Deeper Commentary
2Ch 33:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem-
"Causing to forget" is a strange name for a child unless the father
[like Joseph] had a previous life he wanted to forget. Manasseh was born
three years into Hezekiah's final 15 years of life in which he turned away
from God. So I suggest that his name reflects Hezekiah's desire to 'forget
all that God stuff' and get on with 'enjoying' his last 15 years without
God. And this was naturally reflected in the way he raised a son who was one
of Israel's most evil rulers.
2Ch 33:2 He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, after the
abominations of the nations whom Yahweh cast out before the children of
Israel-
We may wonder why God let such an evil man live and reign for 55 years
(:1), the longest reigning of any king. Surely if he had been slain for his
wickedness, as other men were, then he would have led fewer people astray? I
suggest the answer is that God worked for decades towards this evil man's
repentance- and it paid off. He did repent in the end. And we can look
forward to eternity together with him. We see in this the huge meaning and
value God places upon the individual person, and how He will not give up
searching for the lost until He finds them. Manasseh would be the parade
example of that.
2Ch 33:3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had
broken down; and he reared up altars for the Baals, and made Asheroth, and
worshipped all the army of the sky, and served them-
This revival of idolatry would not have been possible unless the people
generally were eager and willing for it. I suggested previously that
Hezekiah's reforms were largely on the cusp of his becoming king. They
were partly a psychological reaction against the misery of Ahaz's reign,
and the reforms of 2 Chron. 31 were often a result of group psychology
rather than personal reformation of the heart. They were all too sudden
and spontaneous, at the same moment, to have been the outcome of all the
concerned individuals having the same heart response. There was a group
psychology there, a going with the crowd. And so it is unsurprising that
they all turned away relatively soon afterwards.
2Ch 33:4 He built altars in the house of Yahweh, of which Yahweh said, My
name shall be in Jerusalem forever-
This was precisely the behaviour of his grandfather Ahaz. I suggest
that this was only done by persuading themselves that these altars were in
fact a form of Yahweh worship. For there is never any specific statement
that Judah formally renounced Yahweh. And this continues to be the abiding
weakness of God's people; to justify wrongdoing by claiming it is part of
worshipping God. Such as justifying luxury homes and goods in the name of
needing them to serve God with.
2Ch 33:5 He built altars for all the army of the sky in the two courts of
the house of Yahweh-
These were the court of the priests, and the court of the common people
(2 Chron. 4:9). The priesthood were surely complicit in this. For when
Uzziah had tried to offer incense himself, 80 faithful priests resisted
him. But there is no record of any such resistance to Manasseh. The
priests in Hezekiah's time had been reticent to devote themselves solely
to Yahweh (1 Chron. 29:34). I suggested that this was because they were
accustomed to being priests both of Yahweh and of the pagan gods. This
means that they took a cut from all the offerings to all the gods.
2Ch 33:6 He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of
the son of Hinnom-
This would have meant that his surviving children would have hated him
for slaying their siblings; although passing through the fire may have
been a dedication ceremony rather than actually burning them to death. 2
Kings 21:6 has "his son", 2 Chron. 33:6 has "his children". As he had more
than one son, we are to infer surely that this focus upon "his son" meant
that one of his sons in particular passed through the fire, and that could
imply that he sacrificed his son [maybe his firstborn]. Israel should have
removed from amongst them a man who did this (Dt. 18:10), and the fact
they didn't suggests they therefore passively supported him in his
apostacy.
The valley of Hinnom, Ge Hinnom, was to later be known as Gehenna, and became a symbol used by the Lord for complete destruction (Mt. 5:22). As they burnt their children there, to destruction, so sinners would be burnt to destruction in that same place.
