Manasseh was twelve years old ,.... From hence to the end of 2 Chronicles 33:9 the same things are recorded, almost word for word, as in 2 Kings 21:1 , see the notes there. See Gill on 2 Kings 21:1 . read more
Altars for Baalim - The Sun and Moon. And made groves, אשרות Asheroth , Astarte, Venus; the host of heaven, all the Planets and Stars. These were the general objects of his devotion. read more
The apostate. Well indeed was it for King Hezekiah that he did not foresee, though he may have feared (see previous homily), the character and the course of his son and successor. Had he done so, not all his riches and honour, not all his treasuries and storehouses, not all his flocks and herds, not all his watercourses and other works, would have removed sorrow from his heart. There has never, in any land, been a greater change, a sadder reaction, than that experienced by Judah when the... read more
Uncertain repentances. While the father Hezekiah filled one of the niches of the throe typical best kings, his son Manasseh, the thirteenth King of Judah, by mournful contrast, occupies one of those of the three worst of all the kings of both lines, the other two being Jeroboam and Ahab. His reign, filling the longest space of all, viz. fifty-five years, occupies but a very unequal space on the page of the present history, and a yet shorter in the parallel ( 2 Kings 21:1-18 ). Eventful... read more
The reign of Manasseh. I. ITS EARLY COMMENCEMENT . Manasseh, "One who forgets" (Gesenius)—an exceedingly appropriate name for one who in his lifetime forgat God and every good thing; in the inscriptions Minasi; perhaps so called "in allusion to the zeal with which the northern tribe had joined in Hezekiah's reforms" ( 2 Chronicles 30:11 ), or to the desire which prevailed in Hezekiah's reign for a union of the two kingdoms" (Stanley)—was twelve years old when he ascended his... read more
He built again ; literally, returned and built —the ordinary Hebrew idiom for "took again to building," etc. Made groves ; i.e. as often before the stocks that set forth Ashtoreth ( Deuteronomy 16:21 ). The parallel gives prominence to the one Asherah, ten times offensive, as set up in the house of the Lord ( 2 Chronicles 33:7 there). The mention of his pantheon of the host of heaven is an addition to the wickedness of former wicked kings. It is also noted in the parallel. read more
The evil of Manasseh and Amon (33:1-25)Manasseh receives the full blame for destroying all the good work that his father had done. Over his long reign of fifty-five years he dragged the nation down to its lowest spiritual condition ever. Although he made a brief attempt at reform towards the end of his life, he could not undo the damage of the previous half a century. Nor was any king after him able to reform Judah sufficiently to save it from judgment. Like Israel, Judah would go into... read more
groves = 'Asheroth. See App-42 . the host of heaven. Compare Deuteronomy 17:3 . read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Chronicles 33:1-10
We have here an account of the great wickedness of Manasseh. It is the same almost word for word with that which we had 2 Kgs. 21:1-9, and took a melancholy view of. It is no such pleasing subject that we should delight to dwell upon it again. This foolish young prince, in contradiction to the good example and good education his father gave him, abandoned himself to all impiety, transcribed the abominations of the heathen (2 Chron. 33:2), ruined the established religion, unravelled his... read more