Moloch: The Child Devourer (Angels & Demons Explained)

First MOLOCH, horrid King besmear'd with blood Of human sacrifice, and parents tears, Though, for the noyse of Drms and Timbrels loud, Their children's cries unheard that passed through fire to his grim idol Such are the words of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, where the abominable being known as Moloch, or  Molek appears as a fearsome warrior of the fallen angels. Milton describes Moloch as a pro-war  devil - a being who as the fiercest fighter in the war on Heaven was keen to re-engage God and  his angels after Satan’s first failed attempt. He implores Satan to equip them all with the  weapons forged in hell and and dictates that they must destroy God, for if they fail or  if they choose not to fight given that they’d already been thwarted, then the punishment that  God had in store for them would be egregious.

With this, they have nothing left to  lose and so, Moloch deemed it imperative to take the fight to God… though, this was likely  because he himself enjoyed the thrill of war so much. In the end though, he is ultimately  overruled, likely on the account that Satan recognised Moloch was more brawn, than brains. In the Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert - a historical novel about Carthage from the mid  19th century, Moloch is referred to as a god of the Carthaginians who accepted the offerings  of children as worship.

Flaubert describes a statue of Moloch as being made of iron and  that he possessed a pair of outspread swings. His arms were so long that they reached the ground  and he had three eyes positioned on his brow. He also maintained the traditional bull’s  head as frequently seen in medieval art and his head was raised as if he meant  to go about barking terrible orders.

He also explains later in the novel that another  statue was brought into the city centre of Carthage and that it was used in an attempt to  calm down a storm that had brought pouring rain. Sacrifices were made before the statue; first  grain and animals which were placed inside the statue but when that did not silence  the rain, children were offered next. Flaubert writes, “The victims, when  scarcely at the edge of the opening, disappeared like a drop of water on a red-hot  plate, and white smoke rose amid the great scarlet colour.

Nevertheless, the appetite of the  god was not appeased. He ever wished for more. ” But Moloch’s appearance in John Milton’s Paradise  Lost and Gustave Flaubert’s Salammbo are perhaps more fanciful takes on a being who is mentioned  only a handful of times in the bible - primarily in the book of Leviticus where he is associated  with child sacrifice.

Some have determined Moloch as a demon - which is debatable when considering  the likes of the Moloch from John Milton or the medieval portrayal of Moloch that saw him  depicted as a bull-headed humanoid creature. The very image of this medieval portrayal does  connote a typical demon-esque vibe, where we see him frequently stretched over fire with his hands  ominously raised, before a sacrificial child. But a more traditionally biblical approach treats  Moloch as not so much a demon but more of a false God - perhaps one of the Canaanite gods.

But this idea has since been debated with some scholars arguing that Moloch was never actually  a deity, but instead a ritual known as ‘mlk’, which essentially meant ‘sacrifice’ in the Punic  language and the surrounding Canaanite areas. Other scholars propose that the root word ‘mlk’  also meant ‘to rule’ and that this formed the basis of Moloch’s creation, though neither of  these ideas are particularly substantiated. Amongst these ideas, it has also been proposed  by various scholars that ‘mlk’ translated as ‘to present’ or ‘to gift’, though there  is little evidence to support these ideas.

Moloch has also been connected to the Mesopotamian  deity Mlk - or better known as Malik, he who was associated with the Underworld as an Underworld  god. The terms molk or mulk were also considered to be a type of sacrifice that were again  closely related to the Canaanites, but yet again there is little in the way of substance to fully  comprehend these terms or assign them to Moloch. But as far the bible goes, Moloch or Molek  is most certainly identified as a deity.

We see this quite clearly in chapter 11 of  the first book of kings where Solomon is cautioned by God not to mingle with the women  of the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, the Sidonians and the Hittites, for they all  worshipped different gods and they would corrupt any man who spent enough time with them.  The passage reads, “They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites,  “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods. ”  Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.

He had seven hundred wives of royal birth  and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives  turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God,  as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the  Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.

So Solomon did evil in the eyes of  the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. (1 Kings 11:2-6) So here we see that despite hearing God’s warning, Solomon could not resist marrying many  of these women and making many others his concubines. Amongst them, he also married  women of the Ammonites, who the bible tells us worshipped Molek,- a detestable god, and  that Solomon ended up worshipping him too.

