“The crown of Malcam,” referred to in the capture of Rabbah, was evidently a crown placed on the head of the Ammonite idol god, elsewhere called Molech or Milcom. While the Revised Standard Version translates the Hebrew term Mal·kamʹ here as “their king,” it does not seem logical that a human king is referred to, inasmuch as the crown weighed “a talent of gold” (c. 34 kg; 92 lb t). It also seems likely that the crown’s being placed on David’s head was only a momentary act, perhaps to demonstrate the victory over this false god.​—2Sa 12:30.

While the god of the Ammonites is variously referred to as Molech, Milcom, or Malcam (1Ki 11:5, 7; Jer 49:1, 3), these terms (all related to the root “king”) are considered by some scholars to be titles rather than proper names,