Bible Commentaries

^a And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

(a) Read (2 Kings 16:3).

Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have appointed for your fathers; so that they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the ^b hand of Moses.

(b) By the charge given to Moses.

And the LORD spake ^c to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.

(c) Meaning by his prophets, but their hearts were not touched to believe and repent, without which the preaching of the word has no effect.

And prayed unto him: and he was ^d intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he [was] God.

(d) Thus affliction gives understanding: for he that hated God in his prosperity now in his misery seeks him.

Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of ^e Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about ^f Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.

(e) Read (2 Chronicles 32:30).

(f) Read (2 Chronicles 27:3).

And he repaired the ^g altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.

(g) Which Solomon had caused to be made.

Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, [yet] unto the ^h LORD their God only.

(h) Thus by ignorance they were deceived, thinking it nothing to keep the altars, so that they worshipped God: but it is idolatry to worship God any other way than he has appointed.

Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his ⁱ prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they [are written] in the book of the kings of Israel.

(i) Which although it is not contained in the Hebrew, yet because it is here mentioned and is written in the Greek, we have placed it in the end of this book.

So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own ^k house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

(k) Because he had so horribly offended against the Lord, they did not bury him in the sepulchres of the kings, but in the garden of the king's house.