Rab Judah said in rab's name: And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth.¹⁸ What is this? A fowl.¹⁹ And the men of Cuth made Nergal:²⁰ What is it? – A cock. And the men of Hamath made Ashima:²¹ What is that? – A bald buck. And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak:²² What are these?– A dog and an ass. And the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim:²³ What are these? – The mule and the horse: Adrammelech meaning that it [the mule] honours its master²⁴ [lit., 'king'] with its load;²⁵ Anammellech meaning that the horse responds to its master in battle.²⁶ The father of Hezekiah King of judah wished to do likewise to him [i.e., burn him in fire], but that his mother anointed him [with the blood of the] salamander.²⁷

Rab Judah said in Rab's name: The Israelites knew that the idols were nonentities, but they engaged in idolatry only that they might openly satisfy their incestuous lusts. R. Mesharshia objected: As those who remember their children, so they longed for their altars, and their graves by the green trees etc;²⁸ which R. Eleazar interpreted. As one who yearns for his son [so they yearned]?²⁹ – That was after they became addicted thereto.³⁰ Come and hear: And I will cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols.³¹ It was related of Elijah the Righteous, that whilst searching for those who were languishing with hunger in Jerusalem, he once found a child faint with hunger lying upon a dungheap. On questioning him as to the family to which he belonged, he replied, 'I belong to such and such a family.' He asked: 'Are any of that family left,' and he answered, 'None, excepting myself.' Thereupon he asked: 'If I teach thee something by which thou wilt live, wilt thou learn?' He replied, 'Yes.' 'Then,' said he, 'recite every day, Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.' But the child retorted,

¹⁸⁾ II Kings XVII, 30. This and the following verses refer to the idols set up by the heathens with whom Sannecherib repopulated Samaria after its inhabitants were deported.
¹⁹⁾ They worshipped the image of a fowl, called in their language Succoth-benoth.
²⁰⁾ Ibid.
²¹⁾ lbid.
22) Ibid. 3. (Or Nibhan. [H] = 'to bark' (instead of Nibhaz), hence taken to be a dog.]
²³⁾ Ibid.
²⁴⁾ Adar, Hebr. hadar [H] = 'to honour', and melech (melek) = king, master.
²⁵⁾ (I.e., the mule honours its master by carrying his load.]
²⁶⁾ 'Ana, Heb. [H] = 'to respond.'
²⁷⁾ A reptile believed to be engendered in fire. One who smeared himself with its blood was thought to be fire-proof. Hag. 27a.
²⁸⁾ Jer. XVII, 2.
²⁹⁾ This shows that they really believed in idols.
³⁰⁾ I.e., at first, it was only a pretext to satisfy their lust. But having engaged in idolatry, they were ensnared by its allurements and really believed in it.
³¹⁾ Lev. XXVI, 30.