Anammelech

Anammelech was a Babylonian deity worshipped by the Sepharvite colonists whom the Assyrian king settled in Samaria after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 17:31). The name is interpreted as Anu is the prince, connecting it to Anu, the Babylonian sky-god. Children were burned in fire as sacrifices to this god alongside Adrammelech, reflecting the syncretistic and deeply foreign religious practices imported into the land.

The mention of Anammelech illustrates the theological crisis that the author of Kings identifies as the cause of Israel's exile: the people served gods of the nations rather than Yahweh alone. The cult of Anammelech represents one of several pagan imports that corrupted the religious life of Samaria during the period of Assyrian domination, a situation the text presents as a direct fulfillment of covenant warnings against idolatry.