The Ammonites, descendants of Lot through his younger daughter (Genesis 19:38), were a frequent adversary of the Israelites throughout biblical history. Their territory was located east of the Jordan River, in what is now modern-day Jordan. The Ammonites are often depicted in the Bible as a people who opposed Israel and its God-given mission.

One significant episode involving the Ammonites is their conflict with King David, as recorded in 2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19. This conflict arose during the reign of Nahash, king of the Ammonites, and his successor, Hanun. After the death of Nahash, David sought to show kindness to Hanun, as Nahash had previously shown kindness to him. David sent a delegation to express his condolences and to honor the memory of Nahash (2 Samuel 10:1-2).

However, the Ammonite princes misinterpreted David's intentions, suspecting that his envoys were sent as spies to scout the land for conquest. Influenced by this suspicion, Hanun humiliated David's servants by shaving off half of each man's beard and cutting their garments at the hips, sending them back in disgrace (2 Samuel 10:3-4).

Realizing that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites prepared for war. To bolster their military strength, they hired the Syrians (Arameans) from Beth-rehob, Zobah, Maacah, and Tob, amassing a formidable force (2 Samuel 10:6). The combined armies of the Ammonites and their hired Syrian allies posed a significant threat to Israel.

In response, David dispatched Joab, the commander of his army, along with the mighty men of Israel. Joab divided his forces, placing some under the command of his brother Abishai to face the Ammonites, while he led the rest against the Syrians. The battle strategy was to support each other if either front faced overwhelming opposition (2 Samuel 10:9-11).

The ensuing battle saw the Syrians fleeing before Joab, which in turn caused the Ammonites to retreat before Abishai. The initial victory was decisive, but the Syrians regrouped and reinforced their numbers from beyond the Euphrates River, led by Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer's army (2 Samuel 10:15-16).

David himself then led the Israelite forces across the Jordan to confront the Syrians. The battle resulted in a resounding victory for Israel, with David killing seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand horsemen, including Shobach (2 Samuel 10:18). This defeat led the Syrian vassals of Hadadezer to make peace with Israel and become subject to them, effectively ending their support for the Ammonites (2 Samuel 10:19).

The conflict with the Ammonites and their hiring of the Syrians against David highlights the persistent enmity between Israel and its neighbors. It also underscores the theme of divine favor and protection over Israel, as God granted David victory over his adversaries. The Ammonites' actions, driven by suspicion and hostility, ultimately led to their defeat and subjugation, demonstrating the futility of opposing God's anointed king.2 Samuel 10:6
And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ishtob twelve thousand men.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

How the War was Waged against the Ammonites and Happily Concluded.
... they sent to Chalaman, the king of the Syrians, beyond Euphrates, and hired him
for an ... the king of the Hebrews understood that the Ammonites had again ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 how the war.htm

Persistency in Wrong Doing.
... the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba ... against this army of Ammon and
their hired allies, and at ... was nothing for it but for the Ammonites to return ...
/.../xliii persistency in wrong doing.htm

The Kingdom Op Judah.
... Afterwards, when the Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites came up ... suffered a great defeat
from the Syrians, and his ... the Ephraimites whom he had hired to aid him ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson vii the kingdom op.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... of the Covenant), wherewith Abimelech hired vain and ... of the Midianites, Moabites,
and Ammonites"all these ... contemplation"such as the war against Saul"they ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

The Iranian Conquest
... The main outlines of this religion were already fixed when the Medes rose in rebellion
against Assur-bani-pal; and the very name of Confessor"Fravartish ...
/.../chapter ithe iranian conquest.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... the battle of Carchemish"Nebuchadrezzar II.: his policy with regard to Media"The
conquests of Cyaxares and the struggles of the Mermnadae against the Greek ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

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