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עַמּוֹן

𐤏𐤌𐤅𐤍

Amon

H5983 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עם people, kin, clan, nation

Definition

Ammon – both the personal name of a figure in Genesis, the son of Lot by his younger daughter (Gen 19:38), and the collective term for his descendants, who became known in the biblical text as the people of Ammon, occupying a territory east of the Jordan River. The word denotes (1) the ancestor (ʻAmmôn), (2) the group descended from him (Ammonites), and (3) the geographic/political entity ('the land of Ammon'). In context, it refers to either the figure himself, his ethnos, or their territory, depending on literary or historical reference.

Semantic Range

personal name of Lot's younger son (Ammon); ancestor of the Ammonites; collective term for the Ammonite people; designation for the territory inhabited by the Ammonites

Root / Etymology

From the root עַם (ʻam), meaning 'people, kinsfolk, clan', with an added nominal suffix likely denoting descent or association. The root conveys a basic sense of belonging to a group. The full form עַמּוֹן suggests 'descendant of the people' or 'relative,' and in narrative context, refers to Lot’s kin through his daughter. Hence, Ammon is both a personal and collective designation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hexateuch, עַמּוֹן appears first as a proper name (Gen 19:38) for the son born to Lot and his younger daughter after the destruction of Sodom. In Israelite historiography, ʻAmmôn designates an Iron Age polity east of the Jordan, often portrayed as a neighboring people group with both friendly and hostile relations with the Israelites. The Ammonites (עַמּוֹנִים) are frequently mentioned as neighbors, sometimes foes, of Israel, especially during the Judges period and monarchy. The territory of Ammon was situated between the Arnon and Jabbok rivers. English translations historically use 'Ammon' and 'Ammonites'; some later traditions render them as 'children of Ammon' or, erroneously, as 'Jews' in certain periods— the latter being historically inaccurate for this context. Later usage in Second Temple and post-biblical periods refers to Ammon as an ethnic term; the people’s integration or distinction from Israelites or Judahites is a matter of historical reconstruction. The term never connotes religious identity (cf. 'Jew' or 'Judaism'). Distinguished from Moab (descendants of Lot by his elder daughter) and Edom (descendants of Esau), Ammon's identity is consistently that of a kindred but distinct group throughout the Hebrew Bible.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עַם; tribal, i.e. inbred; Ammon, a son of Lot; also his posterity and their country; Ammon, Ammonites.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עם (ʿ-m) — people, kin, clan, nation

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H517 אֵם with her
H525 אָמוֹן Ammon (Kin-People)
H526 אָמוֹן Ammon
H528 אָמוֹן Ammon (Kin-People)
H5972 עַם the gathered people

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5983-01 עַמּ֖וֹן amon HNp Ammon Kin-clan Ammon 105
H5983-02 וְ֭/עַמּוֹן veamon HC/Np and Ammon and Ammon 1

Occurrences in Scripture

106 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5983-01 Genesis 19:38 עַמּ֖וֹן amon HNp Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
H5983-01 Numbers 21:24 עַמּ֔וֹן amon HNp Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
H5983-01 Numbers 21:24 עַמּֽוֹן amon-2 HNp Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
H5983-01 Deuteronomy 2:19 עַמּ֔וֹן amon HNp Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
H5983-01 Deuteronomy 2:19 עַמּ֤וֹן amon-2 HNp Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
H5983-01 Deuteronomy 2:37 עַמּ֖וֹן amon HNp Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
H5983-01 Deuteronomy 3:11 עַמּ֑וֹן amon HNp Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
H5983-01 Deuteronomy 3:16 עַמּֽוֹן amon HNp Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
H5983-01 Joshua 12:2 עַמּֽוֹן amon HNp of Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
H5983-01 Joshua 13:10 עַמּֽוֹן amon HNp of Ammon Kin-clan Ammon
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