Why Did They Vanish as Peoples?

PERHAPS you have met Persians, Greeks or Egyptians​—all peoples with a very ancient heritage. But have you ever met a Moabite, an Ammonite or a Philistine? “No,” you say. That is not surprising, for they completely vanished as distinct peoples many centuries ago.

At one time, however, the Moabites, Ammonites and Philistines were neighbors of the ancient Israelites. Along the eastern bank of the Dead Sea, the territory of Moab extended from the river Arnon in the north to the torrent valley of Zered in the south. The Ammonites occupied the region extending eastward from the upper reaches of the curving river Jabbok toward the desert. The land of the Mediterranean coast between Gaza and a point near Joppa was the home of the Philistines. During various periods of history the Philistines, Moabites and Ammonites made things very difficult for the Israelites.

In the early part of the reign of King Saul, the Philistines had garrisons in Israelite territory. They were strong enough to prevent the Israelites from having their own smiths, thereby keeping the nation totally disarmed. (1 Sam. 10:5; 13:1-3, 19-22) So great was the foreign oppression that many Israelites selfishly sided with the Philistines against their own countrymen. (1 Sam. 14:21) However, especially after David became king, the power of the Philistines was broken, but they nevertheless continued to exist as a distinct people for many centuries thereafter.

As for the Ammonites and Moabites, they cooperated with the Babylonians in the latter part of the seventh century B.C.E. to bring about the ruin of the land of Judah. (2 Ki. 24:2) Not long thereafter the Ammonites and the Moabites were themselves deprived of their land. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, King Nebuchadnezzar carried on a military campaign against Ammon and Moab in the fifth year after his desolating Jerusalem. Archaeological evidence confirms that the area occupied by Ammon and Moab was largely depopulated before the middle of the sixth century B.C.E. By the third century C.E., the Ammonites had evidently disappeared completely. The Moabites, too, vanished from the scene. Such Moabite cities as Nebo, Heshbon and Aroer are today just ruins. Many other cities cannot even be identified.

The only explanation for the disappearance of the Moabites, Ammonites and Philistines is to be found in an ancient historical record that has continued to exist to this day. That record is the Bible. As acknowledged in The Encyclopædia Britannica, no explanation other than that supplied by the Bible prophets has real validity. For example, we read regarding Moab:

“Israel remained a great power in religious history while Moab disappeared. It is true that Moab was continuously hard pressed by desert hordes; the exposed condition of the land is emphasized by the chains of ruined forts and castles which even the Romans were compelled to construct. The explanation of the comparative insignificance of Moab, however, is not to be found in purely topographical considerations. Nor can it be sought in political history, since Israel and Judah suffered as much from external movements as Moab itself. The explanation is to be found within Israel itself, in factors . . . to be found in the work of the prophets.”​—11th ed., Vol. XVIII, p. 632.

Yes, the real reason for the vanishing of the Moabites, Ammonites and Philistines is that God’s judgment was against them. To his prophet Ezekiel, Jehovah declared:

“Son of man, turn toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them. Say to the Ammonites: . . . Because you cried out your joy over the desecration of my sanctuary, the devastation of the land of Israel, and the exile of the house of Judah, therefore I will deliver you into the possession of the Easterners. They shall set up their encampments among you and pitch their tents; they shall eat your fruits and drink your milk. I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and the villages of the Ammonites a resting place for flocks. . . .

“Because Moab said, ‘See! the house of Judah is like all other nations,’ therefore I will clear the shoulder of Moab totally of its cities, the jewels of the land: Beth-jesimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim. I will hand her over, along with the Ammonites, into the possession of the Easterners, that she may not be remembered among the peoples. . . .

“Because the Philistines have acted revengefully, and have taken vengeance with destructive malice in their hearts, with an undying enmity, therefore thus says the Lord God: See! I am stretching out my hand against the Philistines; I will cut off the Cherethites and wipe out the remnant on the seacoast.”​—Ezek. 25:2-16, New American Bible.

There is overwhelming evidence that this prophecy was fulfilled. Ammon and Moab did indeed become the “possession of the Easterners.” Says archaeologist G. M. Landes:

“Archaeological explorations have shown that sedentary occupation in the land of Ammon virtually ceased before the middle of the 6th century B.C. . . . Into the vacuum created by the destructive advances of the Babylonians poured once again . . . the ‘sons of the East,’ the bedouin hordes from the desert, who now destroyed all formally organized political activity in this area, and brought to an end the semi-autonomous Ammonite state.”​—The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, Vol. II, pp. 87, 88.

Regarding Moab, scholar A. H. Van Zyl writes:

“The fate of Moab was severe. When the power of the state had once been broken by the Babylonians, the children of the east could encroach upon the cultivated land, for the former inhabitants of the line of fortresses, who had so boldly defended their country during the past centuries, had been abducted. The only service that these fortresses and the pottery remains in their vicinity still render is to tell the story of the downfall of the Moabite Kingdom and civilization in the first quarter of the 6th century B.C. After this depopulation of the country, we still have some references to individuals of Moabite origin, but there can be no reference to the Moabite nation or state after the first 2 decades of the 6th century B.C.”​—The Moabites, pp. 157, 158.

Of the calamity that befell the Philistines, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible observes:

“Nebuchadnezzar put out any remaining sparks of Philistine independence. He deported both rulers and people, as the mention of the kings of Gaza and Ashdod and the princes of Ashkelon in the lists published by Unger and Weidner has shown.”​—Vol. 3, p. 795.

How forcefully the end of Ammon, Moab and Philistia testifies to the accurate fulfillment of Bible prophecy! The judgment of Jehovah God was indeed carried out against these hard-set enemies of his ancient covenant people, the Israelites. Truly the prophetic Word of God can be depended upon. As we read at Isaiah 55:11: “My word . . . will not return to me without results, but it will certainly do that in which I have delighted, and it will have certain success in that for which I have sent it.” So if we want to share in the blessings that Jehovah God has in store for those who love him, we do well to inform ourselves about his will and then live in harmony therewith.

[Map on page 421]

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PHILISTIA

Great Sea

Joppa

Gaza

AMMON

T.V. of Jabbok

Salt Sea

MOAB

T.V. of Arnon

T.V. of Zered