Ben-Ammi
Ancestor of the Ammonites
Ben-Ammi was the son of Lot and his youngest daughter, conceived after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. His name means 'son of my people', and he became the ancestor of the Ammonites, a people who were often in conflict with Israel throughout Old Testament history.
Family
Key events
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin, but Lot and his two daughters were saved by fleeing to the mountains.
24Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.
וֽ͏ַיהוָ֗ה הִמְטִ֧יר עַל־סְדֹ֛ם וְעַל־עֲמֹרָ֖ה גָּפְרִ֣ית וָאֵ֑שׁ מֵאֵ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה מִן־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
25He overthrew those cities and the entire valley, along with all who lived in the cities and everything growing from the ground.
וֽ͏ַיַּהֲפֹךְ֙ אֶת־הֶעָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔ל וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־הַכִּכָּ֑ר וְאֵת֙ כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הֶעָרִ֔ים וְצֶ֖מַח הָאֲדָמָֽה׃
26But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
וַתַּבֵּ֥ט אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ מֵאַחֲרָ֑יו וַתְּהִ֖י נְצִ֥יב מֶֽלַח׃
27Early the next morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֥ם אַבְרָהָ֖ם בַּבֹּ֑קֶר אֶל־הַ֨מָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁר־עָ֥מַד שָׁ֖ם אֶת־פְּנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
28He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and over all the land of the valley, and he saw smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
וַיַּשְׁקֵ֗ף עַל־פְּנֵ֤י סְדֹם֙ וַעֲמֹרָ֔ה וְעַֽל־כָּל־פְּנֵ֖י אֶ֣רֶץ הַכִּכָּ֑ר וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה עָלָה֙ קִיטֹ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ כְּקִיטֹ֖ר הַכִּבְשָֽׁן׃
29So when God destroyed the cities of the valley, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁחֵ֤ת אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־עָרֵ֣י הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַיִּזְכֹּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיְשַׁלַּ֤ח אֶת־לוֹט֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַהֲפֵכָ֔ה בַּהֲפֹךְ֙ אֶת־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־יָשַׁ֥ב בָּהֵ֖ן לֽוֹט׃
30Lot went up from Zoar and settled in the hills with his two daughters, because he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.
וַיַּעַל֩ ל֨וֹט מִצּ֜וֹעַר וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב בָּהָ֗ר וּשְׁתֵּ֤י בְנֹתָיו֙ עִמּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י יָרֵ֖א לָשֶׁ֣בֶת בְּצ֑וֹעַר וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ בַּמְּעָרָ֔ה ה֖וּא וּשְׁתֵּ֥י בְנֹתָֽיו׃
Lot and His Daughters Flee to a Cave
After the destruction, Lot settled with his two daughters in a cave in the mountains, as they were afraid to live in Zoar.
30Lot went up from Zoar and settled in the hills with his two daughters, because he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He lived in a cave, he and his two daughters.
וַיַּעַל֩ ל֨וֹט מִצּ֜וֹעַר וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב בָּהָ֗ר וּשְׁתֵּ֤י בְנֹתָיו֙ עִמּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י יָרֵ֖א לָשֶׁ֣בֶת בְּצ֑וֹעַר וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ בַּמְּעָרָ֔ה ה֖וּא וּשְׁתֵּ֥י בְנֹתָֽיו׃
The Daughters' Plan
Lot's daughters, believing there were no other men left, devised a plan to have children by their father by getting him drunk so that they could preserve their family line.
31The older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to come to us as is the custom everywhere on earth.
וַתֹּ֧אמֶר הַבְּכִירָ֛ה אֶל־הַצְּעִירָ֖ה אָבִ֣ינוּ זָקֵ֑ן וְאִ֨ישׁ אֵ֤ין בָּאָ֙רֶץ֙ לָב֣וֹא עָלֵ֔ינוּ כְּדֶ֖רֶךְ כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
32Come, let us give our father wine to drink and lie with him, so we can preserve offspring through our father."
לְכָ֨ה נַשְׁקֶ֧ה אֶת־אָבִ֛ינוּ יַ֖יִן וְנִשְׁכְּבָ֣ה עִמּ֑וֹ וּנְחַיֶּ֥ה מֵאָבִ֖ינוּ זָֽרַע׃
33That night they gave their father wine to drink, and the older one went in and lay with her father. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
וַתַּשְׁקֶ֧יןָ אֶת־אֲבִיהֶ֛ן יַ֖יִן בַּלַּ֣יְלָה ה֑וּא וַתָּבֹ֤א הַבְּכִירָה֙ וַתִּשְׁכַּ֣ב אֶת־אָבִ֔יהָ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֥ע בְּשִׁכְבָ֖הּ וּבְקוּׄמָֽהּ׃[4]
34The next day the older said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let us give him wine to drink again tonight, and you go in and lie with him, so we can preserve offspring through our father."
וֽ͏ַיְהִי֙ מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וַתֹּ֤אמֶר הַבְּכִירָה֙ אֶל־הַצְּעִירָ֔ה הֵן־שָׁכַ֥בְתִּי אֶ֖מֶשׁ אֶת־אָבִ֑י נַשְׁקֶ֨נּוּ יַ֜יִן גַּם־הַלַּ֗יְלָה וּבֹ֙אִי֙ שִׁכְבִ֣י עִמּ֔וֹ וּנְחַיֶּ֥ה מֵאָבִ֖ינוּ זָֽרַע׃
35So that night also they gave their father wine to drink, and the younger one got up and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
וַתַּשְׁקֶ֜יןָ גַּ֣ם בַּלַּ֧יְלָה הַה֛וּא אֶת־אֲבִיהֶ֖ן יָ֑יִן וַתָּ֤קָם הַצְּעִירָה֙ וַתִּשְׁכַּ֣ב עִמּ֔וֹ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֥ע בְּשִׁכְבָ֖הּ וּבְקֻמָֽהּ׃
The Birth of Ben-Ammi
The youngest daughter bore a son and named him Ben-Ammi, which means 'son of my people'. He became the ancestor of the Ammonites.
