Israel saw the people of Ammon as relatives who betrayed them. The Ammonites, like the Moabites (Amos 2:1), were descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 19:37–38). Ammon was a constant threat to Gilead (see Judges 10:7–9).
In ancient times, conquering armies often harmed pregnant women (2 Kings 8:12; 15:16; Hosea 13:16). They also raped women and killed children in the towns they captured (Isaiah 13:16, 18; Lamentations 5:11; Hosea 10:14; 13:16; Nahum 3:10; Zechariah 14:2).