ירמיהו, פרק מ״ט, פסוק א׳

After the king of Assyria exiled the Israelite tribes of Gad and Reuben, a sudden power vacuum emerged in their former lands. Neighboring nations, specifically Ammon and Moab, quickly took advantage of this empty territory, as Gad's borders rested directly against their own [מלבי״ם]. The Ammonites seized control of the area, justifying their occupation by claiming the land had belonged to them in ancient times, making them the rightful heirs [רד״ק, אברבנאל].

In response to this historical event, a prophecy of rebuke is delivered concerning the Ammonites [מצודת דוד]. God presents a sharp, double rhetorical question to express His astonishment. He asks whether Israel is entirely without children or relatives to inherit their ancestral land. The repetition of the question serves to reinforce the message [מצודת דוד], challenging the Ammonites' right to simply step in and claim the territory for themselves as if it had no true owners [מלבי״ם, שטיינזלץ].

The prophecy further questions why the ruling authority of Ammon has taken possession of Gad and allowed its people to settle in Israelite cities [רד״ק]. There are two ways to understand the identity of this Ammonite authority. The primary approach among commentators is that it refers to the specific idol worshipped by the nation. Because the Ammonites credited their military victories and national success to their deity, the prophecy sarcastically asks why an Ammonite idol has inherited the land, allowing its worshippers to occupy the area [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, אברבנאל]. Conversely, another perspective understands this authority literally as the human king of Ammon. According to this view, the Ammonite king not only captured the region but may have even established his royal capital directly within the conquered territory of Gad [רד״ק, שטיינזלץ].