1. Molek (pagan deity) — The name of a Canaanite/Ammonite deity associated with child sacrifice, consistently condemned in the Hebrew Bible (Leviticus 18:21, 20:2-5; 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35). The form with the article (הַמֹּלֶךְ) is distinctive of this divine name. Cross-linguistically rendered as a proper noun transliteration: Arabic المُولِك (al-Muulik), Spanish 'Moloc/Molek', Hindi मोलेक (Molek), Korean 몰렉/몰렙 (Mollek/Mollep), Swahili 'Moleki'. The conjunctive-prepositional variant (וְלַמֹּלֶךְ 'and for Molek') is grammatically inflected but semantically identical to the base form. 8×
AR["الْ-مُولِكِ","لِ-الْ-مُولِكِ","لِلْمَلِكِ","لِمُولِكَ","وَ-لِ-مُولَكَ"]·ben["-মোলকের-জন্য","এবং-মোলকের-জন্য","মোলককে","মোলকের","মোলকের-জন্য","মোলেখের-কাছে"]·DE["dem-Koenig","der-Molek","und-fuer-Molek","zu-der-Molek"]·EN["and-for-Molek","the-Molek","to-the-Molek"]·FR["au-roi","et-pour-Molek","le-Molek","à-le-Molek"]·heb["ה-מלך","ו-ל-מולך","ל-ה-למלך","ל-ה-מולך","ל-מולך"]·HI["और-मोलेक-के-लिए","को-मोलेक","मोलेक-के","मोलेक-के-लिए","मोलेक-को","ल-ह-मोलेक"]·ID["Molokh","dan untuk Molokh","kepada-Molokh"]·IT["a-il-Molek","al-re","e-per-Molek","il-Molek"]·jav["Molèkh","dhateng-Molèkh","kangge-Molèk","kangge-Molèkh","kanggé-Molèkh","lan-kanggé-Molèk"]·KO["그-몰렙","그리고-을-위하여-몰렉","몫록에게","몰렉에게","에게-그-몰렉","에게-그-몰렙"]·PT["ao-Molekh","e-para-Molech","o-Molekh","para-o-Molekh"]·RU["Молехом","Молеху","для-Молеха","для-Молоха","и-для-Молоха"]·ES["Moloc","a-Molej","a-Moloc","para-Moloc","para-el-Molek","y-para-Moloc"]·SW["Moleki","kwa-Moleki","na-kwa-Moleki"]·TR["-Molek-için","Molek'e","Molek'in","ve-Molek'e"]·urd["-مولک-کے","اور-مولک-کے-لیے","مولک-کو","مولک-کے-لیے","کے-لیے-مولک"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. your king (common noun) — A single occurrence where the consonantal text מלככם is vocalized as מַלְכִּכֶם 'your king' rather than as the divine name Molek, yielding a common noun with second-person masculine plural pronominal suffix (Amos 5:26). This reading is debated; some traditions see it as a reference to the deity Molek (cf. LXX, Acts 7:43), while others read it as 'your king' referring to an idol or astral image. The multilingual evidence splits: Arabic مَلِكِكُمْ (malikikum, 'your king'), Spanish 'su rey', Hindi राजा अपने (raajaa apne), Korean 너희의 왕의 (neohuiui wang-ui), Swahili 'mfalme wenu' — all indicating 'your king' as a common noun rather than a proper divine name. 1×
AR["مَلِكِكُمْ"]·ben["তোমাদের-রাজার"]·DE["[מלככם]"]·EN["your-king"]·FR["Molek"]·heb["מלככם"]·HI["राजा-अपने"]·ID["rajamu"]·IT["[מלככם]"]·jav["lan-Kéwan"]·KO["너희의-왕의"]·PT["vosso-rei"]·RU["царя-вашего"]·ES["su-rey"]·SW["mfalme-wenu"]·TR["kralınızın"]·urd["تمہارے-بادشاہ-کو"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מֹ֫לֶךְ n.pr.div. Molech (𝔊 Μολοχ, 𝔙 Moloch) ( = מֶלֶךְ i.e. (divine) King, with vowels of בֹּשֶׁת to denote abhorrence, HoffmZAW iii. 1883, 124 RSSem i. 353; 2nd ed. 372; cf. Hoffm GGAbh. xxxvi. 1890 (May, 1889), 25; Ph. n. pr. div. מלך Milk, in n.pr. cf. Bloch, Dr Dt 222 f.);—c. art. הַמּ׳:—the god to whom Isr. sacrif. children with fire (in valley of Hinnom); העביר בָּאֵשׁ לַמּ׳ 2 K 23:10;…