Adrammelech is a figure mentioned in the Old Testament, associated with both Assyrian royalty and idolatrous worship practices. The name "Adrammelech" is thought to mean "Majestic King" or "Adar is King," with Adar being a deity in the Assyrian pantheon.

1. Adrammelech, the Assyrian Prince:

Adrammelech is first mentioned in the context of Assyrian history as one of the sons of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. According to the biblical account, Adrammelech, along with his brother Sharezer, assassinated their father Sennacherib. This event is recorded in 2 Kings 19:37 and Isaiah 37:38. The Berean Standard Bible states: "One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esarhaddon reigned in his place."

This assassination is significant as it marks a turning point in Assyrian history and fulfills the prophecy given by the prophet Isaiah regarding the downfall of Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:7). The escape of Adrammelech and Sharezer to the land of Ararat suggests a possible alliance or refuge sought in a region outside the immediate control of the Assyrian empire.

2. Adrammelech, the Pagan Deity:

Adrammelech is also identified as a pagan deity worshiped by the people of Sepharvaim, a city whose inhabitants were relocated to Samaria by the Assyrians. In 2 Kings 17:31, the BSB records: "The Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim."

This reference highlights the syncretistic and idolatrous practices that were prevalent among the peoples resettled in the Northern Kingdom of Israel following the Assyrian conquest. The worship of Adrammelech involved child sacrifice, a practice that was abhorrent to the God of Israel and strictly forbidden in the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:31).

3. Theological Implications:

The mention of Adrammelech in the Bible serves as a reminder of the spiritual and moral decline that can occur when God's people are influenced by surrounding pagan cultures. The assassination of Sennacherib by his own sons underscores the instability and treachery often found in royal courts of the ancient Near East, while the worship of Adrammelech as a deity illustrates the depths of idolatry and the severe consequences of turning away from the worship of the one true God.

In summary, Adrammelech is a multifaceted figure in the biblical narrative, representing both a historical person involved in a significant political event and a symbol of the idolatrous practices that plagued the ancient world.Adrammelech

the cloak, glory, grandeur or power of the king

Adrammelech

(splendor of the king).

1. The name of an idol introduced into Samaria by the colonists from Sepharvaim. (2 Kings 17:31) He was worshipped with rites resembling those of Molech, children being burnt in his honor. Adrammelech was probably the male power of the sun, and ANAMMELECH, who is mentioned with Adrammelech as a companion god, the female power of the sun.
2. Son of the Assyrian king Sennacherib, who, with his brother Sharezer, murdered their father in the temple of Nisroch at Nineveh, after the failure of the Assyrian attack on Jerusalem. The parricides escaped into Armenia. (2 Kings 19:37; 2 Chronicles 32:21; Isaiah 37:38)

Adrammelech

1. Son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, Isaiah 37:38; 2 Kings 19:37, who, upon returning to Nineveh after his fatal expedition against Hezekiah, was killed by his two sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, through fear, according to Jewish tradition, of being sacrificed to his idol Nisroch. They then fled to the mountains of Armenia, B. C. 713.

2. One of the gods adored by the inhabitants of Sepharvaim, who settled in Samaria, in the stead of those Israelites who were carried beyond the Euphrates. They made their children pass through fire, in honor of this false deity, and of another called Anammelech, 2 Kings 17:31. Some think that Adrammelech represented the sun, and Anammelech the moon.

Adar the king.

(1.) An idol; a form of the sun-god worshipped by the inhabitants of Sepharvaim (2 Kings 17:31), and brought by the Sepharvite colonists into Samaria.

(2.) A son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria (2 Kings 19:37; Isaiah 37:38).

152. Adrammelek -- "Adar is prince," an Assyr. idol, also a son of ...
... idol, also a son of Sennacherib. Transliteration: Adrammelek Phonetic Spelling:
(ad-ram-meh'-lek) Short Definition: Adrammelech. ... Adrammelech. ...
/hebrew/152.htm - 6k

'He Uttered his Voice, the Earth Melted'
... And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that
Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/he uttered his voice the.htm

The Triumph of Faith
... And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that
Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the triumph of faith.htm

The History after the Flood.
... There were these kings of Assyria: Tiglath-Pileser, and after him Shalmaneser, then
Sennacherib; and Adrammelech the Ethiopian, who also reigned over Egypt ...
/.../theophilus/theophilus to autolycus/chapter xxxi the history after the.htm

How Sennacherib Made an Expedition against Hezekiah; What
... city Nineveh; and when he had abode there a little while, he was treacherously
assaulted, and died by the hands of his elder sons, [3] Adrammelech and Seraser ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 1 how sennacherib made.htm

The Woman of Samaria
... it up sadly with their old heathen idolatry, and made gods of their own, and some
of them even burnt their children in the fire, to Adrammelech and Anammelech ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xxvi the woman of.htm

The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
... of Tebeth, 681, at the hour when Sennacherib was praying before the image of his
god, two of his sons, Sharezer and Adarmalik (Adrammelech), assassinated their ...
/.../chapter iithe power of assyria 2.htm

Adrammelech (3 Occurrences)
... (2.) A son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria (2 Kings 19:37; Isaiah 37:38).
Multi-Version Concordance Adrammelech (3 Occurrences). ...
/a/adrammelech.htm - 8k

Anammelech (1 Occurrence)
... The name means "Anu is king." It was a female deity representing the moon,
as Adrammelech (qv) was the male representing the sun. Int. ...
/a/anammelech.htm - 9k

Adram'melech (3 Occurrences)
Adram'melech. Adrammelech, Adram'melech. Adramyttian . Multi-Version
Concordance Adram'melech (3 Occurrences). 2 Kings 17:31 and ...
/a/adram'melech.htm - 7k

Sharezer (5 Occurrences)
... He and his brother Adrammelech murdered their father, and then fled into the land
of Armenia (2 Kings 19:37). Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. SHAREZER. ...
/s/sharezer.htm - 10k

Esarhaddon (3 Occurrences)
... Sennacherib, having been slain in 681, apparently by two of his sons, who are called
in the Old Testament Adrammelech and Sharezer (2 Kings 19:37), Esarhaddon ...
/e/esarhaddon.htm - 13k

Nisroch (2 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 19:37 It happened, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god,
that Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword; and they escaped ...
/n/nisroch.htm - 8k

Esar-haddon (3 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 19:37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch
his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer smote him with the sword: and they ...
/e/esar-haddon.htm - 7k

Esar (3 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 19:37 It happened, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god,
that Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword; and they escaped ...
/e/esar.htm - 7k

Adra
...ADRAMMELECH and ANAMMELECH a-dram'-el-ek and a-nam'-el-ek ('adhrammelekh and
`anammelekh, apparently, according to Assyrian usage, "Adar is prince," "Anu is ...
/a/adra.htm - 9k

Ar'arat (4 Occurrences)
... 2 Kings 19:37 It happened, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god,
that Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him with the sword; and they escaped ...
/a/ar'arat.htm - 7k

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