2 Chronicles33

King Manasseh of Judah reigned for fifty-five years, initially committing great evil in the sight of the LORD, surpassing even the abominations of the heathen. He rebuilt high places, erected altars to Baalim and the host of heaven, practiced child sacrifice and divination, and placed an idol in the very house of God. Consequently, the LORD allowed the Assyrians to capture him and carry him to Babylon. In his affliction, Manasseh humbled himself and prayed to the LORD, who heard his supplication and restored him to his kingdom, leading to his subsequent reforms.

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Manasseh’s Wicked Reign Begins

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.

Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”

In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven.

He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.

Manasseh even took the carved image he had made and set it up in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever.

I will never again cause the feet of the Israelites to leave the land that I assigned to your fathers, if only they are careful to do all that I have commanded them through Moses—all the laws, statutes, and judgments.”

So Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.

And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen.

Manasseh Captive and Repentant

So the LORD brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.

And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.

And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.

After this, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and he brought it around the hill of Ophel and heightened it considerably. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, along with all the altars he had built on the temple mount and in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city.

Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and he told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.

Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the LORD their God.

As for the rest of the acts of Manasseh, along with his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, they are indeed written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

His prayer and how God received his plea, as well as all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself, they are indeed written in the Records of the Seers.

And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried at his palace. And his son Amon reigned in his place.

The Short, Evil Reign of Amon

Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years.

And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon served and sacrificed to all the idols that his father Manasseh had made,

but he did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done; instead, Amon increased his guilt.

Then the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed him in his palace.

But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.

Study Notes for 2 Chronicles 33

Verse 1

Manasseh reigned for 55 years, the longest tenure of any king of Judah or Israel. His great age meant his evil influence permeated the nation deeply, severely undermining the reforms of his father Hezekiah.

Verse 2

The Chronicler emphasizes that Manasseh actively adopted and promoted the idolatrous practices of the nations whom God had previously judged and cast out of the land.

Verse 3

Manasseh not only restored the high places but also established altars for Baalim (Canaanite fertility gods) and Asherah (represented by 'groves'), promoting intense syncretism and pagan worship.

Verse 4

Building altars within the very courts of the Temple was a profound act of sacrilege, directly violating the covenant requirement that Jerusalem was the exclusive place where God had chosen to set His name.

Verse 6

Causing children to pass through the fire refers to child sacrifice, likely to the god Molech, practiced in the Valley of Hinnom. This, along with intense sorcery and divination, demonstrates a complete rejection of Mosaic Law.

Verse 7

Setting a carved idol within the Holy House itself was the ultimate blasphemy, challenging God's exclusive presence and sanctuary. The Chronicler reminds the reader of the eternal promises made to David regarding the Temple.

Verse 9

Manasseh's influence was so destructive that he led the people of Judah to commit worse sins than the native Canaanites whom God had previously destroyed, thus sealing Judah’s fate.

Verse 11

The judgment came through the Assyrians, likely under Esarhaddon or Ashurbanipal. Being taken to Babylon (a major Assyrian administrative center) confirms the fulfillment of prophetic warnings regarding vassal disobedience.

Verse 12

This account of Manasseh’s repentance is unique to 2 Chronicles and is central to the Chronicler's theology: even the most wicked king can find mercy if he genuinely humbles himself before God.

Verse 13

God’s hearing of Manasseh’s prayer and his subsequent restoration to the throne emphasizes divine sovereignty and mercy. Manasseh’s restored political power served as tangible proof that 'the LORD he was God.'

Verse 14

Upon his return, Manasseh undertook significant building and fortification projects, demonstrating his restored political authority and perhaps a commitment to stabilizing the kingdom he had destabilized.

Verse 15

Manasseh initiated a reform, removing the foreign idols and altars he had previously erected. This effort paralleled, though was less thorough than, the purges executed by his father Hezekiah.

Verse 17

This verse reveals the limitation of Manasseh’s reform; while the people worshipped Yahweh, they continued to use the decentralized high places. This mixed worship remained a persistent spiritual problem in Judah.

Verse 18

The Chronicler references external documents, including the 'book of the kings of Israel' and the 'words of the seers,' confirming his reliance on various prophetic and historical sources to detail Manasseh’s repentance.

Verse 21

Amon reigned only two years, indicating a period of political instability immediately following Manasseh's long rule.

Verse 23

Amon’s crucial failure was that he did not 'humble himself,' meaning he rejected the path of repentance his father had taken in affliction. He perpetuated and intensified the initial wickedness of Manasseh.

Verse 24

Amon's assassination suggests that his wickedness and failure to achieve stability led to internal revolt among his court officials.

Verse 25

The 'people of the land' (likely the loyal landed gentry) intervened, executing the conspirators and ensuring the Davidic line continued by placing Amon’s eight-year-old son, Josiah, on the throne.

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2 Chronicles33

Manasseh’s Wicked Reign Begins

Manasseh Captive and Repentant

The Short, Evil Reign of Amon

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