Manasseh's 55-year reign—the longest of any Judean king—ironically becomes the most destructive, reversing his great-grandfather Hezekiah's reforms and sealing Judah's fate.
2 Kings 21
Manasseh of Judah
1Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.
2He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, after the abominations of the nations whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
3For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he raised up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel did, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served them.
4He built altars in the LORD’s house, of which the LORD said, “I will put my name in Jerusalem.”
5He built altars for all the army of the sky in the two courts of the LORD’s house.
6He made his son to pass through the fire, practiced sorcery, used enchantments, and dealt with those who had familiar spirits and with wizards. He did much evil in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger.
7He set the engraved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which the LORD 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, I will put my name forever;
8I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.”
9But they didn’t listen, and Manasseh seduced them to do that which is evil more than the nations did whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.
10The LORD spoke by his servants the prophets, saying,
11“Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, and has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has also made Judah to sin with his idols;
12therefore the LORD the God of Israel says, ‘Behold, I will bring such evil on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle.
13I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plumb line of Ahab’s house; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
14I will cast off the remnant of my inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. They will become a prey and a plunder to all their enemies,
15because they have done that which is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’”
16Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; in addition to his sin with which he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the LORD’s sight.
17Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
18Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza; and Amon his son reigned in his place.
Amon of Judah
19Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
20He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, as Manasseh his father did.
21He walked in all the ways that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them;
22and he abandoned the LORD, the God of his fathers, and didn’t walk in the way of the LORD.
23The servants of Amon conspired against him, and put the king to death in his own house.
24But 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.
25Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
26He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son reigned in his place.
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Theme
2 Kings 21 chronicles the reigns of two of Judah's most wicked kings: Manasseh and his son Amon. Manasseh's 55-year reign represents the nadir of Judah's spiritual decline, as he systematically reversed his father Hezekiah's reforms by rebuilding pagan shrines, practicing child sacrifice, and even placing idols in the Jerusalem temple. God's judgment through the prophets declares that Jerusalem will face the same destruction as Samaria due to Manasseh's unprecedented wickedness and his leading the nation into sin.
Context
This chapter marks the dramatic reversal of the spiritual reforms accomplished under Hezekiah, setting the stage for the eventual Babylonian exile despite the coming reforms under Josiah.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-3 Manasseh's Accession and Initial Apostasy The twelve-year-old king begins his reign by rebuilding the pagan worship sites his father Hezekiah had destroyed.
- 4-7 Desecration of the Temple Manasseh commits the ultimate sacrilege by building altars to foreign gods within the LORD's house and placing an Asherah image there.
- 8-9 Violation of the Covenant Despite God's conditional promises to Israel, Manasseh leads the nation into greater wickedness than the original Canaanite inhabitants.
- 10-15 Divine Judgment Pronounced The LORD declares through prophets that Jerusalem will be destroyed and emptied like Samaria because of Manasseh's abominations.
- 16-18 Manasseh's Violence and Death The king's reign is marked by massive bloodshed before he dies and is succeeded by his son Amon.
- 19-26 Amon's Brief Wicked Reign Amon follows his father's evil ways for two years before being assassinated by his own servants, leading to his son Josiah's accession.
Manasseh of Judah
21:1–21:18 narrative narration wrathful
King Manasseh's evil reign is chronicled, including his restoration of idolatrous practices and God's pronouncement of judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah for his abominations.
person_contrast
Manasseh's 55-year reign—the longest of any Judean king—ironically becomes the most destructive, reversing his great-grandfather Hezekiah's reforms and sealing Judah's fate.
Amon of Judah
21:19–21:26 narrative narration solemn
King Amon follows his father Manasseh's evil ways, serving idols and abandoning the Lord, until he is assassinated by his servants and succeeded by his son Josiah.
person_contrast
Manasseh's legacy transforms from repentant reformer in Chronicles to corrupting influence here, where his son Amon explicitly follows "all the ways that his father walked in.
