And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets ,.... Who prophesied in the days of Manasseh; and were, according to the Jewish chronology F6 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 20. p. 55. , Joel, Nahum, and Habakkuk: saying : as follows. read more
Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations ,.... Before named, 2 Kings 21:3 , and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did that were before him ; one of the seven nations of Canaan, a principal of them, and which is put for all the rest: and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols : the worship of them, as the Targum; which he did both by his edicts, and by his example. read more
Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel ,.... Who, though kind and gracious to Israel as their covenant God, is yet just and righteous, as well as he is a sovereign Being and Lord of all: behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle ; it will make such a noise in the world, and be so horrible and terrible; and if, he report of it would be so dreadful as to make a man's ears tingle, and his heart tremble, what must... read more
The Lord spake by - the prophets - The prophets were Hosea, Joel, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Isaiah. These five following verses contain the sum of what these prophets spoke. It is said that Isaiah not only prophesied in those days, but also that he was put to death by Manasseh, being sawn asunder by a wooden saw. read more
Both his ears shall tingle - תצלנה titstsalnah ; something expressive of the sound in what we call, from the same sensation, the tingling of the ears. This is the consequence of having the ears suddenly pierced with a loud and shrill noise; the ears seem to ring for some time after. The prophets spoke to them vehemently, so that the sound seemed to be continued even when they had left off speaking. This was a faithful and solemn testimony. read more
Manasseh's wicked reign. Two thoughts are brought before us by the reign of Manasseh. They are a striking contrast to one another. I. THE POWER OF SIN . 1. We see how sin perpetuates itself . The deeds of Manasseh were just a repetition of the worst deeds of his predecessors. "He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen." He built up again the high places. He made altars for Baal. He worshipped all the host of heaven. He made... read more
The reaction under Manasseh. Light and dark alternate strangely in the later history of Judah. Overlooking the brief reign of Amon, Hezekiah alternates with Ahaz, and Josiah with Manasseh. The good kings are very good, the bad kings very bad. The climax of wickedness is reached in Manasseh. He had a good father, as Hezekiah had a wicked one, yet he outstripped in daring ungodliness all the kings before and after him. I. HIS PRECOCITY IN EVIL . 1. His tendencies were evil . ... read more
THE REIGN OF MANASSEH . Hezekiah's good and glorious reign was followed by one of exactly the opposite character. His son and successor, Manasseh, reversed Hezekiah's entire religious policy, and returned to the wicked practices of his grandfather Ahaz. In verses 3-9 and verse 16 his various abominations are enumerated, while in verses 10-15 God's sentence is pronounced upon them. The account of his reign terminates with a brief summary (verses 17, 18). read more
The lesson of Manasseh's life, that it is far easier to do than to undo evil. Manasseh, carried away by the impetuosity of youth, and under the advice of evil counselors, threw himself into a movement the direct opposite of that instituted by his father, and in a short time completely changed in all respects the whole religion of the kingdom. His idea, so far as we can trace it, seems to have been a welcoming of heathen and idolatrous creeds and rites of all kinds and from all quarters,... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 21:10-18
Here is the doom of Judah and Jerusalem read, and it is heavy doom. The prophets were sent, in the first place, to teach them the knowledge of God, to remind them of their duty and direct them in it. If they succeeded not in that, their next work was to reprove them for their sins, and to set them in view before them, that they might repent and reform, and return to their duty. If in this they prevailed not, but sinners went on frowardly, their next work was to foretel the judgments of God,... read more