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Milcom
Milcom or Milkom (Ammonite: 𐤌𐤋𐤊𐤌 *Mīlkām; Hebrew: מִלְכֹּם Mīlkōm) was the name of either the national god, or a popular god, of the Ammonites. He is attested in the Hebrew Bible and in archaeological finds from the former territory of Ammon. His connections to other deities with similar names attested in the Bible and archaeologically are debated, as well as his relationship to the Canaanite supreme deity El, or the putative deity Moloch.
Milcom is attested several times in the Hebrew Bible, although these attestations say little about him. In the Masoretic Text, the name Milcom occurs three times, in each case in a list of foreign deities whose worship is offensive to Yahweh, the god of the Israelites. It is mentioned at 1 Kings 11:5 as "Milcom the detestation of the Ammonites", at 1 Kings 11:33 as "Milcom the god of the children of Ammon", and at 2 Kings 23:13 as "Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon". Because the name Milcom is written as mlkm in Hebrew without vowels, all occurrences of the name in combination with the Ammonites might instead refer to "their king" (malkam) rather than Milcom, and vice versa.
In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Bible, the name appears as Melchom (Μελχομ) or Melchol (Μολχολ), including in several places where the Masoretic text instead reads "their king" (malkam): 2 Samuel 12:30, 1 Chronicles 20:2, Amos 1:15, Jeremiah 40 (=30):1.3, Zephaniah 1:5, and 1 Kings 11:7. It is likely that the Hebrew text originally read Milcom in at least some of these instances. Conversely, the Septuagint translates mlkm at 1 Kings 11:5 and 33 (=Septuagint 3 Kings 11:5 33) as "their king" (ὁ βασιλεύς αὐτῶν) rather than as the name of a god.
The Bible attests Milcom as playing the role of the Ammonites' chief state god in parallel to Yahweh's role in Israel or Chemosh's role in Moab. Given that the Bible refers to Milcom having been worshiped by royal sanction in Jerusalem, it is possible that he was also worshiped as a native rather than a foreign god in Israel.
Outside the Bible, the name Milcom is attested in archaeology, such as on three Ammonite seals of unknown provenance, where he is connected with bull imagery. These seals indicate that Milcom was seen as benevolent, exalted, strong, and has associations with the stars. The Amman Citadel Inscription (c. 9th or 8th century BCE) contains an oracle from Milcom (with the first letter of the name reconstructed), while the name is also mentioned on the Tell el-Mazar ostracon.
Five Ammonite names are attested containing the name Milcom as an element. However, in Ammonite theophoric names, El, the chief god of the Canaanite pantheon, appears more frequently than Milcom.
Stone statues discovered around Ammon may depict Milcom. Several of these figures show features of the Ancient Egyptian god Osiris, namely the atef crown, suggesting that aspects of Osiris may have been adopted into Milcom's cult. An image of a four-winged scarab beetle has also been suggested to portray Milcom, however, this is inconclusive.
A deity named MLKM is mentioned in a bilingual Canaanite–Ancient North Arabian inscription discovered at Qasr Bayir, which has been identified by some as Milcom. This MLKM is mentioned alongside two other deities, QWS1 and KMS1, which have been identified with Qaws and Chemosh, respectively.
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Milcom
Milcom or Milkom (Ammonite: 𐤌𐤋𐤊𐤌 *Mīlkām; Hebrew: מִלְכֹּם Mīlkōm) was the name of either the national god, or a popular god, of the Ammonites. He is attested in the Hebrew Bible and in archaeological finds from the former territory of Ammon. His connections to other deities with similar names attested in the Bible and archaeologically are debated, as well as his relationship to the Canaanite supreme deity El, or the putative deity Moloch.
Milcom is attested several times in the Hebrew Bible, although these attestations say little about him. In the Masoretic Text, the name Milcom occurs three times, in each case in a list of foreign deities whose worship is offensive to Yahweh, the god of the Israelites. It is mentioned at 1 Kings 11:5 as "Milcom the detestation of the Ammonites", at 1 Kings 11:33 as "Milcom the god of the children of Ammon", and at 2 Kings 23:13 as "Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon". Because the name Milcom is written as mlkm in Hebrew without vowels, all occurrences of the name in combination with the Ammonites might instead refer to "their king" (malkam) rather than Milcom, and vice versa.
In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Bible, the name appears as Melchom (Μελχομ) or Melchol (Μολχολ), including in several places where the Masoretic text instead reads "their king" (malkam): 2 Samuel 12:30, 1 Chronicles 20:2, Amos 1:15, Jeremiah 40 (=30):1.3, Zephaniah 1:5, and 1 Kings 11:7. It is likely that the Hebrew text originally read Milcom in at least some of these instances. Conversely, the Septuagint translates mlkm at 1 Kings 11:5 and 33 (=Septuagint 3 Kings 11:5 33) as "their king" (ὁ βασιλεύς αὐτῶν) rather than as the name of a god.
The Bible attests Milcom as playing the role of the Ammonites' chief state god in parallel to Yahweh's role in Israel or Chemosh's role in Moab. Given that the Bible refers to Milcom having been worshiped by royal sanction in Jerusalem, it is possible that he was also worshiped as a native rather than a foreign god in Israel.
Outside the Bible, the name Milcom is attested in archaeology, such as on three Ammonite seals of unknown provenance, where he is connected with bull imagery. These seals indicate that Milcom was seen as benevolent, exalted, strong, and has associations with the stars. The Amman Citadel Inscription (c. 9th or 8th century BCE) contains an oracle from Milcom (with the first letter of the name reconstructed), while the name is also mentioned on the Tell el-Mazar ostracon.
Five Ammonite names are attested containing the name Milcom as an element. However, in Ammonite theophoric names, El, the chief god of the Canaanite pantheon, appears more frequently than Milcom.
Stone statues discovered around Ammon may depict Milcom. Several of these figures show features of the Ancient Egyptian god Osiris, namely the atef crown, suggesting that aspects of Osiris may have been adopted into Milcom's cult. An image of a four-winged scarab beetle has also been suggested to portray Milcom, however, this is inconclusive.
A deity named MLKM is mentioned in a bilingual Canaanite–Ancient North Arabian inscription discovered at Qasr Bayir, which has been identified by some as Milcom. This MLKM is mentioned alongside two other deities, QWS1 and KMS1, which have been identified with Qaws and Chemosh, respectively.
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