בֶּן־עַמִּי
𐤁𐤍־𐤏𐤌𐤉
Ben Ami
H1151 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper name meaning 'son of my people.' Refers specifically to the individual Ben-Ammi, identified in the Hebrew Bible as the son of Lot by his younger daughter and regarded as the eponymous ancestor of the Ammonites. The construction indicates a relationship of lineage or collective kinship, signifying 'my own kin' or 'descendant of my people.'
Semantic Range
proper name: eponymous ancestor of the Ammonites, son of my people; personal name signifying kinship or ancestor of a people group
Root / Etymology
Formed from the noun בֵּן (ben, 'son') + עַם ('am, 'people, kin, nation') + first common singular pronominal suffix '-i' ('my'), giving 'son of my people.' Both elements derive from well-attested Semitic roots: בנה (b-n-h, 'to build'), underlying 'son' as the one who continues (builds) a family, and עם (ʿ-m-m, 'people, kin group').
Historical & Contextual Notes
בֶּן־עַמִּי occurs exclusively as a personal name in Genesis 19:38, where Ben-Ammi is named as the son of Lot and his younger daughter. Within the narrative, he is presented as the progenitor of the Ammonites ('sons of Ammon'), a people neighboring Israel to the east of the Jordan. The name is a theophoric or eponymic construction, meant to establish tribal or ethnic origins. Unlike more typical Israelite naming formulas that invoke the divine (via theophoric elements), this name reflects kinship identity. English translations consistently render the name as 'Ben-ammi,' often without attempting to translate its constituent elements; the full meaning as 'son of my people' is not generally preserved. The name's form and structure parallel other eponymous figures in Genesis, such as Moab. While the suffix '-i' is grammatically a first person singular possessive, in this context it anchors communal identity, likely expressing 'kin-relationship' rather than literal parentage. Later tradition rendered the people as 'Ammonites,' but the name Ben-Ammi itself remains a personal name confined to the Lot narrative. There is no evidence that the historical Ammonite leadership used this name as a dynastic title. The term is strictly proper and does not function as a common noun in the Hebrew Bible.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from בֵּן and עַם with pronomial suffix; son of my people; Ben-Ammi, a son of Lot; Ben-ammi.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בנה; עם (b-n-h; ʿ-m-m) — to build, establish family; people, kin, tribe
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1151-02 |
בֶּן | ben | HNp |
Ben | son | 1 |
H1151-01 |
עַמִּ֑י | ami | HNp |
Ammi | Son-of-my-people | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1151-02 |
Genesis 19:38 | בֶּן | ben-2 | HNp |
Ben | son |
H1151-01 |
Genesis 19:38 | עַמִּ֑י | ami | HNp |
Ammi | Son-of-my-people |