Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 1998 Ammon in the Hebrew Bible: a Textual Analysis and Archaeological Context of Selected References to the Ammonites of Transjordan James Roger Fisher Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the Near Eastern Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Fisher, James Roger, "Ammon in the Hebrew Bible: a Textual Analysis and Archaeological Context of Selected References to the Ammonites of Transjordan" (1998). Dissertations. 50. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/50 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. 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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. NOTE TO USERS The original manuscript received by UMI contains pages with indistinct print. Pages were microfilmed as received. This reproduction is the best copy available UMI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary a m m o n onay / pay)in t h e He b r e w b ib l e : a TEXTUAL ANALYSIS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF SELECTED REFERENCES TO THE AMMONITES OF TRANSJORDAN A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by James R. Fisher July 1998 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9841477 Copyright 199 8 by Fisher, James R. AH rights reserved. UMI Microform 9841477 Copyright 1998, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by James R. Fisher 1998 ® All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. AMMON ('JiQy / Titty) IN THE HEBREW BIBLE: A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF SELECTED REFERENCES TO THE AMMONITES OF TRANSJORDAN A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy by James R. Fisher THE COMMITTEE: Y /W j culty Adviser, Director of Ph.D^rh.D. Program J. Bjornar Storfjell tandall W. Youmer Professor of Archaeology and History of Antiquity William H. Shea Dean ical Seminary Associate Director, Biblical Research fnetKrVyhmeister Institute ■ A Randall W. Younger Associate Professor of Old Testament and B M cal Archaeology P. David Merling Assopiate Professor of Archaeology ancmistory of Antiquity Lawrence T. Geraty Date approved Professor of Archaeology and Old Testament Studies La Sierra University Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT a m m o n (’3iay / ]iay) in t h e He b r e w b ib l e : a TEXTUAL ANALYSIS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF SELECTED REFERENCES TO THE AMMONITES OF TRANSJORDAN by James R. Fisher Adviser: J. Bjamar Storfjell Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Thesis: AMMON (’3iay / pay) IN THE HEBREW BIBLE: A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF SELECTED REFERENCES TO THE AMMONITES OF TRANSJORDAN Name of researcher James R. Fisher Name and degree of faculty adviser: J. Bjomar Storfjell, Ph.D. Date completed: July 1998 The study of the Transjordanian Iron-Age (ca. 1200-550 BC) state of Ammon is important to students of the Bible because of the numerous references to the Ammonites (]1a? ’33, bSne ‘ammon) included in the historical and prophetic sections of the Hebrew canon. The book of Genesis traces the ancestry of the "Sons of Ammon" to an eponymous ancestor named Ben Ammi—son/grandson of Abraham’s nephew Lot (Gen 39:17). Chapter 1 points out how Ammon—though often ignored or slighted in studies up to the mid-20th century—increasingly receives scholarly attention. It also shows a need for applying the results of archaeological research to facilitate a fuller understanding of the biblical text. Chapter 2 outlines recent trends in the relationship between the Helds of biblical studies and archaeology. Criteria are set forth for evaluating published works combin­ ing emphases on the fields of biblical studies and archaeology, especially as they relate Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. to the study of the Ammonites. The term "archaeological context" is examined and dif­ ferentiated from "archaeological commentary." Chapter 3 tabulates all references to the Ammonites in the Hebrew Bible and compares key references to those in the LXX. A study of the familial relationships within the courts of David and Solomon suggests interesting possibilities for identifying a number of interrelationships which existed between the royal houses of Ammon and Israel. Many Ammonite references cluster around two important themes— tribal/kindred loyalty and honor for Yahweh’s temple (or a lack thereof). Chapter 4 gives a topographical and archaeological background for selected Ammonite references. Ammon’s heartland (near modem Amman) was centered around the head waters of the Jabbok River (Nahal Zarqa), strategically located along impor­ tant trade corridors—the north-south King’s Highway and the east-west routes to Jerusalem and to the Canaanite coast. Districts of Ammonite control are identified, and an archaeological summary is given for each biblical site with Ammonite connections and for individuals identified as being Ammonites. Occupations of Ammonite people, the status of women in Ammonite society, and interrelations between Ammon and other contemporary states are explored. The comparative richness of Ammon’s cultural heritage and its rise to relative prosperity as a vassal state are chronicled. Evidence of Ammonite cult and religion—including the existence Ammonite deities Milkom and Astarte—is depicted on seals and figurines, and in the Amman Citadel Inscription which included Milkom’s divine oracle to be displayed publicly on the acropolis. Ammon’s inclusion in the Hebrew prophetic oracles is briefly mentioned. Chapter 5 summarizes the interrelationship between biblical references to Ammon and the results of archaeological research. The archaeological evidence is shown to be consistent with the biblical portrayal of Ammon in the Hebrew Bible. However, addi­ tional in-depth study of the importance of Ammon in Hebrew prophetic literature is recommended. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To Ann My wife, companion, supporter, and "dig volunteer" at Tell el-'Umeiri where she discovered the Shim-'az seal (in situ, no less!) in 1987, and to my sons, Jonathan and Jeffrey, both dig veterans of Tell el-'Umeiri (1987) and Tell Jalul (1994), whose appreciation of their father's avocation has given me profound joy and has helped us