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.

Manasseh’s Wicked Reign Begins

M'nasheh was twelve years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for fifty-five years in Yerushalayim.

He did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective, following the disgusting practices of the nations whom ADONAI had expelled ahead of the people of Isra'el.

For he rebuilt the high places which Hizkiyahu his father had smashed; he erected altars for the ba'alim, made sacred poles and worshipped all the army of heaven and served them.

He erected altars in the house of ADONAI, concerning which ADONAI had said, "My name will be in Yerushalayim forever."

He erected altars for all the army of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of ADONAI.

He made his children pass through the fire [as a sacrifice] in the Ben-Hinnom Valley. He practiced soothsaying, divination and sorcery; and he appointed mediums and persons who used spirit guides. He did much that was evil from ADONAI's perspective, thus provoking him to anger.

He set the carved image of the idol he had made in the house of God, concerning which God had told David and Shlomo his son, "In this house and in Yerushalayim, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Isra'el, I will put my name forever.

Also I will not remove the feet of Isra'el from the land I assigned your ancestors, if only they will take heed to obey every order I have given them, that is, all the Torah, laws and rulings that came through Moshe."

M'nasheh caused Y'hudah and the people of Yerushalayim to go astray, so that they did even worse things than the nations whom ADONAI destroyed ahead of the people of Isra'el.

ADONAI spoke to M'nasheh and to his people, but they paid no attention.

Manasseh Captive and Repentant

Therefore ADONAI brought against them the commanders of the king of Ashur's army. They took M'nasheh captive with hooks, bound him in chains and carried him off to Bavel.

Then, when he was in distress, he began to appease the anger of ADONAI, abjectly humbling himself before the God of his ancestors.

He prayed to him; and God was moved by his plea, paid attention to his entreaty and brought him back to Yerushalayim, to his kingly office. Then M'nasheh understood that ADONAI really is God.

After this he built an outer wall for the City of David on the west side of Gichon, in the valley, extending as far as the entrance at the Fish Gate; it encompassed the 'Ofel, and he built it very high. He stationed army commanders in all the fortified cities of Y'hudah.

He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of ADONAI and all the altars he had built on the hill of the house of ADONAI and in Yerushalayim, and threw them out of the city.

He repaired the altar of ADONAI and offered on it sacrifices as peace offerings and for thanksgiving; and he ordered Y'hudah to serve ADONAI the God of Isra'el.

However, the people continued sacrificing on the high places, although only to ADONAI their God.

Other activities of M'nasheh, his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of ADONAI the God of Isra'el are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra'el.

Also his prayer and how God was moved by his plea, all his sin and disloyalty, and the locations where he built high places and set up the sacred poles and carved images before he humbled himself are written in the History of the Seers.

Then M'nasheh slept with his ancestors and was buried at his own house, and Amon his son took his place as king.

The Short, Evil Reign of Amon

Amon was twenty-two years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for two years in Yerushalayim.

He did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective, as had M'nasheh his father. Amon sacrificed to all the carved images that M'nasheh his father had made, and served them.

He did not humble himself before ADONAI, as M'nasheh his father had done; rather, this Amon kept adding to his guilt.

His servants conspired against him and put the king to death in his own palace.

But the people of the land put to death all those who had been part of the conspiracy against King Amon. Then the people of the land made Yoshiyahu his son king in place of him.

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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