Thou: Deuteronomy 12:4, Deuteronomy 18:9; Exodus 23:2; Leviticus 18:3, Leviticus 18:26-30; 2 Kings 17:15-17, 2 Kings 21:2; 2 Chronicles 33:2; 2 Chronicles 36:14
abomination to the: Heb. abomination of the
even their sons: The unnatural and horrid practice of offering human sacrifices not only existed, but universally prevailed among ancient nations. We have already (See note on Leviticus 20:2) referred to the custom among the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, descendants from the Canaanitish nations, of sacrificing their children to Moloch, or Saturn; and we will now cite a passage from Diodorus Siculus (lib. xx.) which immediately precedes that already produced relative to this barbarous custom. He states that the Carthaginians imputed their being besieged by Agathocles to the anger of Saturn, because, instead of sacrificing the best of their own children, as formerly, they had sacrificed children bought for that purpose. "In haste, therefore, to rectify their errors, they chose 200 of the noblest children, and publicly sacrificed them! Others, accused of irreligion, voluntarily gave themselves up, to the number of no less than 300!" Deuteronomy 18:10; Leviticus 18:21, Leviticus 20:2; Jeremiah 7:31, Jeremiah 32:35; Ezekiel 20:31, Ezekiel 23:27; Micah 6:7