Old Testament Commentary - 2 Chronicles 33

by Don R. Hender
Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
              CHAPTER 33                 

Manasseh reigns in wickedness and worships false gods—He is taken captive into Assyria—He repeats and serves the Lord—Amon reigns in unrighteousness and is slain.

 1 aMANASSEH was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem:
 2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
 3 ¶ For he built again the ahigh places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for bBaalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
 4 Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.
 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

 6 And he caused his children to pass through the afire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he bobserved times, and used enchantments, and used cwitchcraft, and edealt with a efamiliar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
 7 And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
 8 Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers; so that they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.
 9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do aworse than the bheathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.
 10 And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not ahearken.
 11 ¶ Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh aamong the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
 12 And when he was in aaffliction, he bbesought the LORD his God, and chumbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
 13 And prayed unto him: and he was aintreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then bManasseh knew that the LORD he was Goda.
 13a Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God. Though Manasseh seems repentant and comes to understand that Jehovah is God, even the devils or spirits who followed Lucifer recognize as much. Manasseh having been the son of Hezekiah, had seen and witnessed the events of cleansing of the temple and high places and that reform which Hezekiah had put into place. But he returned to the practices of his grandfather Ahaz of sacrificing his children to idols (verse 6) and as Josephus records, he also killed the prophets such as having Isaiah sawn in half with a wooden saw. At best Manasseh's state ought to be views as like unto King David who has sorrow and repented but would not be exalted though 'saved' in the lesser kingdom. For Manasseh also continued to allow the people whom he had again corrupted to remain serving false gods in the high places, which was similar to King David who allowed his wives the privilage of worshipping their own strange gods, though David believed in Jehovah. And as Jeremiah records, Jerusalem would be punished for the sins of Manasseh in that it was Manasseh who reintroduced them to pagan worship and continued to allow it to so be an influence in the lives of the people.
 14 Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish agate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the bfenced cities of Judah.
 15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.
 16 And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.
 17 Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.
 18 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of aManasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the bseers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.
 19 His prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his sin, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the asayings of the seers.
 20 ¶ So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.
 21aAmon was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned two years in Jerusalem.
 22 But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them;
 23 And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.
 24 And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house.
 25 ¶ But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.