Leviticus 18:21

The context

Leviticus 18 is a list of sexual and cultic prohibitions addressed to Israel on the eve of entering the land, framed by warnings that the land itself rejects such practices. The verse sits between prohibitions of sexual relations and a command not to profane the divine name. The chapter ends with the threat of being cast out.

What it establishes

The verse forbids handing children over to Molech, which the wider context and parallel passages identify with child sacrifice. It places that practice among the things the land is said to vomit out, and it grounds the prohibition in the holiness of God's name.

What it does not establish

It does not define what Molech was. Whether the name refers to a deity, a sacrifice, or a rite of dedication is disputed, and evidence outside the Bible is thin. Nor is it a ruling on every question about children; it addresses one practice.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• If a father ever killed his own son he would—all things being equal—be rightly judged immoral. But according to Genesis 22, God told Abraham to kill his own son, and was judged righteous for his WILLINGNESS to do so. So God ordains child murder, huh?
• The Old Testament commanded animal sacrifices. Isn’t that evil — and how could a good God require it?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.