AMMONITES (pl, b7jny ; Sept. viol ' Auktuv7rae), the descendants of the younger son of Lot (Gen. xix. 38). They originally occu pied a tract of country east of the Amorites, and separated from the Moabites by the river Arnon. It was previously in the possession of a gigantic race called Zamzummins (Deut. ii. zo), 'but the Lord destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they succeeded them and dwelt in their stead.' The Israelites, on reaching the borders of the Pro mised Land, were commanded not to molest the children of Ammon, for the sake of their pro genitor Lot. But, though thus preserved from the annoyance which the passage of such an immense host through their country might have occasioned, they shewed them no hospitality or kindness; they were therefore prohibited from 'entering the con gregation of the Lord' (i. e., from being admitted into the civil community of the Israelites) to the tenth generation for ever' (Deut. xxiii. 3). This is evidently intended to be a perpetual prohibition, and was so understood by Nehemiah (Neh. xiii. s). 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 Amalek, and went and smote Israel.' About 14o years later we are informed 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 hot against them, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines and of the children of Ammon' (Judg. x. 7). The Ammonites crossed over the Jordan, and fought with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim, so that 'Israel was sore distressed.' In answer to Jephthah'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 Arnon and Jabbok, which, in Joshua xiii. 25, is called 'half the land of the chil dren 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. Jephthah 'smote them from Aroer to Minnith, even twenty cities, with a very great slaughter' (Judg. xi. 33 ; Joseph. Antiq. v. 7). The Ammonites were again signally de feated by Saul (B.c. 1095) (I Sam. xi. i), and, according to Josephus, their king Nahash was slain (Antiq. vi. 5). His successor, who bore the same name, was a friend of David, and died some years after his accession to the throne. In conse quence of the gross insult offered to David's am bassadors by his son Hanun (2 Sam. x. 4 ; Joseph. Antiq. vii. 6), a war ensued, in which the Am monites were defeated, and their allies the Syrians were so daunted that they feared to help the chil dren of Ammon any more' (2 Sam. x. 19). In the following year David took their metropolis, Rabbah, and great abundance of spoil, which is probably mentioned by anticipation in 2 Sam. viii.
12 (2 Sam. x. 14; xii. 26-31 ; Joseph. Antiq. vii. 7). In the reign of Jehoshaphat (a. c. 896) 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 (a 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 too talents of silver, to,000 measures of wheat, and as many of barley (2 Chron. xxvii. 5). When the two and a half tribes were carried away captive, the Am monites took possession of the towns belonging to the tribe of Gad (Jerem. xlix. 1). 'Bands of the children of Ammon' and of other nationscame up with Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem (B.c. 607), and joined in exulting over its fall (Ezek. xxv. 3, 6). Yet they allowed some of the fugitive Jews to take refuge among them, and even to inter marry(Jer. xl. ; Neh. xiii. 23). On the return of the Jews from Babylon the Ammonites mani fested their ancient hostility by deriding and oppos ing the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh. iv. 3, 7, 8). Both Ezra and Nehemiah expressed vehement in ' * In 2 Chron. xx. 1, it is said, It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon, and with them [other] beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.' Auth. Vets. concyrin would be correctly translated. `part (or some) of the Ammonites,' as in Exod. xvii. 5, some of the elders ;' 2 Sam. xi. 17; Gen. xxxiii. 55, M7;110, 'some of the people.' But as the children of Ammon had already been men tioned, a doubt arises as to the correctness of the present reading. As the inhabitants of Mount Seir are joined with the Moabites and Ammonites, in verses to, 22, 23, possibly the word ceinitArin, `some of the Edomites,' stood in the original text, or, by a slight transposition of two letters, we may read In wrinn, 'some of the Mehunirns Sept. Elf T(4 Mumiup, a tribe mentioned in 2 Chron. xxvi. 7, Exr2 1-065. Mcvalous. In the 8th verse, for the Ammonites gave gifts,' the Sept. reads /Samar.
of Alivaiot ii@pa ; v. Maurer, C0111111e114 Grammat. Cr it. in Vet. Test., Lips. 1835, i. 240. [Beilli.13-1: on Chronicles, Edin. 1857.] dignation against those Jews who had intermarried with the heathen, and thus transgressed the divine command (Deut. vii. 3 ; Ezra x. ; Neh. xiii. 25). Judas Maccabus (B.C. 164) fought many battles with the Ammonites, and took Jazer with the towns belonging to it : (I Mac. v. 6-18). Justin Martyr affirms that in his time the Ammonites were numerous : 'Ap,autriZv to-rL roXi) irVijOor (Dial. cum Tryph. § 119). Origen speaks of their country under the general denomination of Arabia. Josephus says that the Moabites and Ammonites were inhabitants of Coele-Syria (Andig. i. I 1, § 5).
Their national idol was Moloch or Milcom [MoLocH], whose worship was introduced among the Israelites by the Ammonitish wives of Solomon (i Kings xi. 5, 7); and the high places built by that sovereign for this 'abomination' were not destroyed till the reign of Josiah (Ex. 622) (2 Kings xxiii. 13).
Besides Nahash and Hamm, an Ammonitish king Baalis pima ; Sept. Baezerad and Bawd) is mentioned by Jeremiah (xl. 14). Sixteen manu scripts read 1:43/2, Baalim; and Josephus BriciXEL,u. (.4nti9. x. 9, § 3).
In the writings of the prophets terrible denuncia tions are uttered against the Ammonites on account of their rancorous hostility to the people of Israel : and the destruction of their metropolis, Rabbah, is distinctly foretold (Zeph. ii. 8; Jer. xlbc. 1-6; Ezek_ XXV. 1-5, io; Amos i. 13-15). [RABBAH.]—J. E. R.