of rabbinic Judaisms religious texts. ...

The fact that Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon, was born of an Ammonite woman^[53] also made it difficult to maintain the messianic claims of the house of David; but it was adduced as an illustration of divine Providence which selected the "two doves," Ruth, the Moabite, and Naamah, the Ammonite, for honorable distinction. ^[54] Rehoboam was king of Judah, succeeding his father Solomon. ... In Judaism, the Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ Standard Hebrew Arabic: Al-Masih, المسيح), Tiberian Hebrew , Aramaic ) initially meant any person who was anointed by a prophet of God. ... Davidic line, (also Davidic Kingdom or Davidic dynasty), known in Hebrew as Malchut Beit David (Monarchy [of the] House [of] David) refers to the tracing of royal lineage by kings and major leaders in Jewish history to the Biblical King David in Judaism. ... In theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is the sovereignty, superintendence, or agency of God over events in peoples lives and throughout history. ... The name Ruth can refer to: The Book of Ruth, one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. ...

[edit] See Also

Abel-cheramim Abel-cheramim (ay behl-chehr uh mihm) was a village of the Ammonites, east of Jordan. ...

[edit] References

1. ^ Judges 11:15
2. ^ compare Judges, 11:19
3. ^ following the Greek Septuagint reading of the last word as "Jazer" instead of "'az," strong, (Authorized Version); compare Judges, 11:32.
4. ^ Num. 21:24; Deuteronomy 2:19, 37; Josh. 13:25).
5. ^ Numbers 21:13
6. ^ Numbers 21:24; Deuteronomy 2:37 and 3:16
7. ^ 'Lmmanitis chora' 2 Maccabees 4:26
8. ^ Joshua 12:5
9. ^ Deut. 3:11
10. ^ Polybius v. 7. 4
11. ^ 2 Samuel 12:27; see Survey of E. Pal (Pal. Explor. Fund), pp. 19ff.
12. ^ 2 Chr. 27:5
13. ^ Deuteronomy 23:4
14. ^ but cf. Deuteronomy 2:19, 37, in which the consciousness of relationship seems to be at the root of the regard shown to Ammon.
15. ^ Deuteronomy 2:19; Psalms 83:8
16. ^ Genesis 19:38
17. ^ Deuteronomy 23:3
18. ^ Judges, 11:18-24
19. ^ compare Deut. 23:3
20. ^ compare II Chronicles 20 and Psalms 83:7
21. ^ I Samuel 6, 14:47
22. ^ 1 Samuel 11:11
23. ^ ibid. 10:13
24. ^ ibid. 7:29
25. ^ ibid. 12:31
26. ^ I Chron. 20:3
27. ^ I Sam. 11:2; Amos, 1:13
28. ^ II Sam. xvii. 27
29. ^ ibid. 23, 27
30. ^ 1 Kings 14:31; 2 Chronicles 12:13
31. ^ II Chron. xx.
32. ^ Amos, i. 13
33. ^ II Chron. xxvii. 5
34. ^ see Schrader, K.A.T. pp. 141 et seq.; Delitzsch, Paradies, p. 294; Winckler, Geschichte Israels, p. 215.
35. ^ 2 Kings 24:2
36. ^ Jeremiah 27:3
37. ^ Ezekiel 21:20
38. ^ II Kings, xxiv. 2
39. ^ Jeremiah 49:1; cf. Zephaniah 2:8
40. ^ ibid. 40:14, 41:15
41. ^ Ezra, 9:1; I Esdras 8:69, and elsewhere.
42. ^ 1 Maccabees 5:6; cf. Josephus Jewish Antiquities xii. 8. 1.
43. ^ 1 Maccabees 5:6
44. ^ cf. Neh. 2:19, 4:7, Josephus, "Ant." xiii. 9, § 1.
45. ^ Dial. cum Tryph. § 119
46. ^ Ezek. 25:4, II Chron. 27:5
47. ^ sometimes given as Moloch), as in I Kings, 11:5 (LXX. 7), 33; I Kings, 11:7; II Kings, 23:13
48. ^ Neh. 13:23
49. ^ Deut. xxiii. 4
50. ^ Yebamot 76b, 77a; Ruth Rabba to ii. 5
51. ^ II Sam. xvii. 25; compare I Chron. ii. 17
52. ^ Yeb. viii. 3
53. ^ I Kings, xiv. 21-31
54. ^ Bava Kamma 38b.

