Keraia
People

Manasseh

Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, was a king of Judah who reigned for 55 years.

The name Manasseh means “forgetfulness; he that is forgotten”

MaleKingTribe of JudahDivided Monarchy eraOld & New Testaments5 books43 verses

Summary

A king of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2 Kings 20:21; referred to as Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה) or Manasseh (Μανασσῆς); a son of Hezekiah and Hephzibah; husband of Meshullemeth; father of Amon.

Profile

Manasseh was the thirteenth king of Judah, ruling from 697 to 642 BC. He was king for many years and became known for doing evil things (2 Kings 21:1–18; 2 Chronicles 33:1–9). This was surprising because his father, King Hezekiah, was a good and faithful king (2 Kings 20:21).

In 697 BC, Manasseh became co-ruler with his father, Hezekiah, at age twelve (2 Chronicles 33:1). In 686 BC, Hezekiah died, and Manasseh became the only king. He was king for fifty-five years (2 Kings 21:1). He was king longer than any other king in Judah or Israel. Sadly, he was the most wicked king of Judah. He rebuilt the high places for pagan worship, encouraged the worship of Baal, the sun, the moon, and the stars, and even sacrificed his son (2 Kings 21:2–9; see 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31). He allowed divination (seeking knowledge of the future through supernatural methods) and sorcery (using magic with the help of evil spirits) in Judah. He “shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem… with innocent blood” (2 Kings 21:16; 24:3–4).

Assyrian records say that Manasseh sent men to move timber from Lebanon to Nineveh for King Esarhaddon, who ruled from 680 to 669 BC. He also paid tribute to King Ashurbanipal, who ruled from 668 to 626 BC, after an Assyrian military campaign in Egypt in 667 BC. Manasseh was more loyal to Assyria than to the Lord.

Due to Manasseh's great sin, God decided to "wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down" (2 Kings 21:13). However, Manasseh repented late in life. The Assyrian army captured him, put a hook through his nose, and exiled him to Babylon (2 Chronicles 33:10–13). There, Manasseh turned to the Lord. God heard his prayers, restored him as king, and blessed the rest of his reign as Manasseh worked to restore proper worship of God alone (2 Chronicles 33:14–17).

Sadly, Manasseh's sins had spread among the people of Judah (2 Chronicles 33:17). God did not change his decision to judge the kingdom (2 Kings 23:26; 24:3–4). This shows how serious Manasseh's sins were. Even Jeremiah, one hundred years later, declared, "I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem" (Jeremiah 15:4). The destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple and the exile of Judah's people followed.

When Manasseh died in 642 BC at age 67, he was buried in his own garden (2 Kings 21:18). He was not buried with respected leaders like Jehoiada and Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 24:15–16; 32:33).

Passages for Further Study

2 Kings 20:21–21:18; 23:26; 24:3; 2 Chronicles 32:33–33:20; Jeremiah 15:4

Events

Dates are approximate

Glossary entries

Manasseh (Person) Manasses

Family members

Father

Hezekiah

Mother

Hephzibah

Spouse

Meshullemeth

Children

Amon

Alternative names

Mentions

Includes 19 verses that refer to Manasseh without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.

  1. 2 Kings 20:21
    And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and his son Manasseh reigned in his place.
  2. 2 Kings 21:1
    Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.
  3. 2 Kings 21:2Referred to, not named
    And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
  4. 2 Kings 21:3Referred to, not named
    For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
  5. 2 Kings 21:4Referred to, not named
    Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My Name.”
  6. 2 Kings 21:5Referred to, not named
    In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven.
  7. 2 Kings 21:6Referred to, not named
    He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
  8. 2 Kings 21:7Referred to, not named
    Manasseh even took the carved Asherah pole he had made and set it up in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever.
  9. 2 Kings 21:9
    But the people did not listen and Manasseh led them astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
  10. 2 Kings 21:11
    “Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to sin,
  11. 2 Kings 21:16
    Moreover, Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, in addition to the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, doing evil in the sight of the LORD.
  12. 2 Kings 21:17
    As for the rest of the acts of Manasseh, along with all his accomplishments and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
  13. 2 Kings 21:18
    And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And his son Amon reigned in his place.
  14. 2 Kings 21:20
    And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done.
  15. 2 Kings 23:12
    He pulled down the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD. The king pulverized them there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.
  16. 2 Kings 23:26
    Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the fury of His burning anger, which was kindled against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke Him to anger.
  17. 2 Kings 24:3
    Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done,
  18. 2 Kings 24:4Referred to, not named
    …and also for the innocent blood he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was unwilling to forgive.
  19. 1 Chronicles 3:13
    Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,
  20. 1 Chronicles 3:14Referred to, not named
    Amon his son, and Josiah his son.
  21. 2 Chronicles 32:33
    And Hezekiah rested with his fathers and was buried in the upper tombs of David’s descendants. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem paid him honor at his death. And his son Manasseh reigned in his place.
  22. 2 Chronicles 33:1
    Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.
  23. 2 Chronicles 33:2Referred to, not named
    And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
  24. 2 Chronicles 33:3Referred to, not named
    For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he raised up altars for the Baals and made Asherah poles. And he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
  25. 2 Chronicles 33:4Referred to, not named
    Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”
  26. 2 Chronicles 33:5Referred to, not named
    In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven.
  27. 2 Chronicles 33:6Referred to, not named
    He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben-hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
  28. 2 Chronicles 33:7Referred to, not named
    Manasseh even took the carved image he had made and set it up in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever.
  29. 2 Chronicles 33:9
    So Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
  30. 2 Chronicles 33:10
    And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen.
  31. 2 Chronicles 33:11
    So the LORD brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
  32. 2 Chronicles 33:12Referred to, not named
    And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.
  33. 2 Chronicles 33:13
    And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition. So He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.
  34. 2 Chronicles 33:14Referred to, not named
    After this, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and he brought it around the hill of Ophel and heightened it considerably. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
  35. 2 Chronicles 33:15Referred to, not named
    He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, along with all the altars he had built on the temple mount and in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city.
  36. 2 Chronicles 33:16Referred to, not named
    Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and he told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel.
  37. 2 Chronicles 33:18
    As for the rest of the acts of Manasseh, along with his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, they are indeed written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
  38. 2 Chronicles 33:19Referred to, not named
    His prayer and how God received his plea, as well as all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself, they are indeed written in the Records of the Seers.
  39. 2 Chronicles 33:20
    And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried at his palace. And his son Amon reigned in his place.
  40. 2 Chronicles 33:22
    And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done. Amon served and sacrificed to all the idols that his father Manasseh had made,
  41. 2 Chronicles 33:23
    …but he did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done; instead, Amon increased his guilt.
  42. Jeremiah 15:4
    I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
  43. Matthew 1:10
    Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,