The Ammonites were a people descended from Ben-Ammi, the son of Lot through his younger daughter, as recorded in Genesis 19:38: "The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today" . The Ammonites settled in the region east of the Jordan River, an area that is part of modern-day Jordan. Their territory was bordered on the west by the Amorites, a neighboring people with whom they had frequent interactions and conflicts.

The land of the Ammonites was known for its rugged terrain and was situated to the northeast of Moab, another nation with familial ties to Lot. The capital city of the Ammonites was Rabbah, also known as Rabbath-Ammon, which is present-day Amman, the capital of Jordan. This city is mentioned in several biblical accounts, including the narrative of King David's military campaigns. In 2 Samuel 11:1, it is recorded: "In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem" .

The Ammonites were often in conflict with the Israelites, as seen in various biblical accounts. They were known for their idolatrous practices, including the worship of the god Milcom or Molech, which involved detestable rites condemned by the Israelites. In Judges 10:6-7, the Israelites' apostasy and subsequent oppression by the Ammonites are described: "Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him. So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites" .

Despite their frequent hostilities, there were periods of peace and interaction between the Ammonites and Israelites. For instance, King Solomon took an Ammonite princess, Naamah, as one of his wives, and she became the mother of Rehoboam, Solomon's successor (1 Kings 14:21). However, the Ammonites' opposition to Israel persisted throughout the biblical narrative, often serving as a tool of divine judgment against Israel when they strayed from their covenant with God.

Prophetic literature also addresses the Ammonites, pronouncing judgment upon them for their actions against Israel and their idolatry. In Jeremiah 49:1-2, the prophet declares: "Concerning the Ammonites, this is what the LORD says: 'Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then has Milcom taken possession of Gad, and why do his people live in the cities? Therefore behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites; it will become a mound of ruins, and its villages will be burned with fire. Then Israel will dispossess their dispossessors,' says the LORD" .

The Ammonites, as a nation, eventually faded from prominence, but their historical and biblical significance remains a testament to the complex relationships and divine narratives that shaped the ancient Near East.Numbers 21:24
And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon to Jabbok, even to the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

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... To the south-east, Bit-Adini bordered upon the ... stronghold commanded all the surrounding
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... Ishmael and Edom, the Moabites and Ammonites, who were ... of it would have the whole
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Who were the Ammonites? | GotQuestions.org

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