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Molech: A God of Human Sacrifice in the Old Testament
Over the years there has been no consensus amongst scholars on the subject of Molech in the Old Testament. Was Molech the name of a god or was it simply a sacrificial term like the molk of the Carthaginians? Were children actually offered up in gruesome and fiery sacrifices to Molech or was it rather a question of harmless rites of cultic dedication in the fire? If Molech was a god, what was his origin and was it the case, as some have argued, that his worshippers equated him with Yahweh, the God of Israel? These are some of the questions which Dr Day's fresh and thorough study discusses and to which decisive answers are given.
- GenresReligion
125 pages, Hardcover
First published February 8, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 20, 2015
Argues Molech was a Canaanite god to whom human sacrifice was offered.
October 2, 2019
Day’s monograph is short but very technical: he frequently will spend pages critiquing scholarly misreading of, let’s say, an old punic inscription. Nonetheless, it is an informative work that illuminates what kind of deity was Molech and who worshiped/participated in such a cult.
In his introduction, while Day notes that “explicit references to the Molech cult are relatively rare in the Old Testament,” he contends that the Molech cult and performance of human/child sacrifice was “regarded as a particularly heinous practice to which Yahweh was implacably opposed” (Day, 1). The term “Molech,” Day argues, was neither a sacrificial term nor a misunderstanding of a sacrificial term by the Old Testament authors. There was, in fact, a god within the Canaanite pantheon named Molech, worshiped specifically within the valley of Hinnom. Molech should not be confused with Baal, the common signifier of Canaanite idolatry by Biblical writers (Molech means merely king in many ANE documents and Baal is lord in Northern Semitic languages). Yet, these figures were probably connected (cf. Jer. 32:35). Thus, this connection rules out that Molech was Milcom, the god of the Ammonites mentioned several times in 1&2 Kings. Further, Molech appears in extra-biblical literature, there was “a god mlk...known among the Canaanites...proved by two Ugaritic texts, both of which are serpent charms” (Day, 47) [1]. More importantly, Molech/Malik is equated with the Mespotamian underworld god Nergel in two texts: one from a god list in the Old Babylonian period and another in a god list from Ashur (Day, 48). When examining the Biblical data, Day argues, its makes sense the Molech was and continued to be an underworld deity: frequently Sheol is mentioned in parallel with the act of worshiping/sacrifice to Molech (Day, 49-53). Day concludes that Molech, because his cult was located in the valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, was originally a Jebusite god.
Day sees no reason to assert the usage of children in Molech worship was a benign paganistic form of cultic dedication. Day’s exegesis of, specifically, Isaiah 57:9 , as well the several mentions of the Molech cult in Jeremiah, concludes that such a passage “may well be a poetic way of referring to the fate of the children being sent to death for Molech… oil, incense, honey, and also flour…[have a] close association with human sacrifice (Ezek. 16:20f)” (Day, 16) [2]. Day argues that Isaiah 30:33 “clearly implies that the Molech cult involved burning to the point of destruction.” (Day, 17)[3]. These passages are demonstrative of a Molech cult that was primarily, if not exclusively, concerning the sacrifice of children within fire, not cultic dedication. Day indicates that child sacrifice in the Ancient Near East was thought to have apotropaic powers, it could avert bad luck from befalling on a person, people, and/or nation. Both Ahaz and Manasseh sacrificed their children (cf. 2 Kings 16:3, 21:6), the former king when the Northern Kingdom fell to the Assyrians.
Day states that the association of Molech and Yahweh, which he claims several scholars in the mid-20th century proffered, is baseless. The deities were associated with different physical sites of worship, Moelch specifically being practiced in the valley of Hinnom. Yet, claims that doubtless ancient Israelites worshiped both Molech and Yahweh within their own folk (and potentially more priestly) pantheons. The reign of Manasseh featured an Israelite-Canaanite syncretism in which Baal and Asherah were worshipped within Yahweh’s temple alongside the Lord (2 Kings 21:3-4). Thus, Day argues, the practitioners were simultaneously faithful followers of Yahweh (which explains why Jeremiah would have the Lord stating that he would never demand such sacrifices (cf. Jer. 7). Also, claims that the Bible condones the same type of child sacrificing as what was practiced by the Molech cult are misguided: while there are illusions to the Bible allowing for child sacrifice, it is always the first-born son (cf. Exod. 13:2. The Molech cult, on the other hand, indiscriminately sacrificed children, regardless of gender or rank among siblings.
[1] Day notes that Molech “is also attested more widely throughout Syrian and Mesopotamian regions. For example, he appears as Malik in various god lists and in personal names from Ebla, Mari, and Ugarit [these are ancient Canaanite city-states].” Day, 47.
[2] Isaiah 57:9 (NIV) reads “You went to Molek with olive oil and increased your perfumes. You sent your ambassadors far away; you descended to the very realm of the dead!”
