Commentary for II Kings 23:10
וְטִמֵּ֣א אֶת־הַתֹּ֔פֶת אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּגֵ֣י בני־[בֶן־] הִנֹּ֑ם לְבִלְתִּ֗י לְהַעֲבִ֨יר אִ֜ישׁ אֶת־בְּנ֧וֹ וְאֶת־בִּתּ֛וֹ בָּאֵ֖שׁ לַמֹּֽלֶךְ׃
And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
Rashi on II Kings
The Tophes. This was the Molech, it is named [תפת] because priests would bang on drums [=תופים] so that the father should not hear the groans of the child when he was burned by the pagan image,10According to Ralbag, the service of Molech involved the passing of a child by priests between two fires. Molech, they called it Tophes.
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