ירמיהו, פרק מ״ט, פסוק ב׳

A dramatic shift in power is promised following the Ammonite takeover of territories that did not belong to them. A prophecy of doom foretells a complete reversal: the Ammonite capital will fall into ruin, while the Israelites will reclaim their land and take possession of the very nation that attempted to displace them.

The prophecy targets Rabbah, the royal capital of the Ammonites. God will unleash a battle cry over the city as the Chaldean army arrives to capture it [מצודת דוד]. This disaster serves as a direct punishment because Ammon seized the territory belonging to the tribe of Gad. Consequently, the invading forces will strike at the very heart of their kingdom [רד״ק]. The once magnificent capital will be reduced to a desolate mound, transformed into a wasteland of collapsed walls and ruined buildings [מצודת ציון]. Furthermore, the devastation will not be confined to the capital city alone. The surrounding small towns and villages will also face total destruction, burning completely to the ground [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Ultimately, the nation that presumed to take over the lands of Israel will lose its own territory and leave behind no heirs. In a profound turn of events, the Israelites will step in to inherit them [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Regarding when this promise of restoration takes place, commentators offer different perspectives. The primary approach among commentators is that this event does not refer to the period of the Babylonian conquest, as the Israelites were already in exile at that time. Instead, it points to the distant future, specifically the Messianic era and the end of days [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. Conversely, another view suggests that the promise was fulfilled much earlier, during the era of the Return to Zion. According to this perspective, after the Ammonites were conquered by the empires of Media and Persia, the Israelites returned from exile with the permission of King Cyrus and were granted authority to rule over the Ammonite lands [רד״ק].