The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.
Parallel translations
- WEB The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben Ammi. He is the father of the children of Ammon to this day.
- KJV And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
- NKJV And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day.
- NASB As for the younger, she also gave birth to a son, and named him Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day.
- NLT When the younger daughter gave birth to a son, she named him Ben-ammi. He became the ancestor of the nation now known as the Ammonites.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The younger bears Ben-Ammi, ancestor of the Ammonites. This explains the origin of another nation bordering Israel.
Overview
The Ammonites, like the Moabites, descended from Lot and frequently opposed Israel throughout its history. The narrative closes Lot's story on a sobering note, contrasting his compromised legacy with the covenant blessing promised to Abraham. The account reminds us that the choices of one generation shape nations, and that God's purposes advance through the faithful line of promise.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Deut 2:19But when you get close to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the Ammonites. I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”
- Zeph 2:9Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—a place of weeds and salt pits, a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of My people will plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.”
- 2 Sam 10:1–19Some time later, the king of the Ammonites died and was succeeded by his son Hanun.
- 1 Sam 11:1–15Soon Nahash the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”
- Neh 13:1–3At that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God,
- Isa 11:14They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west; together they will plunder the sons of the east. They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
- Deut 23:3No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation.
- Ps 83:4–8saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation; may the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
- Judg 10:6And again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. Thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
- Neh 13:23–28In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.
- Deut 2:9Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 19:38 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.