Good King Manasseh?
“Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign … he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah” (2 Kings 21:1‑2).
The account of King Manasseh in Judah given to us in 2 Kings 21 paints a picture of a very bad King who, ironically, ruled longer than any other king. He was a worshipper of Baal and Asherah. He sacrificed his son in the fire. He used spiritism to foretell the future and worked with familiar spirits and wizards. And on top of all of this, he was a murderer shedding much innocent blood in Jerusalem. He appealed to the depraved nature of the people and led them into greater wickedness than the Canaanite nations that were destroyed by Jehovah during the conquering of the land.
Manasseh ascended to the throne of Judah when his father Hezekiah died. He was only 12 years old at the time. He was born during the last 15 years of Hezekiah’s reign which was the same 15 years of added life for which Hezekiah had prayed (2 Kings 20:6).
As a youth of only 12 years, Manasseh was not well prepared to be king. In fact, we wonder how a son of good king Hezekiah could turn out so badly. But in his last 15 years, Hezekiah did exhibit some prideful behavior for which Jehovah took him to task (2 Chronicles 32:25). Nothing is written regarding Manasseh’s mother, but we surmise his upbringing lacked the necessary moral and spiritual education for righteous leadership of Israel.
The book of 2 Kings leaves the record with nothing good to say about this king. However, this record is incomplete. When we go to the parallel history in 2 Chronicles 33, we find that there is more to story.
The account includes the punishment that Jehovah brought upon Manasseh for his wickedness. We pick up the narrative with verse 11. “Wherefore Jehovah brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh in chains, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.”[1]
So, Manasseh was taken to Babylon in chains and fetters, a humiliating and shaming experience for a king! In fact, the Hebrew word for “chains” is rendered “hooks” or “hook in his nose” by several translators.[2],[3] It is hard to imagine a greater public humiliation for the chief ruler of a country.
This terrible consequence for disobedience to Jehovah’s commandment had a positive effect on Manasseh. “And when he was in distress, he besought Jehovah his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And he prayed unto him; and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Jehovah he was God” (2 Chronicles 33:12, 13).
Manasseh “humbled himself greatly” and acknowledged and confessed his sin to his God. Amazingly, he was heard. Jehovah brought him back to Jerusalem and restored him to his throne. We are clearly told that Manasseh “knew that Jehovah he was God.”
His experience can be seen as a “conversion.” Manasseh was convicted by his own experience of witnessing God’s justice and power. All of the false gods that he had worshipped had no saving power against the King of Assyria. But in praying to God, he learned that Jehovah alone delivered him and was the true God.
It is interesting that this expression “Jehovah he was God” is identical to the shout of the people on Mount Carmel during the contest between Baal and Jehovah. When the fire from God consumed the sacrifice of Elijah that people shouted twice: “Jehovah, he is God; Jehovah, he is God.”
1 KINGS 18:39
2 CHRONICLES 33:13
In both cases there was a profound demonstration of Jehovah’s Godship. This demonstration had the surprising yet wonderful effect of changing Manasseh’s heart.
Once back home in Jerusalem with the power of his kingship restored, Manasseh set about doing what his converted heart had promised. Here is a list of what he accomplished:
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- After losing the war with the King of Assyria, he built an outer wall around the city. He was determined to make the defenses of the city more robust. We are told it was raised to a very great height.
- He assigned “valiant captains” to all of the cities of Judah. As the restored king of the nation, he wanted to fulfill a primary duty of protecting his people.
- He cast the foreign gods and idols out of the temple and out of the city. The worship of false gods would no longer be tolerated.
- He built up the altar of Jehovah in the temple and offered the free-will peace and thanksgiving sacrifices.
The only potential criticism in the record is that the “high places” of worship to false gods remained. But it also notes that the sacrifices offered there were to Jehovah.
We are not informed how long into his kingship his conversion took place. But clearly the reforms he spearheaded would have taken years.
Following Manasseh’s death, his son Amon rose to the throne at age 22 years. Amon reinstituted the worship of false gods using graven images that his father had made earlier. He was such an evil man that his own servants conspired and put him to death (2 Chronicles 22:24). He ruled for only 2 years. Again, we surmise he had a poor upbringing that did not emphasize obedience to Jehovah.
But then we have a surprise. Amon’s son Josiah, only 8 years old, became the King of Judah. Josiah turned out to be one of the best kings in the entire ancient line. Remembering that Amon died two years into his reign at age 24, means that Josiah was born when Amon was only 16 years old! So where did Josiah’s goodness come from?
We suggest it could be the influence of his grandfather Manasseh. Manasseh died when Josiah was 6 years old. It could be that his grandfatherly influence in the first six years of Josiah’s life overlapped the period of Manasseh’s repentance and obedient worship of Jehovah. These were formative years for Josiah and that, accompanied with God’s blessing, laid the seeds of reverence for God and a desire for true worship. These seeds began to sprout notably in his 8th, 12th, and 18th years as king and Israel was blessed during his 31 year reign.
Considering the full history of Manasseh, we see an evil King who repented and evidently pursued the obedient worship of Jehovah to the end of his life. “Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:10).
— Br. David Stein
[1] “Esar-Haddon, king of Assyria, writes, ‘I called up the kings of the country Hatti and of the region on the other side of the river Euphrates, to wit: Ba’lu king of Tyre, Manasseh, king of Judah, Qaushgabri, king of Edom, Musuri, king of Moab, Sil-Bel, king of Gaza, Metinti, king of Ashkelon, Ikausu, king of Ekron, Milkiashapa, king of Byblos, Matanba’al, king of Arvad, Abiba’al, king of Samsimuyruna, Puduil, king of Beth-Ammon, Ahilmilki, king of Ashdod — 12 kings from the seacoast … 10 kings from Cyprus amidst the sea, together 22 kings of Hatti, the seashore and the islands’ … James B. Pritchard, The Ancient Near East, Volume I (ANE-I); Princeton, 1958, page 201” (RVIC footnote to 2 Chronicles 33:11, page 363).
[2] “So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon” (NIV).
[3] From Strong’s H2336 ַחֹוח, chôach, kho’-akh. From an unused root apparently meaning to pierce; a thorn; by analogy a ring for the nose: — bramble, thistle, thorn.