Human Sacrifice

Human sacrifices took place in the world of the Old Testament, but probably only in very exceptional circumstances. God condemned these (child) sacrifices severely.

Both adults and children could be sacrificed. The king of Moab sacrifices his eldest son to avert a war (2 Kings 3:27). The judge Jephthah sacrifices his daughter to fulfil a vow (Judges 11:30-40).

Human sacrifices also took place among the peoples surrounding the Israelites (among the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans).
The Egyptians sometimes used prisoners or foreigners as human sacrifices, but that custom was replaced at an early date with a ritual with clay figurines.

In the Old Testament, Molech is mentioned as a god to whom human sacrifices were brought. That was done by making children walk through fire. The Bible condemns this, for instance in Leviticus 20:2-5 and Jeremiah 32:35. According to 2 Kings 16–17, however, the Israelite Kings Ahaz and Hoshea did the same thing. It was only in the days of King Josiah that worship of Molech was abolished in Israel.

The law said that first-borns had to be dedicated to God. But for humans, this was converted into a sum of money (see for instance Exodus 13:13; Numbers 3:45). Only the eldest offspring of animals could still be sacrificed.

In Joshua 6:26 there is a warning that if anyone rebuilds Jericho, it will be at the cost of his eldest and youngest sons. This is exactly what happens in 1 Kings 16:34. Whether this is an instance of child sacrifice cannot be deduced from the text, however.