Child sacrifice in the Torah

Table of Contents

Introduction

When it comes to Jewish hypocrisy, almost nothing trumps the so-called moral stand on child sacrifice.  Indeed, if left unchecked, the Jews would have the world believe that their religion was the source for the abolition of all child sacrifice on earth, and that in respect to child murder the Jews are morally and ethically pristine.  But careful examination of the Torah proves that nothing could be further from the truth; the Jewish religion is indeed replete with child sacrifice.  While Jews are prohibited from sacrificing their children to other gods they are commanded to murder their children in the name of their own god. There is even an instance in the Torah where a Jewish invader burns his daughter as a victory sacrifice to the god of Israel. The Jewish god has absolutely no reservations against killing children for his sake. Though the myriad of commands to kill disbelievers and rebels throughout the Torah applies to children as well as adults, there are at least two examples in the Bible where commands to kill for the Jewish god were directed toward children.  The first example comes from the book of Exodus where a son of an Israelite woman blasphemed against the Judeo-Christian god and was commanded to be stoned to death. The second is a command in the book of Zechariah which calls parents to run their children through with swords if they prophecy in the name of another god.  Both of these instances of child sacrifice were for the Judeo-Christian god and neither involved fire, so these child murders are deemed appropriate by Biblical Standards

Don’t sacrifice children (to other gods)

The Bible does have prohibitions against child sacrifice, but the prohibition is against sacrificing children to other gods. The Israelites had no reservations against killing their children in the name of their own god as you will see.


Do not give children “to Molech” 
“Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.” - Leviticus 18:21

Do not sacrifice children “to Molech”

“The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him.  I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. If the members of the community close their eyes when that man  sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.” Leviticus 20:1-5

Don’t sacrifice children (by fire)

Besides its prohibitions against sacrificing children to other gods, the Judeo-Christian religion seems to be particular that people should not kill their children with fire (except for certain instances).  You will see that the preferred method of child sacrifice in Bible is stoning or impaling.

Do not sacrifice children “in fire” 
“Let no one be found  among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft” - Deuteronomy 18:10

Heathens “burn” their children (Israelites stone their children) 
“You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.” - Deuteronomy 12:31

Killing children for the Biblical god

Stoned to death for blasphemy

“The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) 12 They put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be made clear to them. 13 Then the Lord said to Moses: 14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him.” – Leviticus 24: 11-14

Kill your children for prophesying in the name of another god

"It will happen that, when anyone still prophesies, then his father and his mother who bore him will tell him, ‘You must die, because you speak lies in Yahweh’s name;’ and his father and his mother who bore him will stab him when he prophesies".  - Zechariah 13:3

Kill Rebellious Children 

"If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and though they chasten him, will not listen to them; then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place.  They shall tell the elders of his city, “This our son is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” All the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall remove the evil from among you. All Israel shall hear, and fear." - Deuteronomy 21: 18-21

Jephthah burns his daughter
(legal child sacrifice in the Bible)

Yet even in the Bible itself there are exceptions to the rule against burning one’s children with fire.  In the book of Judges, an Israelite invader in the land of Canaan named Jephthah burns his own daughter as a victory sacrifice over the Ammonites after  making a vow to offer up the first “thing” that greeted him upon his return from the slaughter. This first “thing” just so happened to be his daughter

“At that time the Spirit of the LORD  came upon  Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and led an army against the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD. He said, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites, I will give to the LORD  the first thing coming out of my house to greet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering. So Jephthah led his army against the Ammonites, and the LORD  gave him victory. He thoroughly defeated the Ammonites from Aroer to an area near Minnith – twenty towns – and as far away  as Abel-keramim. Thus Israel subdued the Ammonites. When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter – his only child – ran out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. “My daughter!” he cried out. “My heart is breaking! What  a tragedy that you came out to greet me. For I have made a vow to the LORD  and cannot take it back.” And she said, “Father, you have made a promise to the LORD. You  must do to me what you have promised, for the LORD  has given you a great victory over your enemies, the Ammonites. But first let me go up and roam  in the hills and weep with my friends for two months, because I will die a virgin.” “You may  go,” Jephthah said. And he let her go away  for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never have children. When she returned home, her father kept his vow, and she died a virgin. So it has become a custom in Israel for young Israelite women to go away  for four days each year to lament the fate of Jephthah’s daughter.” (Judges 11:29- 40)