Oracle against Ammon: The oracles against the foreign nations have been presented in a basically south-to-north direction. Just to the north of Moab lay Ammon, to the east of the Jordan River and extending to the desert on its eastern boundary.

As with Moab (see above), the book of Genesis paints a dark picture of Ammon’s origins. Moab and Ammon were the children born to Lot after he slept with his daughters (Gen. 19:30–38). Israel under Moses came into contact with the Ammonites as they journeyed toward the promised land. God told Israel not to bother the Ammonites (Deut. 2:19), but the Ammonites tried to stop the Israelites from reaching their destination. Deuteronomy 23:3–6 names them along with the Moabites as responsible for hiring Balaam in the abortive attempt to curse the Israelites…