What do we know about the Ammonites?

from the old testament

• The Ammonites came from Abraham's nephew Lot. Genesis 19:37–38 explains that the Ammonites descended from Lot's son named Ben-ammi (meaning "son of my people"). Ben-ammi's descendants were a nomadic people who lived in the territory of modern-day Jordan. The Jordanian capital of Amman reflects the name of these ancient inhabitants.
• During the time of Moses, the Ammonites refused to assist God's people when they were in the wilderness. God punished them for this (Deuteronomy 23:3–4). However, unlike other people groups that the Israelites destroyed in the Promised Land, God instructed, "And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession" (Deuteronomy 2:19).
• Later in the Old Testament, the Ammonites are again mentioned as people who followed false gods (2 Kings 23:13). As a result, Israelites were not permitted to marry Ammonites (Deuteronomy 23:3-4).
• King Solomon disobeyed God’s instruction to not marry the Ammonites (1 Kings 14:21).
• Many Ammonite war practices were extremely violent. At one point, an Ammonite leader planned to gouge out the right eye of every Israelite as part of a treaty (1 Samuel 11:2). Scripture states that the Ammonites would rip open pregnant women in lands they had conquered (Amos 1:13).
• King Saul prevailed against the Ammonites more than once (1 Samuel 11:11; 14:47).
• A man named Tobiah the Ammonite is mentioned in Nehemiah 2:19 at the end of the Old Testament period (400s BC).
• The Ammonites regained power but were defeated along with many other nations under King Nebuchadnezzar in the seventh century BC. The last mention of the Ammonites outside of the Bible was by Justin Martyr. He wrote in the second century AD that the Ammonites were numerous. Yet after this time the Ammonites would disappear, likely becoming absorbed within Arab society within a few centuries.

from the new testament

• The Ammonites are not mentioned in the New Testament.

implications for today

The Ammonites are a warning to us, seeing how the choice to worship false gods instead of the one true God leads to all sorts of sins that impact others. The Ammonites’ refusal to assist the Israelites, despite their shared heritage, serves as a caution against selfishness and indifference in our modern communities. We are called to help the poor and the needy (Psalm 72:12), especially those who are our brothers. Galatians 6:10 instructs us: “do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

God’s punishing the Ammonites reminds us of the consequences of ignoring opportunities to extend aid and compassion as well as the consequences of following after false gods. We were all made to worship. What we worship will impact what we believe, think, and do. The Ammonites' eventual absorption into Arab society reveals that what they had put their faith in did not last. Power and influence are transient. Only God is king forever. The Ammonites cause us to reflect on what we live for and what we serve. The outcome of the Ammonites also reminds us that what we worship and how that impacts us has long-term consequences.