1 Kings 11:5-8

1 Kings 11:5-8

For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

11:6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.

11:7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.

11:8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

a). Personally I do not believe that the Molech worship introduced into Israel at this time by Solomon included child sacrifice, but was limited to burning incense and animal sacrifice. There is a school of thought that believes at this time Molech worship in Israel did not involve child sacrifice but only the burning of incense. I personally believe at this time in Israel’s history it did not involve child sacrifice, and in later generations developed into full blown Molech worship. The first king mentioned either of Israel or Judah associated with child sacrifice, is Ahaz, in 2 Kings 16:3, approximately 200 years later, some where in his reign, from 735 -715 B.C.

b). If the Israelites had really sacrificed their children to Moloch, i.e. had slain and burned them, before the time of Ahaz, the burning would certainly have been mentioned before; for Solomon had built a high place upon the mountain to the east of Jerusalem for Moloch, the abomination of the children of Ammon, to please his foreign wives. (Keil-Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol 1, the Pentateuch (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1980), page 416-417)