ave been very impertectly adapted to its present context ; or it may be late post-exilic. Melech in 1, 23 of the Moabite Stone is treated as a divine name, ‘Moloch,’ by Neubauer and Sayce (HCM 367, 373), but is more probably to be translated ‘king’ with Smend and Socin.
On Sennacherib’s ‘Taylor Prism’ an Edomite king Malik-rammu is mentioned, in which Malik is doubtless a divine name, showing that Melech was worshipped in Edom.
This widespread worship of Melech is regarded as an inheritance of the separated Semitic peoples from the primitive stock ; but it can scarcely be assumed that his attributes and worship were the same amongst all the different races. Indeed, as in the case of the Ammonite Milcom and the Pheenician Molech or Melkarth, different peoples considered that they were worshipping different gods. Amongst the Greeks and Romans ‘king’ or ‘the king’ is not a divine name (Baethgen, Beitrdge, p. 263), though an occasional title of various gods.
y. Attributes.—Melech, like Baal, Adon, Marna Barlice the recognition of the sovereignty of the god over his People. The offerings by fire, the identity with Baal, and the fact that in Assyria and Babylonia Malik, and at Palmyra Malach-bel, were sun-gods, suggest that Melech was a fire- or sun-god (Jastrow, Leligion of Babylonia, p. 176 f.).
Melkarth at Tyre was identified with δ τὸν at Carthage with Saturn. Such names as Milk baal, Milk-Astart, Milk-Osir, suggest identification with Baal (as shown otherwise), Astarte, Osira. As in the case of Baal and other Semitic deities, Melech had a feminine counterpart Milkat, ct. Milcah, Gn 1139,
vi. Worship.—Melech was doubtless worahinped in a similar fashion to other Semitic gods. The feature which seems peculiar is the practice of sacrificing children as burnt-offerings, which is found amongst the Israelites, Phonicians, and
MOLID
Sepharvites, 2 K 17%; cf. Mesha’s offering of his firstborn to Chemosh.
The theory of some Rabbis, that een through the fire’ meant merely a ceremonial purification by walking between two fires, is contrary to all the evidence. But the case of Isaac (Gn 22!) seems to show that in Israel the child was slain before the fire was kindled. Diodorus Siculus (xx. 14) describes child-sacrifices at Carthage, at which the victim was pincet on the hands of a colossal image, from which it rolled off into a pit of fire. Kimchi’s de- scription (on 2 K 23") of the hollow brazen image of Molech within a sevenfold temple outside Jeru- salem, and of the placing of the victim in the hands of Molech, is a mere medieval conjecture based on Diodorus or on some other record of the Carthaginian sacrifices.
The object of these cherings was probably to propitiate the deity, or show devotion to him, by the gift of the most precious possession. Movers (Phén. 328-330), however, holds that the children offered were supposed to be purified from all fleshly corruption and to attain union with the deity.
In the NT, Molech is mentioned only in St. Stephen’s quotation, Ac 7“; cf. Am 5”,
See also articles AMMON, BAAL, CHEMOSH, MALCAM.
LiTerRaTURE.—Baethgen, Beitrdge zur Sem. Rel. pp. 11, 15, 20, 22, 37 ff., 84, 234-233, 254, 263; Baudissin, Studien zur Sem. Rel. i. pp. δ, 29-36, ii. 152-215, 246, ‘J” et Moloch’; Dillmann, AT Theol. pp. 49, 56, 85, 98, 120, 161 ; Buchanan Gray, Studies in Heb. Proper Names, p. 146 ff.; Kuenen, ‘J” en Moloch,’ Theol. Tijd. 1868, 539 ff.; Movers, Die Phinizier, 1841-56, pp. 822-414 ; Schultz, O7' Theol., Eng. tr. i. 238 f.
W. H. BENNETT.
MOLID (vic).—The name of a Judahite family, 1Ch 2” (B Maf\, A Μωδάδ) Kittel (in ΒΟΥ)
ints out that the reading of B, namely ΜΩΗΛ,
as originated from MQHA (A and A being often confused), and that Μωήδ, t.e. ryip=— rdin, the two letters y and > being similar in the oldest script.
MOLLIFY (from mollis ‘ soft’) is used literally ‘to soften,’ in Is 1°‘ mollified with ointment,’ and Wis 16% ‘mollifying plaister’ (μάλαγμα). Cf. Purchas, Pilgrimage, 213, ‘ When they have killed a great beast, they cut out all the veines and sinewes .. . and likewise all the Suet: which done, they dive them in water to mollifie them.’ The figurative use seems to be quite as old, and was common about 1611, though not found in AV. Thus Tymme, Calvin upon Genesis, p. 605 (on ch. 28), ‘It may be, that he was thus sent away, that the cruell mind of Esau, by so miserable a sight might be mollified and aswaged’ (Lat. ad mollitiem flecteretur). So Tindale, Prol. to 1 Jn, ‘The lusts of the flesh are subdued and killed, and the spirit mollified and made soft.’ Cf. Knox, Works, iii. 93, *O! hard ar the hartis whome so manyfold, most sueit, and sure promissis doith not molefie.” And in the Preface to Rhem. NT, ‘ Moreover, we pre- sume not in hard places to mollifie the speaches or phrases, but religiously keepe them word for word, and point for point, for feare of missing or re- straining the sense of the holy Ghost to our phantasie.’ J. HASTINGs.
MOLOCH.—See Mo.Lecn. MOLTEN SEA.—See TEMPLE.
MOMDIS (A Μομδείς, B Moydetos), 1 Es 9¥= MAADAI, Ezr 10%,
MONEY.—The nature and origins of money, the importance and principles of the science of Numis- matics and kindred topics—for which the student is referred to the authoritative writings of Jevons,