Index 


Ammishaddai People of the Almighty the father of Ahiezer, who was chief of the Danites at the time of the Exodus (Num 1:12; Num 2:25). This is one of the few names compounded with the name of God, Shaddai, "Almighty."

Ammizabad People of the giver, the son of Benaiah, who was the third and chief captain of the host under David (Ch1 27:6).

Ammon Another form of the name Ben-ammi, the son of Lot (Gen 19:38). This name is also used for his posterity (Psa 83:7).

Ammonite The usual name of the descendants of Ammon, the son of Lot (Gen 19:38). From the very beginning (Deu 2:16) of their history till they are lost sight of (Jdg 5:2), this tribe is closely associated with the Moabites (Jdg 10:11; Ch2 20:1; Zep 2:8). Both of these tribes hired Balaam to curse Israel (Deu 23:4). The Ammonites were probably more of a predatory tribe, moving from place to place, while the Moabites were more settled. They inhabited the country east of the Jordan and north of Moab and the Dead Sea, from which they had expelled the Zamzummims or Zuzims (Deu 2:20; Gen 14:5). They are known as the Beni-ammi (Gen 19:38), Ammi or Ammon being worshipped as their chief god. They were of Semitic origin, and closely related to the Hebrews in blood and language. They showed no kindness to the Israelites when passing through their territory, and therefore they were prohibited from "entering the congregation of the Lord to the tenth generation" (Deu 23:3). They afterwards became hostile to Israel (Jdg 3:13). Jephthah waged war against them, and "took twenty cities with a very great slaughter" (Jdg 11:33). They were again signally defeated by Saul (Sa1 11:11). David also defeated them and their allies the Syrians (Sa2 10:6), and took their chief city, Rabbah, with much spoil (Sa2 10:14; Sa2 12:26). The subsequent events of their history are noted in Ch2 20:25; Ch2 26:8; Jer 49:1; Eze 25:3, Eze 25:6. One of Solomon's wives was Naamah, an Ammonite. She was the mother of Rehoboam (Kg1 14:31; Ch2 12:13). The prophets predicted fearful judgments against the Ammonites because of their hostility to Israel (Zep 2:8; Jer 49:1; Eze 25:1, Eze 25:10; Amo 1:13). The national idol worshipped by this people was Molech or Milcom, at whose altar they offered human sacrifices (Kg1 11:5, Kg1 11:7). The high places built for this idol by Solomon, at the instigation of his Ammonitish wives, were not destroyed till the time of Josiah (Kg2 23:13).

Amnon Faithful. (1.) One of the sons of Shammai, of the children of Ezra (Ch1 4:20; compare Ch1 4:17). (2.) The eldest son of David, by Ahinoam of Jezreel (Ch1 3:1; Sa2 3:2). Absalom caused him to be put to death for his great crime in the matter of Tamar (Sa2 13:28, Sa2 13:29).

Amon Builder. (1.) The governor of Samaria in the time of Ahab. The prophet Micaiah was committed to his custody (Kg1 22:26; Ch2 18:25). (2.) The son of Manasseh, and fourteenth king of Judah. He restored idolatry, and set up the images which his father had cast down. Zephaniah (Zep 1:4; Zep 3:4, Zep 3:11) refers to the moral depravity prevailing in this king's reign. He was assassinated (Kg2 21:18; Ch2 33:20) by his own servants, who conspired against him. (3.) An Egyptian god, usually depicted with a human body and the head of a ram, referred to in Jer 46:25, where the word "multitudes" in the Authorized Version is more appropriately rendered "Amon" in the Revised Version. In Nah 3:8 the expression "populous No" the Revised Version "No-amon." Amon is identified with Ra, the sun-god of Heliopolis. (4.) Neh 7:59.

