Moloch

The god Moloch was a Semitic deity of perverted cruelty. He was worshipped in Tophet, a city nearby Jerusalem. In this area, Moloch was honoured with human sacrifices. The people would burn their children in fire as a form of sacrifice while others would let their infants pass through the fire as a form of dedication. He is found on the Biblical Timeline as early as the 17th century BC.

The Israelites were prohibited from offering their children as a form of sacrifice to Molech. Furthermore, any man who did sacrifice his child to Molech was punished by death.

Moloch was a Septuagint term thought to be derived from the Hebrew word “melekh” that means “king”. He was the chief god of the Ammonites. He was also known by the names Molech, Milcom, Malcham, and for the Moabites he was the god named Chemosh.

King Solomon erected an altar to honour Molech at the Valley of Hinnon which was destroyed by Josiah but rebuilt by Jehoiakim. Moloch was also worshipped by Manasseh.

Moloch was illustrated by a statue with the head of a bull and arms out-stretched as a representation of him receiving the children being sacrificed.

Moloch or Milcom in the Bible

1 Kings 11:5. King Solomon followed other gods like Ashtoreth of the Sidonians and Moloch (Milcom/Molek) of the Ammonites.

1 Kings 11:33. King Solomon’s kingdom torn down for worshipping other gods like Ashtoreth of the Sidonians, Chemosh of Moabites, and Moloch (Milcom/Molek) of Ammoniteshe and for disobedience with the laws and decrees that David, his father had kept.

2 kings 23:13.

Amos 5:26, Acts 7:43. People were reminded to repent of worshipping the tabernacle of Moloch and Chiun as their persona of god, which they made to themselves.

Leviticus 20:2. Members of the community are to stone to death any Israelites or residents of Israel who surrender their children to Moloch.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%CA%BFal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal_(demon)

http://www.biblenews1.com/babylon/babylon4.html

http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/moloch.html

http://www.crossroad.to/glossary/rpg/molech.htm

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10937-moloch-molech

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Baal

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/b/baal.html

http://www.searchgodsword.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T6121