Ben-Ammi

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Ben-Ammi (‘son of my blood-relative’ or ‘son of my father’s kinsman’). The story (  Genesis 19:1-38 ) purports to explain the name Ammon (  Genesis 19:38 ). Notwithstanding the fact that incestuous marriages were common amongst these people, it is most likely that the narrative is a product of the bitter hatred which was excited by prolonged contests for the territory E. of Jordan.

J. Taylor.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Ben-am'mi. (Son Of My People). The son of the younger daughter of Lot, and progenitor of the Ammonites.  Genesis 19:38. (B.C. 1897).

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

("son of my people".) Son of Lot's younger daughter; progenitor of Ammon ( Genesis 19:38).

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 19:38

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Genesis 19:38

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ben - am´ı̄ ( בּן עמּי , ben ‛ammı̄ , "son of my kinsman,"  Genesis 19:38 ): The progenitor of the Ammonites was a son of Lot's younger daughter, born after the destruction of Sodom. The account of his birth as well as that of Moab was commonly regarded as an expression of Israel's intense hatred and contempt toward these two nations. However, this idea is rather unwarranted, in view of the fact that the origin of the tribe of Judah (which is held in especial honor by J) is accounted for in a similiar way (Gen 38). Gunkel ( Schöpfung und Chaos , 190) suggests that the narrative ( Genesis 19:30-38 ) was originally a Moabitic account tracing the common origin of Moab and Ammon to Lot. It presupposes a universal catastrophe - such as the conflagration of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim suggests - in which all the human race, save Lot and his two daughters, perished. In order to avert the extinction of the race, his daughters resorted to incestuous practices. In this case we have here a Moabite parallel to the Deluge story (Skinner, Genesis , 313-14). While the common origin of the two brother tribes is undoubtedly a fact ( Judges 10:6;  Judges 11:15 ,  Judges 11:18 ,  Judges 11:25;  Deuteronomy 2:19; 2 Ch 20, etc.), the folk-etymology of their names is rather suspicious. The name Ben-Ammi is probably derived from the deity "Emu," which is the name for Nergal among the Shuḥites on the West of the Euphrates a land which corresponds to the position of the Benē - ‛Ammō , "children of his people" ( Numbers 22:5 ). The chief god of the Kataban Arabs was called Ammi ( Hom ., ZDMG , V, 95, 525, note 1). In cuneiform inscriptions this name appears as part of the title of the Ammonite rulers ( HDB ). Neubauer ( Studia Biblica , 1-26) suggests that the name Balaam is a compound of Bel plus Am, that is, "Am is Lord." For other compounds with Ammi see Gray, HPN , 41-60.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( בֶּןאּעִמַּי , Son Of My Kindred, i.e. born of incest; Sept. repeats, Ἀμμάν , Υἱὸς Γένους Μου ) , the original form of the name AMMON (See Ammon) (q.v.), the son of Lot by his younger daughter ( Genesis 19:38).