Insights
Manasseh's legacy transforms from repentant reformer in Chronicles to corrupting influence here, where his son Amon explicitly follows "all the ways that his father walked in.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
2 Kings 21:1 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Chronicles 33:1 Lexical
Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.
2 Kings 15:2 Lexical
He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jeco…
2 Chronicles 26:3 Lexical
Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was…
2 Kings 23:36 Lexical
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name…
2 Chronicles 27:1 Lexical
Jotham was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name wa…
2 Kings 21:3 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Chronicles 33:3 Lexical
For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he raised up altars for the Baals, mad…
2 Kings 17:16 Lexical
They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made molten images for themselves, even two calves, and m…
Judges 6:28 Lexical
When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut…
2 Chronicles 32:12 Lexical
Hasn’t the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You shal…
2 Kings 18:22 Lexical
But if you tell me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ isn’t that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken…
2 Kings 21:5 1 reference
2 Kings 21:6 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Chronicles 33:6 Lexical
He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination,…
Deuteronomy 18:10 Lexical
There shall not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divina…
2 Kings 17:17 Lexical
They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, used divination and enchantments, and sold themselv…
Leviticus 19:26 Lexical
“‘You shall not eat any meat with the blood still in it. You shall not use enchantments, nor practice sorcery.
Leviticus 20:27 Lexical
“‘A man or a woman that is a medium or is a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones. Their…
2 Kings 21:7 3 references
Lexicals 3
2 Chronicles 33:7 Lexical
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…
1 Kings 12:21 Lexical
When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty…
1 Kings 14:21 Lexical
Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned se…
2 Kings 21:8 2 references
Lexicals 2
2 Kings 21:9 1 reference
2 Kings 21:11 1 reference
2 Kings 21:12 1 reference
2 Kings 21:13 1 reference
2 Kings 21:14 3 references
Lexicals 3
Jeremiah 12:7 Lexical
“I have forsaken my house. I have cast off my heritage. I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her…
Jeremiah 30:16 Lexical
Therefore all those who devour you will be devoured. All your adversaries, everyone of them, will go into captivity. Tho…
Isaiah 42:22 Lexical
But this is a robbed and plundered people. All of them are snared in holes, and they are hidden in prisons. They have be…
2 Kings 21:16 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Kings 24:4 Lexical
and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon…
Jeremiah 22:3 Lexical
The LORD says: “Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no…
Jeremiah 7:6 Lexical
if you don’t oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, and don’t shed innocent blood in this place, and don’…
Isaiah 59:7 Lexical
Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity. Desolation and d…
Deuteronomy 19:10 Lexical
This is so that innocent blood will not be shed in the middle of your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inhe…
2 Kings 21:17 5 references
Lexicals 5
1 Kings 15:7 Lexical
The rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of J…
1 Kings 16:5 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Baasha, and what he did, and his might, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of…
1 Kings 16:20 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and his treason that he committed, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles…
1 Kings 11:41 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren’t they written in the book of the acts of…
1 Kings 14:19 Lexical
The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicl…
2 Kings 21:18 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Chronicles 33:20 Lexical
So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house; and Amon his son reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 32:33 Lexical
Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent to the tombs of the sons of David. All Judah and the…
1 Kings 16:28 Lexical
So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 10:35 Lexical
Jehu slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria. Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 8:24 Lexical
Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in David’s city; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 21:19 1 reference
2 Kings 21:24 2 references
2 Kings 21:25 5 references
Lexicals 5
1 Kings 16:14 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of…
1 Kings 14:29 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the king…
1 Kings 15:23 Lexical
Now the rest of all the acts of Asa, and all his might, and all that he did, and the cities which he built, aren’t they…
1 Kings 15:31 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Nadab, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings o…
1 Kings 15:7 Lexical
The rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of J…
2 Kings 21:26 2 references
Lexicals 2
Interlinear
Word-by-word original language
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