“Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.”
My Notes
What Does Leviticus 20:2 Mean?
God addresses one of the most horrific practices of the ancient Near East: child sacrifice to Molech. The penalty is death. The severity matches the crime — this wasn't just idolatry; it was the destruction of children in the name of a false god.
The phrase "of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn" makes the law universal within Israel's borders. This isn't just for Israelites — anyone in the land is bound by it. The protection of children transcends ethnic and national boundaries.
Molech worship involved passing children through fire — likely infanticide in some form. That this needed to be explicitly prohibited tells us how deeply embedded the practice was in the surrounding cultures. God doesn't assume His people are immune to cultural pressure. He names the sin specifically and prescribes the most severe penalty available.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does the severity of this prohibition reveal about God's view of children and the vulnerable?
- 2.In what modern ways might children be 'sacrificed' — not literally, but through neglect, exploitation, or cultural priorities?
- 3.How does this verse inform your understanding of God's character toward the most defenseless?
- 4.What does it look like to reflect God's fierce protection of the vulnerable in your own life and community?
Devotional
God addressed child sacrifice by name because it was real, present, and practiced by Israel's neighbors. This wasn't a hypothetical sin. It was a cultural norm that Israel was tempted to adopt — and, tragically, sometimes did (2 Kings 16:3, Jeremiah 32:35).
The severity of the punishment reflects the severity of the crime. There are things God doesn't leave to individual conscience or cultural preference. The protection of children is one of them. It's not negotiable, not debatable, not culturally relative.
While we don't burn children on altars today, the principle behind this verse — that children are not expendable, that their welfare is non-negotiable, that sacrificing them to any idol (comfort, career, addiction, ideology) violates God's law — is as relevant as ever.
God protects the vulnerable with His fiercest commands. The weakest, most defenseless members of any society receive the strongest divine protection. That's His character. And it demands something of yours: a willingness to protect the powerless with the same ferocity God shows here.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Again thou shalt say to the children of Israel,.... The body of the people by their elders, and the heads of their…
Molech, literally, “the King”, called also Moloch, Milcom, and Malcham, was known in later times as “the abomination of…
That giveth any of his seed unto Molech - To what has been said in the note on Lev 18:21 (note), we may add, that the…
Moses is here directed to say that again to the children of Israel which he had in effect said before, Lev 20:2. We are…
Moreover This introduction shews that the words that follow do not stand in their original context, but are an extract…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture