Word Study for H5984 (עַמּוֹנִי)

ʻAmmôwnîy /am-mo-nee'/ Ask about this word

Rootpatronymically from עַמּוֹן

Meaningan Ammonite or (the adjective) Ammonitish

KJV usageAmmonite(-s).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʻAmmôwnîy — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word ʻAmmôwnîy, represented by H5984, is the term for an Ammonite. Appearing 18 times in 18 unique verses, it identifies a person or people from Ammon. The word is used to describe both individuals and the nation as a whole, often in the context of their relationship and conflicts with Israel.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H5984 is used to denote a recurring source of opposition to Israel. Tobiah the Ammonite is a prominent adversary who grieved that a man had come to seek the welfare of Israel Nehemiah 2:10 and, along with others, laughed at and despised the efforts to rebuild Jerusalem's walls (Nehemiah 2:19, Nehemiah 4:7). Militarily, Nahash the Ammonite besieged Jabeshgilead, offering a covenant only on the condition of thrusting out the right eyes of its men as a reproach upon Israel (1 Samuel 11:1, 1 Samuel 11:2). The Ammonites are also listed among the peoples from whom Israel failed to separate themselves, leading to the worship of their idol, Milcom (Ezra 9:1, 1 Kings 11:5). Conversely, an Ammonite named Zelek is listed as one of David's mighty men (2 Samuel 23:37, 1 Chronicles 11:39).

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide further context to the Ammonites and their interactions with Israel:

H4125 Môwʼâbîy (a Moabite or Moabitess): The Moabites are frequently mentioned alongside the Ammonites, particularly in the law that forbids either from entering the congregation of God forever (Deuteronomy 23:3, Nehemiah 13:1).
H5176 Nâchâsh (Nahash, the name of two persons apparently non-Israelite): An Ammonite king who came up against Jabeshgilead and offered a cruel covenant to its inhabitants 1 Samuel 11:1.
H2900 Ṭôwbîyâh (Tobiah): A prominent official called "the servant, the Ammonite" who consistently opposed Nehemiah's work in rebuilding Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:10, Nehemiah 4:3).
H4445 Malkâm (Malcam or Milcom, the national idol of the Ammonites): King Solomon went after this idol, which is described as the "abomination of the Ammonites" 1 Kings 11:5.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H5984 is significant, highlighting key themes for Israel.

Covenantal Separation: The law explicitly prohibits an Ammonite or Moabite from entering the congregation of the LORD, even to the tenth generation Deuteronomy 23:3. This prohibition, recalled in Nehemiah's time Nehemiah 13:1, underscores the importance of maintaining religious and ethnic purity against foreign influences.
Threat of Idolatry: The Ammonites represented a direct spiritual threat. King Solomon's love for Ammonite women led him to follow their "abomination," Milcom (1 Kings 11:1, 1 Kings 11:5), illustrating how foreign alliances could lead to apostasy.
National Antagonism: The Ammonites are consistently portrayed as antagonists to God's people. From the military aggression of Nahash 1 Samuel 11:2 to the political mockery of Tobiah Nehemiah 4:3, they represent a persistent force of opposition to Israel's security and divine purpose.

Summary

In summary, H5984 ʻAmmôwnîy is more than a simple ethnic identifier. It signifies a people group consistently positioned as a military, social, and spiritual challenge to Israel. The term encapsulates the dangers of foreign entanglement, the corrupting influence of idolatry, and the persistent opposition faced by the people of God. From legal prohibitions in the book of Moses to the political intrigue in Nehemiah, the Ammonites serve as a recurring example of a people from whom Israel was commanded to remain separate.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 21 occurrences, inflected in 5 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

עַמּוֹנִי
עַמֹּנִים
עַמֹּנִית
עַמֳּנִיּוֹת
עַמּוֹן

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 18 verses across 8 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Nehemiah (6 verses); never once in the other 31.

Deuteronomy

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

1 Chronicles

2 Chronicles

Ezra

Nehemiah

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.