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From what I can tell, whenever the word "Amon" - "עמון" appears in Tanach (not עמוני/ת, etc), it's always preceded by the word "bnei" - "בני", except for two instances1:

One in Shmuel 1:11:11 where it says:

"וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיָּשֶׂם שָׁאוּל אֶת הָעָם שְׁלֹשָׁה רָאשִׁים וַיָּבֹאוּ בְתוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֶה בְּאַשְׁמֹרֶת הַבֹּקֶר וַיַּכּוּ אֶת עַמּוֹן עַד חֹם הַיּוֹם וַיְהִי הַנִּשְׁאָרִים וַיָּפֻצוּ וְלֹא נִשְׁאֲרוּ בָם שְׁנַיִם יָחַד."

and another in Tehillim 83:8:

"גְּבָל וְעַמּוֹן וַעֲמָלֵק פְּלֶשֶׁת עִם יֹשְׁבֵי צוֹר."

Why is this so? Why the difference from other verses with the word Amon?2

1 Thank you @ Kazibácsi for pointing out the second instance.

2 This is different from the question "Why “בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן”?" which asks why are they even called "Bnei Amon" in the first place. This question is about the reasoning for the two times in which they are not referred to as Bnei Amon but rather as "Amon".

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    Does this answer your question? Why "בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן"?
    – Kazi bácsi
    Commented Jun 21, 2021 at 14:07
  • @Kazibácsi The question here is why are there two times in which they are not called Bnei Amon. The question there is why are they called Bnei Amon at all (mentioning as a caveat the two times they are not referred to as so) and not just plain old "Amon".
    – Harel13
    Commented Jun 21, 2021 at 14:32

1 Answer 1

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The Radak makes your point in Divrei Hayamim to suggest that the Amonim are a different nation than the B'nei Amonim. In the story in Shmuel, they are referred to as Amonim throughout, not B'nei Amon, so they could be that second nation.

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  • Nice find, thanks!
    – Harel13
    Commented Jun 20, 2021 at 17:49
  • @Harel13 Now the question arises to which one the verse in Psalms refer?
    – Kazi bácsi
    Commented Jun 21, 2021 at 5:30
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    @Kazibácsi I need to compare the sources a little more, but my guess is that Asaf is referring to Yisrael's enemies in the time of Shaul. Therefore, he's referring to the same battle/same enemy as the one in Shmuel (which was a Shaul-era battle).
    – Harel13
    Commented Jun 21, 2021 at 5:33
  • The problem with this thesis is Shmuel I:12:12, where Nachash is referred to as melekh benei amon.
    – Joel K
    Commented Jun 25, 2021 at 7:02
  • @JoelK Well so much for that.
    – N.T.
    Commented Jun 25, 2021 at 9:16

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