Anammelech
Summary
A deity worshiped by the people of Sepharvaim who colonized Samaria, to whom they offered child sacrifices.
☩Worship and Origin
Anammelech was a god worshiped alongside Adrammelech by the people of Sepharvaim who were settled in Samaria by the Assyrians after the deportation of the northern kingdom of Israel. The worship of both deities involved the horrific practice of burning children in fire, similar to Molech worship. Some scholars have interpreted Anammelech as representing the female power of the sun, while Adrammelech represented the male power.
☩Identification
The etymology and precise identification of this deity remain uncertain. If Sepharvaim was a Babylonian city, some connect the name with the Babylonian god Anu. The Babylonian Talmud states the image had the figure of a horse, while other traditions suggest a pheasant or quail. The name's latter portion (-melech) means "king" in Hebrew.
Related Verses1 mention
2 Kings· 1 verse
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Anammelech," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Anammelech," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Anammelech," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).