Like the Moabites, the Ammonites were relatives of Israel and must be left alone (see 2:9).
The Jabbok River, a major tributary of the Jordan River, marked the border between Gilead to the north and the Amorite kingdom of Sihon to the south. The Ammonites lived east and south of the Jabbok (see 2:19). Jacob wrestled with a stranger at night somewhere at the Jabbok (see Genesis 32:22–32).