What Does the Bible Say about Molech?

　　People often begin reading through the Bible with great intent to go from Genesis to Revelation, only to find themselves adrift once they reach the book of Leviticus. Leviticus gets a bad rap because it contains many rules and instructions delivered to the Israelites. The book has many rules—some about feasts and celebrations. The God of the Bible cared that His people make time to celebrate, rejoice, and gather. However, Leviticus also contains stern warnings about engaging in idol worship, especially the worship of Molech.

　　

What Does the Bible Say about Molech?

Names from ancient times often have several variations—largely because different cultures had different spellings and so on. Therefore, Molech is sometimes spelled Moloch or Molek. He is also sometimes known as Baal, although Baal could have been a reference to any false god. Some trace the origin of this idol to the Phoenicians, who had a god they referred to as “mlk.” The Hebrew people would add “eth” to a name to indicate shame, such as Ashtoreth or Molech (a variation of eth). “Melek” in Hebrew is a word for “king.” So, you will see some references to the “king of shame” when researching Molech. Molech was the reigning god of many tribes surrounding the Israelites in ancient times. In the Bible, Molech is associated with the Canaanites.