Leviticus 18:21
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The text doesn't just forbid sacrificing children to Molech; it highlights that this act profanes God's name. This means that when God's people engage in such a barbaric, unthinkable practice, they're not just violating a law, they're distorting the very reputation and holiness of the Lord to the world.
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.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse comes in the midst of a series of laws God gives to Israel, detailing how they are to live distinctly from the surrounding nations, particularly concerning sexual purity and idolatry. Just before this, the text condemns various sexual sins, and immediately after, it continues with prohibitions against other forbidden practices like witchcraft. This specific command targets the horrific practice of child sacrifice to an Ammonite idol named Molech, a brutal ritual that deeply offended God.
What does it mean to 'pass children through the fire'? This wasn't just a symbolic gesture, but a horrifying act of devotion.
The command in Leviticus 18:21 prohibits giving children to Molech, an idol associated with the Ammonites and often identified with the sun or Saturn. The phrase "pass through the fire" is debated, but the most common and chilling interpretation, supported by other biblical passages (like Ezekiel 16:20-21 and Psalm 106:37-38), indicates actual child sacrifice.
The Horrors of the Rite
This act represents the ultimate betrayal of life and parenthood, offering the most precious part of one's legacy to a destructive force.
Ask a follow-up
Why does this horrific act of sacrifice directly lead to 'profaning the name of God'?
The gravity of the prohibition against Molech worship isn't just about the act itself, but about its consequence: profaning the name of the LORD.
The Divine Connection
Ultimately, idolatry isn't just a private sin; it's a public declaration against God's honor and a distortion of His character to the world.
Understand the original words
chalal · Hebrew Verb
To make common, defile, or treat with irreverence that which is holy or set apart for God's purposes. It involves bringing shame or dishonor upon the reputation or character of God.
Molek · Hebrew Noun
A false Canaanite or Ammonite deity associated with child sacrifice. In the Bible, worshiping Molech is strictly forbidden as it represents the highest form of idolatry and disregard for life created by God.
This passage vividly describes the horror of offering children to idols, directly referencing the practice of sacrificing 'children whom you bore to them and then offered to them' to Molech, underscoring the depth of this sin.
Jeremiah 7:31The prophet Jeremiah condemns the same practice, highlighting the location of this idolatry (the Valley of Hinnom, or Topheth) and the terrible nature of the sacrifices made to Molech.
Psalm 106:37-38This lament over Israel's history explicitly links the sacrifice of children to the worship of demons, stating they 'sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons' and shed innocent blood.
Deuteronomy 18:10This verse warns against various forbidden practices, including 'a son or a daughter passing through the fire,' showing that this prohibition extended beyond Leviticus and was a recurring theme of concern for Israel's spiritual purity.
2 Kings 23:10King Josiah's reforms include destroying the high places used for child sacrifice, specifically mentioning that 'no one was to make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech,' demonstrating the pervasive nature of this sin and the subsequent efforts to eradicate it.
bensonLeviticus 18:21: "And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD."
Leviticus 18:21 . Pass through the fire to Molech — In the Hebrew it is only pass through to Molech. But though the word fire be not in the original, it is reasonably supplied from other places, where it is expressed, as Deuteronomy 18:10 ; 2 Kings 23:10 . Molech, called also Milcom, was the idol of the Ammonites. The name signifies king, or r…
pulpitLeviticus 18:21: "And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD."
Verse 21. - The third prohibition is, Thou shall not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech. The words the fire are properly inserted, though not expressed in the original (cf. Deuteronomy 18:10; 2 Kings 22:10). What was the nature and purpose of the idolatrous rite in question is, however, uncertain. It is generally assumed that…
The text doesn't just forbid sacrificing children to Molech; it highlights that this act profanes God's name. This means that when God's people engage in such a barbaric, unthinkable practice, they're not just violating a law, they're distorting the very reputation and holiness of the Lord to the world.
This verse comes in the midst of a series of laws God gives to Israel, detailing how they are to live distinctly from the surrounding nations, particularly concerning sexual purity and idolatry. Just before this, the text condemns various sexual sins, and immediately after, it continues with prohibitions against other forbidden practices like witchcraft. This specific command targets the horrific practice of child sacrifice to an Ammonite idol named Molech, a brutal ritual that deeply offended God.
This verse comes in the midst of a series of laws God gives to Israel, detailing how they are to live distinctly from the surrounding nations, particularly concerning sexual purity and idolatry. Just before this, the text condemns various sexual sins, and immediately after, it continues with prohibitions against other forbidden practices like witchcraft. This specific command targets the horrific practice of child sacrifice to an Ammonite idol named Molech, a brutal ritual that deeply offended God.
"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." — The text doesn't just forbid sacrificing children to Molech; it highlights that this act profanes God's name. This means that when God's people engage in such a barbaric, unthinkable practice, they…
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Last reviewed October 2026
