Unlike Moab, the precise position of the territory of the Ammonites is not ascertainable. They origi- nally occupied a tract of country (sometimes called Ammonitis, 'Afipavlnc., 2 Maco. iv, 26; comp. Joseph. Ant. v, 7, 9; xi, 2, 1) east of the Amorites, and sepa- rated from the Moabites by the river Arnon, and from Bashan or Gilead by the Jabbok (Deut. iii, 16; Josh, xii, 2). The capital of this naturally well-fortified territory (Num. xxi, 24) was Rabhath-Ammon (Deut. iii, 11; Amos i, 14; comp. Behind, Palccst. ]. 103 sq. ; Cellarii Notit. ii, 671 sq.). It was previously in the possession of a gigantic race called Zamzmnmim
AMMONITE
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AMMONIUS
/Deut. ii, 20), "but the Lord destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they succeeded them and dwelt in their stead." The Israelites, on reaching the bor- ders of tbe promised land, found Sihon, king of Hesh- bon, in possession by conquest of the district adjoin- ing the Dead Sea (Num. xxi, 26), but were command- ed not to molest the children of Ammon, for the sake of their progenitor Lot (Deut. ii, 19). But, though thus preserved from the annoyance which the passage of such an immense host through their country might have occasioned, they showed them no hospitality or kindness; they were therefore prohibited from "en- tering the congregation of the Lord" (i. e. from being admitted into the civil community of the Israelites) "to the tenth generation forever" (Deut. xxiii, 3). This is evidently intended to be a perpetual prohibi- tion, and was so understood by Nehemiah (Neh. xiii, 1). The first mention of their active hostility against Israel occurs in Judges iii, 13: "The king of Moab gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Ama- lek, and went and smote Israel." Later we are in- formed that the children of Israel forsook Jehovah and served the gods of various nations, including those of the children of Ammon, and the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines and of the children of Am- mon. The Ammonites crossed over the Jordan, and fought with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. so that "Israel was sore distressed." In answer to Jeph- thah's messengers (Judg. xi, 12), the king of Ammon charged the Israelites with having taken away that part of his territories which lay between the rivers Anion and Jabbok, which, in Joshua xiii, 25, is called "half the land of the children of Ammon," but was in the possession of the Amorites when the Israelites invaded it ; and this fact was urged by Jephthah, in order to prove that the charge was ill-founded. Jeph- thah "smote them from Aroer to Minnith, even twenty cities, with a very great slaughter" (Judg. xi, 33 ; Jo- sephus, Ant. v, 7, 10). The Ammonites were again signally defeated by Saul (1 Sam. xi, 11), and, accord- ing to Josephus, their king, Nahash, was slain (Ant. vi, 5, 3). His successor, who bore the same name, was a friend of David, and died some years after his acces- sion to the throne. In consequence of the gross in- sult offered to David's ambassadors by his son Hanun (2 Sam. x, 4: Joseph. Ant vii, C, 1), a war ensued, in which the Ammonites were defeated, and their allies, the Syrians, were so daunted "that they feared to help the children of Ammon any more" (2 Sam. x, 19). In the following year David took their metropolis. Rabbah, and great abundance of spoil, which is prob- ably mentioned by anticipation in 2 Sam. viii, 32 (2 Sam. x, 14 ; xii,* 26-31 ; Joseph. Ant. vii, 7, 8). In the reign of Jehoshaphat the Ammonites joined with the Moabites and other tribes belonging to Mount Seir to invade Judah; but. by the divine intervention, were led to destroy one another. Jehoshaphat and his people were three days in gathering the spoil (2 Chron. xx, 25). The Ammonites "gave gifts" to Uzziah (2 Chron. xxvi, 8), and paid a tribute to his son Jotham for three successive years, consisting of 100 talents of silver, 1000 measures of wheat, and as many of barley When the two and a half tribes were carried away captive, the Ammonites took possession of the towns belonging to the tribe of Gad (Jer. xlix, 1). " Bands of the children of Ammon" and of other nations came up with Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusa- lem, and joined in exulting over its fall (Ezrk. xxv, 3, 6). Yet they allowed some of the fugitive Jews to take refuge among them, and even to intermarry (Jer. xl, 11 ; Neh. xiii, 13). Among the wives of Solomon's harem are included Ammonita women (1 Kings xi, 1), one of whom, Naamab, was the mother of Rehoboam (1 Kings xiv, 31 ; 2 Chron. xii, 13), and henceforward traces of the presence of Ammonite women in Judah are not wanting (2 Chron. xxiv, 26;
Neh. xiii, 23 ; Ezra ix, 1 ; see Geiger, Ursckrift, p. 47, 49, 299). In the writings of the prophets terrible denunciations are uttered against the Ammonites on
1 account of their rancorous hostility to the people of Israel, and the destruction of their metropolis, Kab- bah, is distinctly foretold (Zeph. ii, 8 ; Jer. xlix, 1-6 ; Ezek. xxv, 1-5, 10; Amos i, 13-15). See Rabbah. On the return of the Jews from Babylon the Ammon- ites manifested their ancient hostility by deriding and opposing the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh. iv, 3, 7, 8). Both Ezra and Nehemiah expressed vehement indignation against those Jews who had intermarried with the heathen (Ezra x ; Neh. xiii, 25), and thus transgressed the divine command (Deut. vii, 3). The last appearances of the Ammonites in the biblical nar- rative are in the books of Judith (v, vi, vii) and of the Maccabees (1 Mace, v, G, 30-43), and it has been al- ready remarked that their chief characteristics — close alliance with Moab, hatred of Israel, and cunning cru- elty— are maintained to the end. Judas Maccabaeus fought many battles with the Ammonites, and took Jazer, with the towns belonging to it (1 Mace, v, 6, 3-43). In the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, Josephus (Ant. xiii, 8, 1) speaks of a certain Zeno Cotylas as ruler of ' Philadelphia (the older Rabbah). Justin Martyr affirms that in his time the Ammonites were numerous (Dial, cum Tryph. § 119). Origen speaks of their country under the general denomination of Arabia (In Job. c. i). Josephus says that the Moab- ites and Ammonites were inhabitants of Ccele-Syria (Ant. i, 11, 5 ; xi, 5, 8). See Ammon.