We understand that by worshipping these other  gods, including the god Molek, Solomon did evil in the eyes of the lord and for those of you who’ve  been following the Biblical Stories Explained series, you’ll know that the biblical god takes  polytheism as a serious slight against him. But in any case, we are able to pinpoint  the region in which Molek was worshipped; that being the region of Ammon. However, some  have disputed the use of Molek here in the bible as a scribal error, where the god  Milcom is proposed instead - Milcom being recognised as the region’s national god.

In any case, the bible does continue that Solomon went on to build a temple in honour of Molek.  We are told, “On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the  detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. ” (1 Kings 11:7) But these temples do not remain standing forever, for by the time Josiah comes  on the scene in the chapter 23 of the second book of kings, we see him destroy  the buildings that Solomon had made for Molek.

The bible tells us “The king also desecrated  the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones  Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the  vile god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the people of Ammon. Josiah smashed the sacred  stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones. ” (2 Kings 23:13-14) We also previously see Josiah proceed to destroy the Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom which  was used by the worshippers of Molek to sacrifice children.

This appears to be confirmation from the  bible that Molek was indeed a deity who required child sacrifice - something that the biblical  God had always detested and condemned. The use of fire is also mentioned here  in the bible and this links in with the medieval portrayal of Molek who as mentioned is  usually seen before a burning fire and a child. The bible tells us, “Josiah desecrated  Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice their  son or daughter in the fire to Molek.

” In chapter 32 of the Book of Jeremiah, we learn  of God’s disgust towards the people of Israel and Judah who have engaged with both Baal and  Moloch. God not only expresses his frustrations with Israel, to the point that he wants to remove  it from his sight entirely, but also condemns them for worshipping other deities over him. He  states, “They turned their backs to me and not their faces; though I taught them again and again,  they would not listen or respond to discipline.

They set up their vile images in the house that  bears my Name and defiled it. They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to  sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded—nor did it  enter my mind—that they should do such a detestable thing. ” (Jeremiah 32:33-34) So here, we see that even God is surprised by the fact that the people of Judah had  even bought into the ideas of the Ammonites and that instead of turning to him for prayer,  worship, guidance or strength, they had instead turned to the likes of Molek.

They had sacrificed  their children to him and paid homage to a god who demanded a heavy toll in the form of their  offspring’s lives. The bible yet again paints Molek as this devourer of children, though it  is interesting that God does not put the blame on this other deity, but instead puts the  blame on those who chose to adhere to him. It is in Leviticus that we see  the most frequent use of Moloch and the most frequent condemnation of him where he  is yet again associated with child sacrifice.

We are told in chapter 18 of Leviticus “You shall not  give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I  am the Lord. ” (Leviticus 18:21) Here, readers are cautioned against  giving their children to Molech and that to do so would sully their relationship  with God and serve as a great disrespect to him. Whilst still in Leviticus, we see God explaining  to Moses of what will happen to any man who sacrifices his child to Molech and that the man  in question will surely be put to death - via stoning.

In fact, God declares that he will cut  the man off from his people himself - thus showing us the magnitude of this transgression, that  God himself will personally see to the man’s punishment. He also explains that if this man is  not stoned and if he is allowed to walk free, then God will take vengeance upon his entire family and  reckon upon those that absolved him of his sins. We are told, “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn  in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death.

The people of the  land shall stone him with stones. I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off  from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary  unclean and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes  to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, then I will  set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their  people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech.

” (Leviticus 20:1-5) Going by what the bible tells us, Moloch can certainly be viewed as pagan deity,  a deity who demanded his followers to sacrifice their children to him. But according to medieval  rabbinical traditions, Moloch could also have been connected to an ancient Phoenician and Cathaginian  deity - a view which later evolved into viewing Molek as the ancient semeitc and or mesopotamian  gods Adrammelek and Anamelech. As previously mentioned, Molek in the bible may also have been  a misinterpretation for the Ammonite God Milcom.

Indeed, as we’ve discussed in  today’s episode, Moloch’s place as a specific deity or a particular practice  as a sacrificial ritual is often contested. One of the main reasons for this is because  Moloch only appears a handful of times in the bible and whilst his description is consistent  and the notion of child sacrifice is consistently associated with him, he does not appear to  have any relevance outside of the bible. He cannot be pinpointed to a specific group  of people and whilst some may try to link him with various Mesopotamian gods or Canaanite  deities, none appear to be absolutely certain.