And he practised sorcery and used enchantments, and
practised witchcraft and dealt with those who had familiar spirits, and with
wizards-
AV "a familiar spirit" is misleading, and many of the modern versions
give something like "witch" or [ESV, GNB] "a medium". LXX has "a divining
spirit". It doesn't mean she did actually have any such spirit; but that
she was considered as having this. Such people were thought to be able to
be possessed by the spirit of dead people, and to therefore speak in their
name. But the Bible clearly teaches that the "spirit returns to God" (Ps.
146:4; Ecc. 12:7), and that death is unconsciousness. The spirit of dead
persons don't enter other people. I would go so far as to say that the
record of the witch at Endor, who supposedly had a "familiar spirit", is
deconstructing this belief. For Samuel himself appears, and speaks
directly to Saul, and not through the "medium". The woman therefore
screamed in shock when Samuel actually appeared. He was resurrected,
briefly, in order to give God's final message to Saul. The people claiming
to have "familiar spirits" lay on the ground and mumbled hard to
understand words in a voice seeking to imitate the dead person (Is. 29:4)
but Samuel appeared in person and spoke clearly to Saul, directly. We also
note that Samuel appeared to Saul standing upright, because Saul bowed
before him: "Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face
to the ground and showed respect" (1 Sam. 28:14). This was quite different
to how the mediums lay on the ground and mumbled words into the dust.
He worked much evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke Him to
anger-
God can be grieved [s.w. 'provoke to anger']. He has emotions, and His
potential foreknowledge doesn't mean that these feelings are not
legitimate. They are presented as occurring in human time, as responses to
human behaviour. This is the degree to which He has accommodated Himself
to human time-space limits, in order to fully enter relationship and
experience with us. As He can limit His omnipotence, so God can limit His
omniscience, in order to feel and respond along with us.
2Ch 33:7 He set the engraved image of the idol, which he had made, in
God’s house, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, In this
house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of
Israel, will I put My name forever-
Manasseh is criticized for placing an idol in the
very place where God's Name of Yahweh was meant to dwell, “the graven
image of Asherah” (2 Kings 21:7 RV).
He replaced the invisible things- the more abstract things of the
characteristics of God which the Name speaks of- by something material and
visible. We make the same mistake when we turn away from true spirituality
and become lost in physical works. If Judah had not forgotten the Name
[and this must refer to their lack of appreciation of it rather than
forgetting the letters JHVH], then they wouldn’t have served Baal and
other gods (Jer. 23:27).
2Ch 33:8 neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from off
the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will
observe to do all that I have commanded them, even all the law and the
statutes and the ordinances given by Moses-
This is apparently (:7) a quotation from what God said to David and
Solomon. But it appears to be an adaptation about the promises to the
singular seed, that he must continue in obedience if the promises were to
be fulfilled through him. But just as Abraham's seed is both the Lord
Jesus and all those in Him, the true Israel of God, so the promises about
David's seed also have a collective dimension.
2Ch 33:9 Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that
they did more evil than the nations did whom Yahweh had destroyed before
the children of Israel-
God's tolerance of Judah in His land was therefore by grace, and in
hope of their repentance. Their doing "more evil" than the Gentiles could
refer to the fact that as in covenant relationship with God, they were the
more responsible for their sins. Or the idea may be that most Gentiles
were faithful to their set of gods, only changing them if that was
enforced upon them by the military dominance of a neighbour. But Judah
went running madly to every god they could, described by Hosea under the
figure of sexual addiction.
2Ch 33:10 Yahweh spoke to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no
heed-
"They gave no heed", or 'did not listen', is a phrase used in the
later prophets as they appeal to the exiles (Neh. 9:34; Zech. 1:4). The
sins of Manasseh in 'not listening' to God's word are cited as the main
reason for the exile. We note that refusing to listen to God's word is the
essence of all the sins of idolatry etc. It is the spurning of
relationship with God which appears to hurt Him even more than the list of
sins which Manasseh was also guilty of.
