Verse 38

The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Other Translations

Referenced Verses

  • Deut 2:19 : 19 When you come near the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to conflict, for I will not give you any land of the Ammonites as a possession because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as their possession.'
  • Deut 23:3 : 3 No one born of an illegitimate union may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD.
  • Judg 10:6-11:40 : 6 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD and did not serve Him. 7 So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites. 8 They crushed and oppressed the Israelites that year. For eighteen years, they oppressed all the Israelites who were on the east side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 The Ammonites also crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, and Israel was greatly distressed. 10 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, saying, 'We have sinned against You, for we have abandoned our God and served the Baals.' 11 The LORD said to the Israelites, 'Did I not rescue you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines? 12 'And when the Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to Me, I rescued you from their hands.' 13 'But you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore, I will no longer rescue you.' 14 'Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble!' 15 The Israelites said to the LORD, 'We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems good to You, but please save us today.' 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and He could no longer bear the misery of Israel. 17 The Ammonites were called together and encamped in Gilead, while the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. 18 The people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, 'Who is the man who will begin the fight against the Ammonites? He shall be the leader for all the inhabitants of Gilead.' 1 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute. Gilead was his father. 2 Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jephthah away, saying, 'You will have no inheritance in our father's house because you are the son of another woman.' 3 So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob. Men who were worthless gathered around Jephthah and went out with him. 4 After some time, the Ammonites made war against Israel. 5 When the Ammonites fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 They said to Jephthah, 'Come and be our leader so we can fight against the Ammonites.' 7 But Jephthah said to them, 'Didn’t you hate me and drive me out of my father’s house? Why do you come to me now when you’re in trouble?' 8 The elders of Gilead replied, 'That is why we have now turned to you. Come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.' 9 Jephthah answered, 'If you bring me back to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gives them to me, will I really become your head?' 10 The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, 'The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say.' 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him their head and commander. Jephthah repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah. 12 Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, asking, 'What do you have against me that you have come to fight against my land?' 13 The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah’s messengers, 'When Israel came out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok and as far as the Jordan. Now return it peacefully.' 14 Jephthah sent messengers again to the king of the Ammonites, 15 Jephthah said to him, 'This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites.' 16 For when they came up from Egypt, Israel traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and arrived at Kadesh. 17 Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, 'Please let us pass through your land,' but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed in Kadesh. 18 Then they journeyed through the wilderness, went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came to the east side of the land of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon but did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 Israel then sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, who was king of Heshbon, and said to him, 'Let us pass through your land to our destination.' 20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his land. Instead, he gathered all his people, camped at Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 The Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into Israel’s hand, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession of all the land of the Amorites, who lived in that territory. 22 They took possession of the entire region of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan. 23 Now the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites before His people Israel. Would you now take possession of it? 24 Do you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, we will take possession of whatever the Lord our God has driven out before us. 25 Are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive or fight against Israel? 26 While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the towns along the Arnon for three hundred years, why didn’t you recover them during that time? 27 I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. May the Lord, the Judge, judge today between the Israelites and the Ammonites. 28 But the king of the Ammonites would not listen to the message Jephthah sent to him. 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and he went on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: 'If you give the Ammonites into my hands, 31 whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites will belong to the Lord, and I will offer it as a burnt offering.' 32 Then Jephthah crossed over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. 33 He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith and as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued the Ammonites. 34 When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with tambourines and dancing. She was his only child; he had no son or daughter besides her. 35 When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, 'Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me to my knees and made me miserable, for I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.' 36 She said to him, 'My father, you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, since the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.' 37 She also said to her father, 'Let me do this one thing: Allow me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends because I will never marry.' 38 He said, 'Go,' and he sent her away for two months. She and her friends went to the hills and wept because she would never marry. 39 After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin. From this, it became a custom in Israel 40 Each year the daughters of Israel would go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.