[3] Isaiah 30:33 (ESV) reads “For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.”
In his introduction, while Day notes that “explicit references to the Molech cult are relatively rare in the Old Testament,” he contends that the Molech cult and performance of human/child sacrifice was “regarded as a particularly heinous practice to which Yahweh was implacably opposed” (Day, 1). The term “Molech,” Day argues, was neither a sacrificial term nor a misunderstanding of a sacrificial term by the Old Testament authors. There was, in fact, a god within the Canaanite pantheon named Molech, worshiped specifically within the valley of Hinnom. Molech should not be confused with Baal, the common signifier of Canaanite idolatry by Biblical writers (Molech means merely king in many ANE documents and Baal is lord in Northern Semitic languages). Yet, these figures were probably connected (cf. Jer. 32:35). Thus, this connection rules out that Molech was Milcom, the god of the Ammonites mentioned several times in 1&2 Kings. Further, Molech appears in extra-biblical literature, there was “a god mlk...known among the Canaanites...proved by two Ugaritic texts, both of which are serpent charms” (Day, 47) [1]. More importantly, Molech/Malik is equated with the Mespotamian underworld god Nergel in two texts: one from a god list in the Old Babylonian period and another in a god list from Ashur (Day, 48). When examining the Biblical data, Day argues, its makes sense the Molech was and continued to be an underworld deity: frequently Sheol is mentioned in parallel with the act of worshiping/sacrifice to Molech (Day, 49-53). Day concludes that Molech, because his cult was located in the valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, was originally a Jebusite god.
Day sees no reason to assert the usage of children in Molech worship was a benign paganistic form of cultic dedication. Day’s exegesis of, specifically, Isaiah 57:9 , as well the several mentions of the Molech cult in Jeremiah, concludes that such a passage “may well be a poetic way of referring to the fate of the children being sent to death for Molech… oil, incense, honey, and also flour…[have a] close association with human sacrifice (Ezek. 16:20f)” (Day, 16) [2]. Day argues that Isaiah 30:33 “clearly implies that the Molech cult involved burning to the point of destruction.” (Day, 17)[3]. These passages are demonstrative of a Molech cult that was primarily, if not exclusively, concerning the sacrifice of children within fire, not cultic dedication. Day indicates that child sacrifice in the Ancient Near East was thought to have apotropaic powers, it could avert bad luck from befalling on a person, people, and/or nation. Both Ahaz and Manasseh sacrificed their children (cf. 2 Kings 16:3, 21:6), the former king when the Northern Kingdom fell to the Assyrians.
Day states that the association of Molech and Yahweh, which he claims several scholars in the mid-20th century proffered, is baseless. The deities were associated with different physical sites of worship, Moelch specifically being practiced in the valley of Hinnom. Yet, claims that doubtless ancient Israelites worshiped both Molech and Yahweh within their own folk (and potentially more priestly) pantheons. The reign of Manasseh featured an Israelite-Canaanite syncretism in which Baal and Asherah were worshipped within Yahweh’s temple alongside the Lord (2 Kings 21:3-4). Thus, Day argues, the practitioners were simultaneously faithful followers of Yahweh (which explains why Jeremiah would have the Lord stating that he would never demand such sacrifices (cf. Jer. 7). Also, claims that the Bible condones the same type of child sacrificing as what was practiced by the Molech cult are misguided: while there are illusions to the Bible allowing for child sacrifice, it is always the first-born son (cf. Exod. 13:2. The Molech cult, on the other hand, indiscriminately sacrificed children, regardless of gender or rank among siblings.
[1] Day notes that Molech “is also attested more widely throughout Syrian and Mesopotamian regions. For example, he appears as Malik in various god lists and in personal names from Ebla, Mari, and Ugarit [these are ancient Canaanite city-states].” Day, 47.
[2] Isaiah 57:9 (NIV) reads “You went to Molek with olive oil and increased your perfumes. You sent your ambassadors far away; you descended to the very realm of the dead!”
[3] Isaiah 30:33 (ESV) reads “For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.”
May 27, 2024
A thorough yet concise treatment of the subject. Argues the more traditional line that Molech is a distinct deity to whom human sacrifices were made (as opposed to Eissfeldt's insistence that mlk in Hebrew refers to a certain kind of sacrifice, as it does in later Punic texts). He also argues (not quite as conclusively) that Molech was a god of the underworld, which then has implications for the interpretation of Isa 38 and the origin of Gehennah as a name for Hell. He finishes off with brief treatments of biblical passages that have been wrongly interpreted as references or allusions to Molech or his cult. I found these helpful with only one exception (Amos 1:15 [cf. Acts 7:43]).
Overall, a useful bit of scholarship.
Overall, a useful bit of scholarship.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews