Rabbah, also called Rabbah of the Ammonites or Rabbath Ammon, was the capital of the kingdom of Ammon, a people related to Israel through the line of Lot, Abraham’s nephew.
The city lay east of the Jordan River, in a defensible position near springs of water, which made it difficult to conquer through a prolonged siege.
Rabbah appears in the Bible chiefly in connection with the war between Israel and the Ammonites during the reign of David. It was during the siege of this city that Uriah the Hittite died in battle, while David, in Jerusalem, was committing adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife.
Afterward, David went personally to Rabbah, completed the conquest, and took the golden crown from the Ammonite king.
Centuries later, the prophets Amos, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel pronounced judgment against Rabbah, foretelling its destruction because of the pride and cruelty of the Ammonite people toward Israel.
