MOLOCH, MOLECH.
The Problem (§ 1).
Old-Testament Mention (§ 2).
Pronunciation of the Word (§ 3).
Compounds of Mlk (§ 4).
The Cult (§ 5).
Date of Introduction into Israel (§ 6),
Source of the Cult (§ 7).
Basis in National Conscience (§ 8).
According to the common conception, Moloch (Hebr. Molek) is the name of a West-Semitic deity whose cult was introduced into Israel between the time of Solomon and Ahaz and was practised by both king and people. The existence of this deity has been universally assumed from early Christian times, probably even from the period of the Greek
Moloch
THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
translators of the Old Testament, down to a very recent date. But in the present century mainly, close study of the Old-Testament text i. The and of the cults of peoples into con- Problem, nection with whom the Hebrews came has raised the question whether a deity of that name existed or whether a rite involving human sacrifice from a source not hitherto understood was superposed upon the worship of Yahweh in much the same manner as the Baal cults were associated with it (cf. Jer. xix. 5, which asserts that the Hebrews " burnt their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal ")• In the latter case, this rite was imported from abroad from the worship of some deity (or deities) whose proper name was not Moloch or Molech, but one to whom the title " king " was applied much as " Baal " was applied to different local deities.
An examination of the passages in which the name occurs or in which there is mention of the rites belonging to this worship is necessary. As a preliminary it is to be remarked (1) that the consonants of the word rendered " Moloch " are those which compose the word for " king," 2. Old- and (2) that the article is attached in Testament every case where " Moloch " is read Mention, except one (I Kings xi. 7), where it is practically certain that the reading should be Milkom, " Milcom," and not M oleic, " Moloch " (Septuagint, A, Melcho; Lucian, Melchom). The only textual differentiation between the Hebrew word for " king " and " Moloch " is the pronunciation, concerning which it is to be remembered that the punctuation of the Hebrew text is at best as late as the sixth Christian century (see Bible Text, I., 2, § 2). In the following passages the reading in the Hebrew is molek with the article : Lev. xviii. 21, xx. 2, 3, 4, 5 (Gk. archon, "ruler," "king"); I Kings xi. 7 (see above); II Kings xxiii. 10 (Lucian, Melchom); Jer. xxxii. 35 (Septuagint conflate reading tot Moloch basilei " to Moloch king "). In these passages the characteristic practise associated with the name which is forbidden or denounced is the " giving of one's seed to Molech (Moloch) " or " making one's son or daughter to pass through the fire (i.e., offering by fire) to Molech." With the preceding eight passages are to be taken the numerous places which refer to offering son or daughter by fire without stating specifically to which deity the offering is made. The representative passages are Deut. xii. 31, xviii. 10; Ps. cxxxvi. 37; Isa. lvii. 5; Jer. vii. 31, xix. 4-6; Ezek. xvi. 21, xx. 26, 31; cf. II Kings xvii. 31. In many of these the rites are localized in " the valley of Benhinnom," or at " Tophet (Topheth) in the valley of the son (sons) of Hinnom." In all probability the early name of this place was Tapheth, the vocalization coming from the Jewish practise of reading bosheth, " shame," wherever the word occurs. The meaning of Tophet is uncertain, but the rendering " fireplace " is provisionally proposed (cf. Isa. xxx. 33). It is conjectured that the name Benhinnom is connected with the rites performed there, and that the element hinnom is derived from the root naham, " to groan." The later name of the locality was Gehenna (q.v.), distinctively a " place
of burning," which with Tophet came to be applied figuratively to the place of eternal punishment. Certain passages other than those quoted are read in the light of these as referring to the same cult. Thus, Isa. xxx. 33, where Tophet is mentioned, is regarded as referring to the cult elsewhere associated with Moloch, but the word is pointed so as to read " the king." There is some question as to Isa. lvii. 9. The chapter is one in which various forms of idolatry are mentioned, and " the king " probably refers to the deity with whom the sacrifice of children is associated (cf. verse 5). Amos v. 26 is difficult; the Hebrew reads malkekem, " your king," Septuagint Moloch (the first appearance of this form, quoted by Stephen in Acts vii. 43); A. V., " ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch," margin and R. V., " Siccuth your king." Another verse concerning which two opinions are possible is Zeph. i. 5, where the Hebrew text reads malkam (Septuagint Moloch, Melchom, thus showing a wavering between Moloch and Milcom; A. V., R. V., " Malcham," R. V. margin " their king "). The Hebrew here is susceptible of the pointing which makes of it the name of the Ammonite deity Milcom (q.v.) — not an impossibility, but it is better, considering the date of Zephaniah (q.v.), viz., in the period when this form of sacrifice was prominent (see below), to render the last part of the verse " which swear to Yahweh and swear by their (divine) king," or, still better, to read " which swear (we are) Yahweh's (people), and swear by their (divine) king." In this case, the reference would be to the practise under consideration in combination with the worship of Yahweh.
According to the above, in eight passages the Hebrew is vocalized Molek. Outside of the Hebrew Old Testament, the versions, the quotation in Acts
vii. 43, and writings based upon these
3. Pro- sources, this pronunciation or that
nunciation rendered " Moloch " has not been
of the found. Moreover, the versions are
Word. discrepant in their renderings, the
Septuagint in particular showing a confusion and an uncertainty between a form corresponding to Moloch and one corresponding to Milcom. Accordingly it has by critical scholars been accepted that the pointing of the Masoretic text has arisen from an understood Keri (see Keri and Kethibh) by which, in place of the textual mlk (however it was pronounced), there was read the word bosheth, " shame," to recall the idolatry of the cult; and then the vowels of the Keri were used by the Masoretes to point the consonants of the text. This is supported by several considerations: (1) by the known usage of the Hebrews in such cases.
(2) By the fact that Tophet is similarly pointed, though both Septuagint (Thapheth, Tapeth, Thaphpheth) and Syriac (Tappath) suggest a different vocalization. In other words, both to the name of the assumed deity and to the chief place of his cult the vowels of the word bosheth were applied.
(3) By the conjunction of the article with the word in all the undoubted cases of its occurrence, while it is against the genius of the Hebrew to employ the article with proper names. If this reasoning be correct, the above facts reduce to the statement