mal´kam ( מלכּם , malkām , "their king"; the King James Version Maleham ):
(1) A chief of the Benjamites, son of Shaharaim (1 Chronicles 8:9 ).
(2) The name of an idol as well as the possessive pronominal form of מלך , melekh , "king" ( 2 Samuel 12:30 the Revised Version margin; Jeremiah 49:1 , Jeremiah 49:3 Septuagint Melchól ); Zephaniah 1:5 ). In Amos 1:15 it appears to be best translated "their king," as in both the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American). Only a careful examination of the context can determine whether the word is the proper name of the idol (Moloch) or the 3rd personal possessive pronoun for king. The idol is also spelt "Milcom" and "Molech."
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
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