Amorites Highlanders, or hillmen, the name given to the descendants of one of the sons of Canaan (Gen 14:7), called Amurra or Amurri in the Assyrian and Egyptian inscriptions. On the early Babylonian monuments all Syria, including Palestine, is known as "the land of the Amorites." The southern slopes of the mountains of Judea are called the "mount of the Amorites" (Deu 1:7, Deu 1:19, Deu 1:20). They seem to have originally occupied the land stretching from the heights west of the Dead Sea (Gen 14:7) to Hebron (Gen. 13. Compare Gen 13:8; Deu 3:8; Deu 4:46), embracing "all Gilead and all Bashan" (Deu 3:10), with the Jordan valley on the east of the river (Deu 4:49), the land of the "two kings of the Amorites," Sihon and Og (Deu 31:4; Jos 2:10; Jos 9:10). The five kings of the Amorites were defeated with great slaughter by Joshua (Jos 10:10). They were again defeated at the waters of Merom by Joshua, who smote them till there were none remaining (Jos 11:8). It is mentioned as a surprising circumstance that in the days of Samuel there was peace between them and the Israelites (Sa1 7:14). The discrepancy supposed to exist between Deu 1:44 and Num 14:45 is explained by the circumstance that the terms "Amorites" and "Amalekites" are used synonymously for the "Canaanites." In the same way we explain the fact that the "Hivites" of Gen 34:2 are the "Amorites" of Gen 48:22. Compare Jos 10:6; Jos 11:19 with Sa2 21:2; also Num 14:45 with Deu 1:44. The Amorites were warlike mountaineers. They are represented on the Egyptian monuments with fair skins, light hair, blue eyes, aquiline noses, and pointed beards. They are supposed to have been men of great stature; their king, Og, is described by Moses as the last "of the remnant of the giants" (Deu 3:11). Both Sihon and Og were independent kings. Only one word of the Amorite language survives, "Shenir," the name they gave to Mount Hermon (Deu 3:9).

Amos Borne; a burden, one of the twelve minor prophets. He was a native of Tekota, the modern Tekua, a town about 12 miles south-east of Bethlehem. He was a man of humble birth, neither a "prophet nor a prophet's son," but "an herdman and a dresser of sycomore trees," R.V. He prophesied in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and was contemporary with Isaiah and Hosea (Amo 1:1; Amo 7:14, Amo 7:15; Zac 14:5), who survived him a few years. Under Jeroboam II. the kingdom of Israel rose to the zenith of its prosperity; but that was followed by the prevalence of luxury and vice and idolatry. At this period Amos was called from his obscurity to remind the people of the law of God's retributive justice, and to call them to repentance. The Book of Amos consists of three parts: (1.) The nations around are summoned to judgment because of their sins (Amos 1:1-2:3). He quotes Joe 3:16. (2.)The spiritual condition of Judah, and especially of Israel, is described (Amos 2:4-6:14). (3.) In Amos 7:1-9:10 are recorded five prophetic visions. (a.) The first two (Amo 7:1) refer to judgments against the guilty people. (b.) The next two (Amo 7:7; Amo 8:1) point out the ripeness of the people for the threatened judgments. Amo 7:10 consists of a conversation between the prophet and the priest of Bethel. (c.) The fifth describes the overthrow and ruin of Israel (Amo 9:1); to which is added the promise of the restoration of the kingdom and its final glory in the Messiah's kingdom. The style is peculiar in the number of the allusions made to natural objects and to agricultural occupations. Other allusions show also that Amos was a student of the law as well as a "child of nature." These phrases are peculiar to him: "Cleanness of teeth" [i.e., want of bread] (Amo 4:6); "The excellency of Jacob" (Amo 6:8; Amo 8:7); "The high places of Isaac" (Amo 7:9); "The house of Isaac" (Amo 7:16); "He that createth the wind" (Amo 4:13). Quoted, Act 7:42.

Amoz Strong, the father of the prophet Isaiah (Kg2 19:2, Kg2 19:20; Kg2 20:1; Isa 1:1; Isa 2:1). As to his personal history little is positively known. He is supposed by some to have been the "man of God" spoken of in Ch2 25:7, Ch2 25:8.

Amphipolis City on both sides, a Macedonian city, a great Roman military station, through which Paul and Silas passed on their way from Philippi to Thessalonica, a distance of 33 Roman miles from Philippi (Act 17:1).