2Ch 33:11 Therefore Yahweh brought on them the captains of the army of the
king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters,
and carried him to Babylon-
Literally, "in thorns", but the idea is of rings or hooks, probably
in his nose. For it was like this that Assyria was to be treated by God,
and the latter day Assyrian led by Gog will likewise effectively be
Yahweh's captive servant with rings in his nose (2 Kings 19:28; Ez. 38:4).
Or it could be that Manasseh was taken "in the thorns", hiding in a thorn
bush.
Albert Barnes notes: "Esarhaddon mentions Manasseh among his
tributaries; and he was the only king of Assyria who, from time to time,
held his court at Babylon".
2Ch 33:12 When he was in distress, he begged Yahweh his God, and humbled
himself greatly before the God of his fathers-
There is no lack of evidence that later Bible characters found
inspiration in Samson, especially in their weakness. Manasseh is an
example (2 Chron. 33:12,13 = Jud. 16:19,28). The intensity of Samson's repentance was quite something. It must have
inspired Manasseh (2 Chron. 33:11), who like Samson was bound (Jud. 16:21)
and humbled (Jud. 16:5,16,19 AVmg.)- and then repented with a like
intensity. And Zedekiah went through the same basic experience, of capture
by his enemies, having his eyes put out, his capture attributed to false
gods; and he likewise repented (2 Kings 25:7).
2Ch 33:13 He prayed to Him; and He was entreated by him, and heard his
supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then
Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God-
Manasseh's repentance and forgiveness was associated with his knowing
Yahweh. He prayed to Yahweh, but only on experiencing forgiveness did he
come to know Him (2 Chron. 33:13). To really know the Name elicits
forgiveness, and the experience of that forgiveness leads to knowing the
Name yet further. Job went through the same; when he truly saw / perceived
God, he repented and 'loathed his words' (Job 42:6 RVmg.).
Humanly speaking, the return of Manasseh to Judah would have been
because Assyria wanted to turn Judah into a vassal, buffer state between
them and the mighty power of Egypt, which they feared. But this coincided
with Manasseh's repentance.
2Ch 33:14 Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on
the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish
gate; and he encircled Ophel with it, and raised it up to a very great
height; and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah-
This wall seems to have been on the north east of the city, from the
modern Damascus gate across the Gihon valley to the “fish gate” at the
north east of the “city of David”. These defensive actions suggest he
started to break away from servitude to Assyria, even though that was
probably the basis of his return from exile (see on :13). Building
projects like these were typically recorded as being done at the beginning
of the reigns of kings of Judah, and so it's as if he was born again, and
was trying to start out afresh.
2Ch 33:15 He took away the foreign gods, and the idol out of the house of
Yahweh, and all the altars that he had built in the mountain of the house
of Yahweh, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city-
This seems largely to have been his personal repentance, because the
people continued their idolatry (:17) and were clearly devoted to idols in
their hearts. The idols were apparently not destroyed, for in Josiah's
time they had to be destroyed. To undo damage caused is a key feature of
repentance, and truly Manasseh had fruits appropriate for repentance. He
is really a stellar example of repentance. For his sin is repeatedly
stated as being of leading Judah to idolatry. To so openly admit he had
been wrong was truly a sign of abiding humility.
2Ch 33:16 He built up the altar of Yahweh, and offered thereon sacrifices
of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and commanded Judah to serve
Yahweh, the God of Israel-
This would imply he had at least partially destroyed the altar of
Yahweh, in favour of altars to other gods. There are a number of other Old Testament examples of preaching the word
after becoming aware of the depth of one's own sins. Consider Jonah
preaching the second time, with the marks in his body after three days in
the whale, admitting his rebellion against Yahweh, pleading with them to
respond to His word. Reflect how when his head was wrapped around with
seaweed, at the bottom of the sea at the absolute end of mortal life, he
made a vow to God, which he then fulfilled, presumably in going back to
preach to Nineveh (Jonah 2:9). His response to having confessed his sins
and daring to believe in God’s forgiveness, turning again towards His
temple even from underwater, was to resolve to preach to others if he was
spared his life. And this he did, although as with so many of us, the
pureness of his initial evangelical zeal soon flaked. Or consider
Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. 19:3 cp. 18:31; 19:2;
Josiah, 2 Chron. 34:29,32; Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. 3:29; 4:2.