38The younger also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
וְהַצְּעִירָ֤ה גַם־הִוא֙ יָ֣לְדָה בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ בֶּן־עַמִּ֑י ה֛וּא אֲבִ֥י בְנֵֽי־עַמּ֖וֹן עַד־הַיּֽוֹם׃ ס
The Ammonites as Israel's neighboring people
Ben-Ammi's descendants, the Ammonites, became a significant nation east of the Jordan. God forbade Israel to take their land because it was given to Lot's descendants.
19When you approach the territory of the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites as a possession, since I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession."
וְקָרַבְתָּ֗ מ֚וּל בְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֔וֹן אַל־תְּצֻרֵ֖ם וְאַל־תִּתְגָּ֣ר בָּ֑ם כִּ֣י לֹֽא־אֶ֠תֵּן מֵאֶ֨רֶץ בְּנֵי־עַמּ֤וֹן לְךָ֙ יְרֻשָּׁ֔ה כִּ֥י לִבְנֵי־ל֖וֹט נְתַתִּ֥יהָ יְרֻשָּֽׁה׃
20(That land too was reckoned as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim used to live there, though the Ammonites called them Zamzummim—
אֶֽרֶץ־רְפָאִ֥ים תֵּחָשֵׁ֖ב אַף־הִ֑וא רְפָאִ֤ים יָֽשְׁבוּ־בָהּ֙ לְפָנִ֔ים וְהָֽעַמֹּנִ֔ים יִקְרְא֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם זַמְזֻמִּֽים׃
21a people great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the LORD destroyed them before the Ammonites, who dispossessed them and settled in their place,
עַ֣ם גָּד֥וֹל וְרַ֛ב וָרָ֖ם כָּעֲנָקִ֑ים וַיַּשְׁמִידֵ֤ם יְהוָה֙ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיִּירָשֻׁ֖ם וַיֵּשְׁב֥וּ תַחְתָּֽם׃
The relationship between the Ammonites and Israel throughout history
The Ammonites were repeatedly in conflict with Israel, including during the time of the judges and the monarchy, and were described by the prophets as a people under God's judgment.
4Some time later the Ammonites made war against Israel.
וַיְהִ֖י מִיָּמִ֑ים וַיִּלָּחֲמ֥וּ בְנֵֽי־עַמּ֖וֹן עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
5When the Ammonites attacked Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah back from the land of Tob.
וַיְהִ֕י כַּאֲשֶׁר־נִלְחֲמ֥וּ בְנֵֽי־עַמּ֖וֹן עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ זִקְנֵ֣י גִלְעָ֔ד לָקַ֥חַת אֶת־יִפְתָּ֖ח מֵאֶ֥רֶץ טֽוֹב׃
6"Come," they said to him, "be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites."
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לְיִפְתָּ֔ח לְכָ֕ה וְהָיִ֥יתָה לָּ֖נוּ לְקָצִ֑ין וְנִֽלָּחֲמָ֖ה בִּבְנֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹן׃
1Concerning 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 his people settled in its cities?[^1]
[^1]: The Hebrew word can also be read "their king"; Milcom was the chief god of the Ammonites.
לִבְנֵ֣י עַמּ֗וֹן כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה הֲבָנִ֥ים אֵין֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אִם־יוֹרֵ֖שׁ אֵ֣ין ל֑וֹ מַדּ֗וּעַ יָרַ֤שׁ מַלְכָּם֙ אֶת־גָּ֔ד וְעַמּ֖וֹ בְּעָרָ֥יו יָשָֽׁב׃
2Therefore the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a desolate mound, and its villages will be burned with fire. Then Israel will dispossess those who dispossessed him, says the LORD.
לָכֵ֡ן הִנֵּה֩ יָמִ֨ים בָּאִ֜ים נְאֻם־יְהוָ֗ה וְ֠הִשְׁמַעְתִּי אֶל־רַבַּ֨ת בְּנֵי־עַמּ֜וֹן תְּרוּעַ֣ת מִלְחָמָ֗ה וְהָֽיְתָה֙ לְתֵ֣ל שְׁמָמָ֔ה וּבְנֹתֶ֖יהָ בָּאֵ֣שׁ תִּצַּ֑תְנָה וְיָרַ֧שׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־יֹרְשָׁ֖יו אָמַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃
3Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Cry out, daughters of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth and mourn; run back and forth among the walls, for Milcom will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.
הֵילִ֨ילִי חֶשְׁבּ֜וֹן כִּ֣י שֻׁדְּדָה־עַ֗י צְעַקְנָה֮ בְּנ֣וֹת רַבָּה֒ חֲגֹ֣רְנָה שַׂקִּ֔ים סְפֹ֕דְנָה וְהִתְשׁוֹטַ֖טְנָה בַּגְּדֵר֑וֹת כִּ֤י מַלְכָּם֙ בַּגּוֹלָ֣ה יֵלֵ֔ךְ כֹּהֲנָ֥יו וְשָׂרָ֖יו יַחְדָּֽיו׃