The Septuagint: A page from Codex vaticanus, the basis of Sir Launcelot Lee Brentons English translation. ... The Book of Numbers is the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew ba-midbar במדבר, i. ... 2 Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book of the Bible which focuses on the Jews revolt against Antiochus and concludes with the defeat of the Syrian general Nicanor in 161 BC by Judas Maccabeus, the hero of the work. ... Joshua stops the sun by Gustave Doré Joshua or Yehoshua (Hebrew: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, Tiberian: , Israeli: YÉ™hoshúa) was an Israelite leader who succeeded Moses. ... Polybius (c. ... The Books of Samuel, also referred to as [The Book of] Samuel (Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל), are (two) books in the Hebrew Bible (Judaisms Tanakh and originally writtten in Hebrew) and the Old Testament of Christianity. ... Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible. ... Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible. ... Psalms (from the Greek: Psalmoi (songs sung to a harp, originally from psallein play on a stringed instrument), Ψαλμοί; Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh or Old Testament. ... Genesis (Hebrew: ‎, Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah, the first book of the Tanakh and also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... The Book of Chronicles is a book in the Hebrew Bible (also see Old Testament). ... Psalms (from the Greek: Psalmoi (songs sung to a harp, originally from psallein play on a stringed instrument), Ψαλμοί; Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh or Old Testament. ... The Books of Samuel, also referred to as [The Book of] Samuel (Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל), are (two) books in the Hebrew Bible (Judaisms Tanakh and originally written in Hebrew) and the Old Testament of Christianity. ... The Books of Samuel (Hebrew: Sefer Shmuel ספר שמואל), are part of the Tanakh (part of Judaisms Hebrew Bible) and also of the Old Testament (of Christianity). ... Amos was a Biblical prophet (see Amos (prophet)) and putative author of the Book of Amos. ... The Books of Kings (Hebrew: Sefer Melachim ספר מלכים) is a part of Judaisms Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. ... The Book of Chronicles is a book in the Hebrew Bible (also see Old Testament). ... Bold text The Book of Jeremiah, or Jeremiah (יִרְמְיָהוּ Yirmiyahu in Hebrew), is a book that is part of the Hebrew Bible, Judaisms Tanakh, and later became a part of Christianitys Old Testament. ... Ezekiel the Prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures is depicted on a 1510 Sistine Chapel fresco by Michelangelo. ... Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem by Rembrandt van Rijn. ... Zephaniah or Tzfanya (צְפַנְיָה Concealed of/is the LORD, Standard Hebrew Ẓəfanya, Tiberian Hebrew ṢəpÌ„anyāh) is the name of several people in the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. ... 1 Esdras is a deuterocanonical book accepted by most Orthodox, but rejected as apocryphal by Jews, Catholics and Protestants. ... 1 Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book of the Bible which was written by a Jewish (pre-Christian) author, probably about 100 BC, after the restoration of an independent Jewish kingdom. ... A representation of Flavius Josephus, a woodcutting in John C. Winstons translation of his works Josephus (37 – shortly after 100 AD/CE)[1], who became known, in his capacity as a Roman citizen, as Flavius Josephus[2], was a 1st-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal... Antiquities of the Jews was a work published by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in the year A.D. 93. ... 1 Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book of the Bible which was written by a Jewish (pre-Christian) author, probably about 100 BC, after the restoration of an independent Jewish kingdom. ... Moloch or Molech or Molekh representing Hebrew מלך mlk is either the name of a god or the name of a particular kind of sacrifice associated historically with Phoenician and related cultures in north Africa and the Levant. ... The Septuagint (LXX) is the name commonly given to the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) made in the first centuries BC. The Septuagint bible includes additional books beyond those used in todays Jewish Tanakh. ... The Books of Kings (also known as [The Book of] Kings in Hebrew: Sefer Melachim מלכים) is a part of Judaisms Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. ... The Books of Kings (also known as [The Book of] Kings in Hebrew: Sefer Melachim מלכים) is a part of Judaisms Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. ... Nashim (Women or Wives) is the third order of the Mishnah (also of the Tosefta and Talmud), containing the laws related to women and family life. ... Baba Kamma is the first of a series of three tractates in the Talmud, in the order Nezikin, dealing with damages. ...

[edit] Resources

• The Seal of Baalis Ammonite King
• Muller, Max and Kaufman Kohler. "Ammon, Ammonites." Jewish Encyclopedia. Funk and Wagnalls, 1901-1906.
• Hertz J.H. (1936) The Pentateuch and Haftoras. Deuteronomy. Oxford University Press, London.
• Ammon on Bruce Gordon's Regnal Chronologies (also at [1])
• Jordanian government site on ancient Trans-Jordanian kingdoms
• Ancient Biblical Ammonites
• Tel Umayri
• Catholic Encyclopedia article

This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897. The Jewish Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. ... Eastons Bible Dictionary generally refers to the Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, by Matthew George Easton M.A., D.D. (1823-1894), published three years after Eastons death in 1897 by Thomas Nelson. ...

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain. Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Jewish Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...