2 Kings 21:1-11

1 Manasseh was of twelve years, when he began to reign, and he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Hephzibah.
2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, after the evils of heathen men, the which men the Lord did away from the face of the sons of Israel.
3 And he was turned, and builded [up] (again the) high things, which Hezekiah, his father (had) destroyed; and he raised up altars of Baal, and he made maumet woods, as Ahab, king of Israel, had done; and he worshipped withoutforth all the knighthood of (the) heaven(s), and worshipped it in heart. (And he rebuilt the hill shrines, which his father Hezekiah had destroyed; and he raised up altars for Baal, and he made idol groves, or a sacred pole, like Ahab, the king of Israel, had done; and he worshipped withoutforth all the host of heaven, and also worshipped them with his heart.)
4 And he builded altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, I shall set my name in Jerusalem. (And he built altars in the House of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, I shall set my name in Jerusalem there.)
5 And he builded altars to all the knighthood of (the) heaven(s) in the two large places of the temple of the Lord; (And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two large courtyards of the Temple of the Lord;)
6 and he led over his son through the fire; and he used false divinings in altars, on which sacrifice was made to fiends, and he kept false divinings by chittering of birds; and he made men to have evil spirits speaking in the womb, and he multiplied false diviners in entrails of beasts sacrificed to fiends, that he should do evil before the Lord, and stir him to ire. (and he burned, or sacrificed, his own son in the fire; and he practiced false divinings at altars on which sacrifice was made to fiends, and he did false divinings by the twittering of birds; and he made men to have evil spirits speaking in their wombs, and he increased the number of false diviners of the entrails of beasts sacrificed to fiends, and he did evil before the Lord, and stirred him to anger.)
7 And he set an idol of wood, that he had made, in the temple of the Lord, of which temple the Lord spake to David, and to Solomon, his son, saying, I shall set my name without end in this temple, and in Jerusalem, which I chose (out) of all the lineages of Israel. (And he set up a wooden idol, that he had made, in the Temple of the Lord, of which Temple the Lord spoke to David, and to his son Solomon, saying, I shall set my name without end in this Temple, and in Jerusalem, which I chose out of all the tribes of Israel.)
8 And I shall no more make the foot of Israel to be moved from the land which I gave to the fathers of them; so nevertheless if they keep in work all things that I have commanded to them, and all the law that Moses, my servant, commanded to them.
9 Soothly they heard not, but were deceived of Manasseh, that they did evil over heathen men, which the Lord all-brake from the face of the sons of Israel. (But they would not listen, and were deceived by Manasseh, and they did more evil than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.)
10 And the Lord spake in the hand of his servants (the) prophets, and said, (And the Lord spoke by his servants the prophets, and said,)
11 For Manasseh, king of Judah, did these worst abominations over all things which (the) Amorites did before him, and made also the people of Judah to do sin in his uncleannesses (and also made the people of Judah to do sin with his idols);

2 Kings 21:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 21

In this chapter a short history is given of the two wicked reigns of Manasseh and Amon; Manasseh is charged with great idolatry, with enchantments and witchcrafts, and seducing the children of Israel, 2Ki 21:1-9 and a prophecy is given out of the destruction of Jerusalem for his sins, 2Ki 21:10-16, and an account is given of his death and burial, 2Ki 21:17,18, and of his son and successor Amon, and the evils committed by him, 2Ki 21:19-22 and of the conspiracy against his life, which succeeded, and Josiah his son reigned in his stead, 2Ki 21:23-26.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.