In the prophetic scriptural register (as in Jeremiah 49 and related prophetic citations), Melchom appears as the Ammonite god or idolic 'king' whose presence is rhetorically described as inheriting the land of Gad while the Ammonites dwelt there. Later Christian-era interpretive traditions, reflected in commentary (e.g. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown as quoted in modern summaries) and demonological compilations (notably Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal as summarized on modern reference sites), narrativize a transformation: after the Ammonites were displaced from Gad (an event linked in commentary to Israelite actions under King David), Melchom is described as having been cast down from his idolic throne and reclassified as a lesser demon within an infernal order.
No physical description or iconographic details for Melchom are provided in the supplied sources. The available materials identify him by name and by functional/semantic association with the Hebrew root melech ('king') and with Ammonite idolic kingship, but do not furnish attested bodily, sculptural, or zoomorphic features.
In prophetic texts Melchom functions as the named foreign idol whose 'inheritance' or occupation of Gad signals rival sovereignty and territorial claim. In later demonological accounts (as reported in modern summaries of the Dictionnaire Infernal and echoed in commentary), Melchom is described as a lesser infernal official: specifically characterized as a paymaster or purse-bearer who administers payment to servants in Hell — an administrative/bureaucratic office within the infernal hierarchy. The transformation from local idolic king to infernal functionary is an interpretive move in post-biblical tradition rather than a detail narrated in the biblical texts themselves.
Aaron
Aaron is a central human figure in Israelite sacred literature: the elder brother of Moses, the first high priest (progenitor of the Aaronide priesthood), and a spokesman/prophet who mediates between Israel and God in Exodus–Deuteronomy narratives. His role in the texts establishes hereditary priestly authority, ritual functions (sacrifices, blessing, use of Urim and Thummim), and institutional norms for Israelite cultic life.
Abaddon
In Hebrew scripture Abaddon is primarily a noun meaning 'destruction' or a section/condition of the underworld paired with Sheol; in the New Testament Book of Revelation Abaddon is personified as an angelic figure (Greek Apollyon) described as the king of an army of locusts released from the abyss during the apocalypse.
Abadir
Abadir is a polysemous name attested in distinct cultural contexts: a legendary founding saint and clan ancestor in eastern Ethiopia (Sheikh Abadir Umar Al‑Rida / Aw Abadir), a term applied to cone‑shaped cult stones in Phoenician religious description, and a personal name of a martyr (Abadir/Apater) in the Coptic Synaxarium. The attestations are independent usages of the same name rather than a single supernatural being.
Abadiu of Antinoe
Abadiu of Antinoe was a fourth‑century bishop of Antinoe (Antinoopolis, in Roman Egypt) commemorated as a martyr and saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church, with a feast day on 26 December. Sources record that he was killed during a theological dispute with Arian opponents and reference him in collections of Egyptian martyrs.
Abagtha
Abagtha (Hebrew: אבגתא, ’Ǎḇaḡṯā) is a named human court official in the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Esther, listed among seven chamberlains who ministered before King Ahasuerus and were commanded to bring Queen Vashti before the king. He is attested only in Esther 1:10 and is presented as an institutional palace attendant rather than a supernatural being.
Abanoub
Abanoub is a 4th‑century Egyptian Christian child martyr venerated in the Coptic tradition. Remembered for his public confession of Christ, miraculous healings associated with his passion, and the translation and veneration of his relics, his feast is observed on July 31 (Epip 24) and his cult centers include Nehisa and Samanoud.
Abaskhiron the Soldier
A Coptic Orthodox martyr venerated for refusing imperial idolatry during the Diocletian persecution; reputedly healed by the Archangel Michael, preserved in monastery relics, and commemorated on 14 June (7 Paoni).
Abdel Messih El-Makari
Abdel Messih El-Makari (1892–1963) was a Coptic Orthodox monk and priest venerated as a 20th‑century Coptic saint. Associated with the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor and the Monastery of Saint Macarius (Scetes/Wadi El‑Natrun), he is remembered for humility, asceticism, charity, and reported spiritual gifts such as prescience, discerning of spirits, and healing.
Abdiel
Abdiel (Hebrew עֲבְדִּיאֵל) is primarily a theophoric Hebrew personal name meaning "servant of El/servant of God," attested once in the Hebrew Bible (1 Chronicles 5:15). In later literature—most notably John Milton's Paradise Lost—Abdiel is reimagined as a faithful seraph who opposes Satan's revolt. The provided sources do not treat Abdiel as an autonomous folkloric spirit type or record rituals or wards associated with the name.
Abel
Abel is the second son of Adam and Eve in the Genesis narrative, a shepherd whose accepted offering and subsequent murder by his brother Cain form the biblical account of the first death. Later interpretive traditions expand his role, treating him as an archetypal righteous victim, a postmortem avenging or adjudicating figure, and in some systems (notably Mandaean) identifying him with an angelic lightbeing.
Abiathar
Abiathar (Hebrew: אֶבְיָתָר, ʾEḇyāṯār) is a named human priestly figure in the Hebrew Bible. He is presented as a survivor of the Nob massacre who fled to David with priestly regalia, served as a priest and counselor in David's court, and was later deposed and sent to Anathoth by Solomon for supporting Adonijah.
Abib and Apollo
Abib and Apollo are Christian ascetics and hagiographic saints of Akhmim (Upper Egypt) attested in Coptic sources and the Historia Monachorum. Remembered for extreme asceticism, monastic leadership, angelic encounters, and inclusion in the Coptic Synaxarion (feast day November 4).
Community Record
- [1]Melchom — Wikipedia. Wikipedia article 'Melchom' summarizing identification with the Ammonite idol (Milcom/Moloch/Melech) and noting demonological treatment in Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal.wiki
- [2]Jeremias (Jeremiah) Chapter 49 — Douay-Rheims Bible. Douay-Rheims translation of Jeremiah 49 (as cited in the provided materials): contains the prophetic question linking Melchom to possession of Gad ('Why then hath Melchom inherited Gad').literary
- [3]Amos Chapter 1 — Douay-Rheims Bible. Douay-Rheims translation of Amos cited among provided materials; prophetic context for denunciations of foreign nations and their gods.literary
- [4]Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary (as quoted on Wikipedia). Summary on Wikipedia quoting Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary: interprets Melchom as cast down from his idolic throne after the Ammonites were displaced and describes his later depiction as a lesser demon and 'paymaster' in Hell.other
- [5]Wikidata: Melchom. Wikidata entry for Melchom (referenced in the supplied materials as a secondary cataloging source).wiki