The Ammonites were a people descended from Ben-Ammi, the son of Lot and his younger daughter, as recorded in Genesis 19:38. Throughout the Old Testament, the Ammonites are frequently depicted as adversaries of Israel, often engaging in conflicts and opposing the Israelites during their settlement in the Promised Land and the period of the judges and kings.

King Solomon, the son of David and the third king of Israel, is noted for his wisdom, wealth, and extensive building projects, including the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. However, Solomon's reign is also marked by his marriages to foreign women, which played a significant role in his spiritual decline. Among these foreign wives were women from the Ammonites.

1 Kings 11:1-2 states: "King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, 'You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.' Yet Solomon clung to these women in love."

The inclusion of Ammonite women among Solomon's wives is significant because it highlights the king's disobedience to God's commandment regarding intermarriage with foreign nations. The LORD had explicitly warned the Israelites against such unions, as they could lead to idolatry and the worship of foreign gods. Solomon's marriage to these women, including those from Ammon, ultimately led him to turn away from the LORD and worship other deities.

1 Kings 11:4-5 further elaborates: "For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites."

Milcom, also known as Molech, was the chief deity of the Ammonites, and the worship of this god was particularly detestable to the Israelites due to its association with child sacrifice and other abominable practices. Solomon's involvement in the worship of Milcom signifies a profound departure from the monotheistic worship of Yahweh, which was central to the covenantal identity of Israel.

The narrative of Solomon's marriages, including those to Ammonite women, serves as a cautionary tale within the biblical text. It underscores the dangers of compromising one's faith and the consequences of disobedience to God's commandments. Solomon's alliances through marriage, while politically advantageous, ultimately led to spiritual apostasy and set the stage for the division of the kingdom after his death.

The account of Solomon's marriages, including those with the Ammonites, is a poignant reminder of the importance of faithfulness to God's commands and the perils of allowing external influences to lead one's heart away from true worship.1 Kings 11:1
But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
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2 Chronicles 12:13
So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.
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Nehemiah 13:26
Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.
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Temporal Advantages.
... the rich and powerful; for death takes from them ... For Solomon went after Ashtaroth,
the goddess of the ... after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites[6]." Yet ...
/.../newman/parochial and plain sermons vol vii/sermon v temporal advantages.htm

The Historical Books.
... The introductory part takes up the history of the ... delivering the people of
Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites. ... Thus Solomon added to the public services of the ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xx the historical books.htm

Meditations of the Blessed State of the Regenerate Man after Death ...
... the glory and attendance given to Solomon, as it ... Jehoshaphat and his people over
the Ammonites, Moabites, and ... O the goodness of Christ, who takes notice of all ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/3 meditations of the blessed.htm

Introduction to Oration ii.
... He takes pleasure in the dying of Jesus, [2693] as if it were a ... I said, I will be
wise, says Solomon, but she (ie Wisdom ... [2792] Moabites and Ammonites, who were ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/introduction to oration ii.htm

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of ...
... And darkness was upon the face of the deep (v 2). The Deep here, might be a type
of the heart of man before conversion; and so Solomon seems to intimate. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/an exposition on the first.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... and the Hebrew kingdom"Saul, David, Solomon, the defection ... their daughters to be
their wives, and gave ... first comer; the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Moabites ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... G. Rawlinson takes a somewhat different view of Cyaxares' character; he admits that
Cyaxares knew how to win victories, but refuses to credit him with the ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
... The house of Bazi takes its name from an ancestor who must have founded
it at some unknown date, but who never reigned in Chaldaea. ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm

What is an abomination? | GotQuestions.org

What is significance of Mount Seir? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Lot in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

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