Do Not Seek the Peace or Prosperity of Ammon and Moab

The Prohibition Beyond Assembly Exclusion

Deuteronomy 23:6: “You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever.” Commandment #374 extends beyond the congregation exclusion (#373): not only may Ammonites and Moabites not enter the assembly, but Israel is actively prohibited from pursuing diplomatic or social “shalom” with them as national entities. The word “shalom” here means not merely peace in the sense of absence of conflict but the full range of seeking their welfare — commercial relations, diplomatic goodwill, or any active pursuit of their national flourishing.

Rambam (Hilkhot Melakhim 6:6) explains that commandment #374 prohibits offering peace terms to Ammon and Moab before waging war against them — unlike the general rule for other nations where peace must be offered first (Deut 20:10–11). The general war law says Israel must offer peace to every city before attacking. But Ammon and Moab are excluded from this requirement: they have forfeited the right to receive a peace offer because of their specific hostility at the wilderness moment.

Nehemiah’s Application — Reading This Law After Exile

Nehemiah 13:1–3: “On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God... When the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.” After the exile, when Nehemiah was rebuilding the Jerusalem community, the public reading of Deuteronomy 23 — the source of both commandments #373 and #374 — triggered an immediate communal action: the separation of mixed crowds from the covenant community.

The Nehemiah text reflects both commandments: the assembly exclusion (#373) and the broader separation from Ammonite and Moabite national relationships (#374). The post-exilic community used Deuteronomy 23 as a benchmark for reconstituting covenant boundaries. Nehemiah 13:4–9: Eliashib the priest had given Tobiah the Ammonite a chamber in the Temple courts; Nehemiah expelled him and purified the chamber. The Ammonite (Tobiah) who had been given access to the Temple was removed specifically on the basis of these Deuteronomy 23 prohibitions.

The Contrast Principle — What Distinguishes Ammon and Moab

Deuteronomy 23:7: “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land.” The verse immediately preceding the prohibition on seeking Ammon and Moab’s peace establishes the contrast: Israel is specifically commanded NOT to abhor Edom and Egypt. The word used — “ta’ev” (to abhor) — is the verbal form of “toevah” (abomination). Do not treat Edom and Egypt as abominations.

Ammon and Moab receive no such protection. There is no commandment to “not abhor” them. The prohibition on seeking their peace is the active expression of the withdrawal of goodwill. But the Torah does not command Israel to actively harm Ammon or Moab — only to not seek their welfare. The distinction between active hostility and withdrawal of goodwill is legally significant: Rambam counts commandment #374 as a prohibition on the specific act of seeking peace, not a command to wage war against them. Israel is not obligated to pursue Ammon and Moab’s destruction; it is simply prohibited from pursuing their flourishing.

The rationale throughout is historical accountability: the wilderness moment defined these nations’ relationship with Israel permanently. Deuteronomy 23:4–5: “because they did not meet you with bread and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired Balaam son of Beor to curse you–however, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam; the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.” The prohibition on seeking their peace is the legal expression of the permanent accounting of those national choices.