Giving One's Seed to Molekh/2

Molekh

Exegetical Approaches

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Child Sacrifice

The verse forbids burning one's children (or passing them through flames) for the Molekh.

Sources:First version of Targum NeofitiVayikra 18:21Vayikra 20:2About Targum Neofiti, Mishna SanhedrinSanhedrin 7:13About the Mishna, SifraKedoshim Parashah 10:3About the Sifra, first opinion in Sifre Devarim171About Sifre Devarim, the Rabbies in Midrash TannaimDevarim 18:9About Midrash Tannaim, Yerushalmi SanhedrinSanhedrin 7:10About the Yerushalmi, RashiVayikra 18:21About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Ibn EzraVayikra 18:21About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, RambanVayikra 18:21About R. Moshe b. Nachman

"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – This opinion understands "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" to be referring to one's children.

"לְהַעֲבִיר" – According to this approach, "לְהַעֲבִיר" means passing through fire, although it is unclear whether the child is being passed between two bonfires (Rashi), passed through the flames (possibility in Ramban), or actual burning (Ramban).¹ Conversely, "להעביר" may be a metathesis with "להבעיר", in which case the children were presumably actually burnt.²

"מֹּלֶךְ" – According to most of the commentators taking this approach, "מֹּלֶךְ" is the name of specific idol.³ However, Targum Neofiti translates "מֹּלֶךְ" as a name for idolatry in general.⁴

Context – According to this approach, the prohibition against the Molekh is found in Vayikra 18 as one of the immoral actions done by the Egyptians and Canaanites.

Parallel Verses – According to this approach, Vayikra 18:21 is dealing with the same prohibition as Devarim 12:31 and 18:10. This could be proven from Melakhim II 23:10, "לְהַעֲבִיר אִישׁ אֶת בְּנוֹ וְאֶת בִּתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ לַמֹּלֶךְ", which refers to both passing in fire and the Molekh as the same action.

General Idolatry

The verse forbids giving one's children to become priests for idolatry.

Sources:Second version of Targum NeofitiVayikra 18:21Vayikra 20:2About Targum Neofiti, R. Yehuda in Sifre Devarim171About Sifre Devarim and Midrash TannaimDevarim 18:9About Midrash Tannaim, others in Ibn EzraVayikra 18:21About R. Avraham ibn Ezra

"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – This opinion understands "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" to be referring to one's children.

"לְהַעֲבִיר"

"מֹּלֶךְ"

Context

Intermarriage

Sleeping with a Non-Jewish Woman

The verse forbids sleeping with a non-Jewish woman, which will result in non-Jewish children.

Sources:rejected translation in Mishna MegillahMegillah 4:9About the Mishna, possibility in Sifre Devarim171About Sifre Devarim, R. Yishmael in various sourcesMidrash Tannaim Devarim 18:9Yerushalmi Megillah 4:10Bavli Megillah 25aAbout R. Yishmael, PeshittaVayikra 18:21About the Peshitta, Targum Pseudo-JonathanVayikra 18:21About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan

"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – This opinion understands "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" to be referring to one's semen.⁵

"לְהַעֲבִיר" – This opinion understands "לְהַעֲבִיר" to mean "לעבר" (to make pregnant).⁶

"מֹּלֶךְ" – Targum Pseudo-Jonathan seems to understand "מֹּלֶךְ" to be a general term, referring to all idolatry.⁷

Context – According to this approach, it is clear why this verse is found in the middle of the list of sexual offenses in Vayikra 18.

Parallel Verses – The Sifre Devarim and R. Yishmael in Midrash Tannaim seem to understand "מַעֲבִיר בְּנוֹ וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ" in Devarim 18:10 to also refer to intermarriage, although it is unclear what "בָּאֵשׁ" would mean.

Marrying one's Daughter to a Non-Jew

The verse forbids marrying one's daughter off to a non-Jewish man.

Sources:perhaps Jubilees30:7-16About Jubilees,⁸

"וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" – This opinion understands "וּמִזַּרְעֲךָ" to be referring to one's children (and particularly one's daughters), as per the simple reading of the verse.

"לְהַעֲבִיר"

מולך

Context – According to this approach, it is clear why this verse is found in the middle of the list of sexual offenses in Vayikra 18.

¹ Compare Devarim 12:31, Melakhim II 17:31, Yirmeyahu 7:31, and Yirmeyahu 19:5, which refer to a custom of actual burning of children.

² See Divrei HaYamim II 28:3, which uses the word "וַיַּבְעֵר".

³ The verse in Melakhim I 11:7 calls the god of Amon "מֹלֶךְ", so Ibn Ezra suggests that perhaps this is the same god.

⁴ See also the discussions in the ToseftaSanhedrin 10:4-5About Tosefta Sanhedrin and Yerushalmi SanhedrinSanhedrin 7:10About the Yerushalmi, regarding whether the prohibition is limited to giving one's children to Molekh or also includes giving them to other gods.

⁵ Compare the previous verse, Vayikra 18:20, "וְאֶל אֵשֶׁת עֲמִיתְךָ לֹא תִתֵּן שְׁכׇבְתְּךָ לְזָרַע".

⁶ Note that while this meaning of the root עבר is common in rabbinic (and modern) Hebrew, it is only found in one other verse in Tanakh: "שׁוֹרוֹ עִבַּר וְלֹא יַגְעִל תְּפַלֵּט פָּרָתוֹ וְלֹא תְשַׁכֵּל" (Iyyov 21:10). For more information, see Dictionary:עבר.

⁷ Compare Targum NeofitiVayikra 18:21Vayikra 20:2About Targum Neofiti, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan Vayikra 20:2-5Vayikra 20:2-5About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, and Targum YerushalmiVayikra 18:21Vayikra 20:2About Targum Yerushalmi, who also translate "מֹּלֶךְ" as "פולחנא נוכראה", although they understand "זַּרְעֲךָ" and "לְהַעֲבִיר" differently.

⁸ Jubilees does not explicitly comment on the verses in Vayikra. However, in its interpretation of the story of Shekhem, it forbids intermarriage in language very similar to that used regarding Molekh.