Molech
/ˈmoʊ.lɛk/noun
A deity or destructive power named in the Hebrew Bible, traditionally associated with child sacrifice.
Did you know?Many scholars argue that “Molech” may not have been a distinct deity’s personal name at all, but a Hebrew term or ritual designation later interpreted as one.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*m-l-k
“Root associated with ruling, kingship, and authority”
2nd–1st Millennium BCE
Northwest Semitic
mlk
“King or ruler; the consonantal root underlying later Hebrew forms”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מֶלֶךְ (melekh)
“King”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מֹלֶךְ (mōlekh)
“Molech or “the Molech”; a term occurring in passages condemning offerings made through fire”
6th–10th Century CE
Masoretic Hebrew
מֹלֶךְ (Mōlekh)
“The traditional vocalized form; its vowels may reflect a polemical alteration using those associated with בֹּשֶׁת (bosheth), “shame,” though this remains debated”
Modern English
English
Molech / Moloch
“A biblical figure and, by extension, any power or system viewed as demanding ruinous sacrifice”
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