2Ch 33:17 Nevertheless the people sacrificed still in the high places, but
only to Yahweh their God-
The essence of Judah's apostacy, then and now, was to combine service
of Yahweh with that of idols. And so this is not a good comment. For
sacrifice should have been made in the temple, and not in the idol
shrines. We need to constantly ask ourselves whether we are serving our
own idolatry in the name of serving God. This mixture of truth and error
is seen not only in practical ways but also in the way so many Christian
doctrines such as the trinity are in fact a mixture of paganism with
truth.
2Ch 33:18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God,
and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Yahweh, the God
of Israel, behold, they are written among the acts of the kings of Israel-
Manasseh's prayer is recorded in various uninspired writings. But it
is not in the volumes we know as 1 and 2 Kings. I have therefore cautioned
that the common concluding statement that the deeds of a king are "written
in the book of the kings" should not be taken as necessarily referring to
the books of Kings in our Bibles.
The words of the prophets who appealed to him are recorded in 2 Kings 21:11-15.
2Ch 33:19 His prayer also, and how God was entreated of him, and all his
sin and his trespass, and the places in which he built high places, and
set up the Asherim and the engraved images, before he humbled himself:
they are written in the history of Hozai-
This history, presumably written by a prophet called Hozai, isn't
preserved. The LXX stresses that this included a geographical inventory of
"the spots on which he built the high places, and set there groves and
graven images". This list was presumably produced by Manasseh as part of
his repentance, and would have been the basis of his practical attempt to
put right what he had done wrong. Writing an inventory of people we've
hurt or the ways in which others have suffered from our sins is something
used in counseling alcoholics in the 12 step program, and it has value for
all repentance.
2Ch 33:20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his
own house; and Amon his son reigned in his place-
LXX "in the garden of his house".
2Ch 33:21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he
reigned two years in Jerusalem-
He had been raised in the spirit of his father's apostacy, and was
apparently unimpressed by Manasseh's amazing repentance.
2Ch 33:22 He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, as did
Manasseh his father; and Amon sacrificed to all the engraved images which
Manasseh his father had made, and served them-
Manasseh had removed the images, but not apparently destroyed them.
The history of the kings abounds with such references to idolatry being
reformed, and then so quickly revived. The speed of its revival reflects
the fact that the heart of the people generally was with the idols. And we
must assess our own episodes of apparent repentance in this light.
Manasseh had repaired the temple (:16), but by Josiah's time it needed
repairing again; so it could be that Amon also desecrated and damaged the
temple yet further.
2Ch 33:23 He didn’t humble himself before Yahweh, as Manasseh his father
had humbled himself; but this same Amon trespassed more and more-
Manasseh goes down in the record as the parade example of a man who
manages to put the brakes on as he slides downhill to destruction. For the
antithesis to Manasseh's humility and repentance is that Amon sinned "more
and more". "Humble himself" is parallel with 'repentance' (LXX uses the
term 'repentance' here). This is the essence of repentance- self humbling.
2Ch 33:24 His servants conspired against him, and put him to death in his
own house-
There seems a special stigma and shame attached to being murdered in
ones' own home, rather than on a battlefield or dying from old age.
2Ch 33:25 But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired
against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in
his place-
Josiah means 'foundation of Yah'. It's unlikely this was the name Amon
gave him, although a repentant Manasseh may have influenced it. However,
at no point did even kings like Amon and Manasseh formally deny Yahweh.
They worshipped Him, so they thought, through worshipping idols. So it is
not impossible that indeed this was Josiah's birth name. And from that we
can take yet another warning, to serve Yahweh with our whole hearts; and
not assume that our service of the flesh is serving Him.
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