Genesis 19:38

19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. ¹  He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

Genesis 35:18

35:18 With her dying breath, ²  she named him Ben-Oni. ³  But his father called him Benjamin instead. ⁴ 

[19:38]  ¹ sn The name Ben-Ammi means “son of my people.” Like the account of Moab’s birth, this story is probably included in the narrative to portray the Ammonites, another perennial enemy of Israel, in a negative light.

[35:18]  ² tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.

[35:18]  ³ sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.

[35:18]  ⁴ tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.