The New Unger's Bible Dictionary.

Definition Mo'lech (GODS, FALSE)

Mo'lech, (mo'lek; Heb. melek, "king"). A Semitic deity honored by the sacrifice of children, in which they were caused to pass through or into the fire. Palestinian excavations have uncovered evidences of infant skeletons in burial places around heathen shrines. Ammonites revered Molech as a protecting father. Worship of Molech was stringently prohibited by Hebrew law (Leviticus 18:21; 20:1-5). Solomon built an altar to Molech at Topheth in the valley of Hinnom. Manasseh (c. 696 BC - 642 BC), in his idolatrous orgy, also honored this deity. Josiah desecrated the Hinnom valley altar, but Jehoiakim revived the cult. The prophets sternly denounced this form of heathen worship (Jeremiah 7:29-34; Ezekiel 16:20-22; 23:37-39; Amos 5:26, marg.). No form of ancient Semitic idolatry was more abhorrent than Molech worship.

Merrill F. Unger

Mo'loch, (mo'lok). Another English form (Amos 5:26, marg.; Acts 7:43) of Molech (which see).

(from The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Definition Mo'lech (GODS, FALSE)

GODS, PAGAN

Other pagan gods in addition to Baal and his companions were worshiped by the Canaanites. Molech was the national deity of the Ammonites (Leviticus 18:21; Jeremiah 32:35), whose worship was accompanied by the burning of children offered as a sacrifice by their own parents. The god Molech also appears in the Old Testament as Milcom (2 Kings 23:13; Zephaniah 1:5; Malcham, KJV) and in the New Testament as Moloch (Acts 7:43).
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)