  • 1 Sam 11:1-9 : 1 Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-Gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you." 2 Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this condition I will make a treaty with you: by gouging out everyone's right eye, bringing disgrace on all Israel." 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel. If no one comes to save us, we will surrender to you." 4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these matters to the people, they all wept loudly. 5 Just then, Saul was coming in from the field, following the oxen. He asked, "What is wrong with the people? Why are they all crying?" They told him what the men of Jabesh had said. 6 The Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul as he heard these words, and his anger burned greatly. 7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them throughout Israel by messengers, saying, "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." The fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out together as one. 8 When Saul mustered them at Bezek, there were three hundred thousand Israelites and thirty thousand men of Judah. 9 They said to the messengers who had come, "Say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead: 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be delivered.'" When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were overjoyed. 10 The men of Jabesh then said, "Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever seems good to you." 11 The next day, Saul divided the people into three divisions. They entered the camp during the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. 12 Then the people said to Samuel, "Who was it that said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring those men to us, and we will put them to death." 13 But Saul said, "No one will be put to death today, for this is the day the LORD has delivered Israel." 14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there." 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king in the presence of the LORD. They sacrificed peace offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the men of Israel celebrated with great joy.
  • 2 Sam 10:1-9 : 1 After this, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place. 2 Then David said, 'I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.' So David sent his servants to console Hanun about his father. But when David’s servants arrived in the land of the Ammonites, 3 the officials of the Ammonites said to Hanun, their lord, 'Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending comforters to you? Isn’t it rather to investigate, spy out the city, and overthrow it that David has sent his servants to you?' 4 So Hanun seized David's servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments at the hips, exposing their buttocks, and sent them away. 5 When this was reported to David, he sent messengers to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. The king said, 'Stay at Jericho until your beards grow back, and then return.' 6 When the Ammonites realized they had become odious to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and twelve thousand men from Tob. 7 When David heard of this, he sent Joab and all the army of mighty warriors. 8 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob, along with the men of Tob and Maacah, were stationed by themselves in the open field. 9 When Joab saw that battle lines were drawn up against him both in front and behind, he chose some of the select men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans. 10 He placed the rest of the people under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11 Joab said, 'If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you will help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.' 12 Be strong, and let us show strength for the sake of our people and the cities of our God. May the LORD do what seems good to Him. 13 Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. 14 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and went back to Jerusalem. 15 When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 Hadadezer sent for the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates River. They came to Helam, led by Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army. 17 When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel. David killed seven hundred Aramean charioteers and forty thousand horsemen. He also struck down Shobach, the commander of their army, who died there. 19 When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.
  • Neh 13:1-3 : 1 On that day, the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and it was found written in it that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God. 2 This was because they had not met the Israelites with bread and water but had hired Balaam to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 When they heard the Law, they separated all those of foreign descent from Israel.
  • Neh 13:23-28 : 23 Additionally, in those days I saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. 24 Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of other peoples, but they could not speak the language of Judah. 25 So I confronted them, cursed them, struck some of them, pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God: 'You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.' 26 Did not Solomon, king of Israel, sin because of such things? Among the many nations, there was no king like him; he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Yet, even he was led into sin by foreign women. 27 Must we then hear about you committing all this terrible evil, acting unfaithfully against our God by marrying foreign women? 28 Even one of the sons of Joiada, son of Eliashib the high priest, was a son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite, so I drove him away from me.
  • Ps 83:4-8 : 4 They devise cunning plans against your people and conspire together against your treasured ones. 5 They say, 'Come, let us destroy them as a nation, so that the name of Israel may no longer be remembered.' 6 For they have consulted together with one mind; they have made a covenant against you. 7 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites, 8 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.
  • Isa 11:14 : 14 Together they will swoop down on the shoulders of the Philistines to the west; they will plunder the people of the east. They will lay hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
  • Zeph 2:9 : 9 Therefore, as surely as I live—declares the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel—Moab will become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land of weeds and salt pits, a perpetual ruin. The remnant of My people will plunder them, and the survivors of My nation will inherit their land.
  • Deut 2:9 : 9 The LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land as a possession. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.'