SEV Biblia, Chapter 23:10
Asimismo profanó a Tofet, que está en el valle del hijo de Hinom, para que ninguno pasase su hijo o su hija por fuego a Moloc.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 23:10
Verse 10. He defiled Topheth] St. Jerome says that Topheth was a fine and pleasant place, well watered with fountains, and adorned with gardens. The valley of the son of Hinnom, or Gehenna, was in one part; here it appears the sacred rites of Molech were performed, and to this all the filth of the city was carried, and perpetual fires were kept up in order to consume it. Hence it has been considered a type of hell; and in this sense it is used in the New Testament.
It is here said that Josiah defiled this place that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire. He destroyed the image of Molech, and so polluted the place where he stood, or his temple, that it was rendered in every way abominable. The rabbins say that Topheth had its name from pt toph, a drum, because instruments of this kind were used to drown the cries of the children that were put into the burning arms of Molech, to be scorched to death. This may be as true as the following definition: "Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, was a place near Jerusalem, where the filth and offal of the city were thrown, and where a constant fire was kept up to consume the wretched remains of executed criminals. It was a human shambles, a public chopping-block, where the arms and legs of men and women were quartered off by thousands." Query, On what authority do such descriptions rest?
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 10. And he defiled Topheth , etc.] A place so called, as is generally thought, from the beating of drums or timbrels in it, that the shrieks of the infants sacrificed here to Molech might not be heard by their parents, and they repent of delivering them to him, and take them away. So the Indians in India now, at the burning of wives with their deceased husbands, attend them with drums and trumpets; and at such time as the fire is put to the wood, the drums and trumpets make a terrible noise for fear their cries should be heard f270 ; (see Gill on “ Isaiah 30:33”) (see Gill on “ Jeremiah 7:31”) this he defiled by casting any sort of filth or unclean thing into it, in contempt of the idolatry there committed, and to alienate the minds of men from it: which is the valley of the children of Hinnom ; a valley that belonged to the posterity of a man of this name, near to Jerusalem, (see Joshua 15:8), hence the Greek word “geenna” for hell, in the New Testament: that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech ; which piece of idolatry used to be committed in this place.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 4-14 - What abundance of wickedness in Judah and Jerusalem! One would not have believed it possible, that in Judah, where God was known, in Israel where his name was great, in Salem, in Zion, where his dwelling-plac was, such abominations should be found. Josiah had reigned eightee years, and had himself set the people a good example, and kept u religion according to the Divine law; yet, when he came to search for idolatry, the depth and extent were very great. Both common history and the records of God's word, teach, that all the real godliness of goodness ever found on earth, is derived from the new-creating Spiri of Jesus Christ.
Original Hebrew
וטמא 2930 את 853 התפת 8612 אשׁר 834 בגי 1516 בני 1121 הנם 2011 לבלתי 1115 להעביר 5674 אישׁ 376 את 853 בנו 1121 ואת 853 בתו 1323 באשׁ 784 למלך׃ 4432
