2 Kings / Chapter 21

2 Kings 21

26 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Manasseh son of Hezekiah becomes king of Judah at age twelve and reigns fifty-five years in Jerusalem. He reverses every reform his father made: he rebuilds the high places Hezekiah tore down, erects altars to Baal, makes an Asherah pole as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worships the entire host of heaven. He builds pagan altars inside the Temple of the LORD — the very place where God said he would establish his name forever. He passes his son through fire, practices divination and sorcery, and consults mediums and spiritists. He sets up a carved image of Asherah in the Temple itself. The narrator's verdict is devastating: Manasseh did more evil than the nations the LORD had driven out before Israel. God sends prophets who declare that because of Manasseh's abominations, Jerusalem will suffer the same fate as Samaria — God will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, wiping Jerusalem as one wipes a dish. Manasseh also sheds so much innocent blood that he fills Jerusalem from end to end. The chapter closes with his death and burial, followed by the brief two-year reign of his son Amon, who continues his father's evil ways. Amon's own servants assassinate him, but the people of the land execute the conspirators and place Amon's son Josiah on the throne.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Manasseh's reign presents one of the sharpest theological reversals in the entire Deuteronomistic History. His father Hezekiah received the highest evaluation of any Judean king (18:5), yet Manasseh receives the lowest. The text goes out of its way to compare Manasseh not to previous Judean kings but to Ahab — the worst king of Israel — making the comparison explicit by noting that Manasseh 'made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done' (verse 3). The theological weight of this chapter is enormous: it provides the reason for Jerusalem's eventual destruction. Even Josiah's later reforms cannot undo the sentence pronounced here. The phrase 'I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down' (verse 13) is one of the most vivid images of divine judgment in the Hebrew Bible — domestic, almost casual, yet total. The fifty-five-year reign is the longest of any king in Judah or Israel, meaning the worst king reigned the longest — a fact the narrator presents without commentary but that sits uncomfortably with any simple doctrine of divine reward and punishment.

Translation Friction

The primary historical difficulty is the relationship between this account and 2 Chronicles 33:10-17, which reports that Manasseh was taken captive to Babylon, repented, prayed, was restored to his throne, and reformed his worship. Kings contains no repentance narrative — the portrait is unrelieved darkness. Scholars debate whether Chronicles preserves an independent tradition or whether the repentance account was developed to explain how a wicked king could reign fifty-five years. The phrase 'he passed his son through fire' (verse 6) is debated: does it mean literal child sacrifice (as in Moabite practice) or a dedicatory ritual? The parallel with 2 Kings 16:3 and the Tophet references in Jeremiah 7:31 suggest actual sacrifice. The shedding of 'very much innocent blood' (verse 16) has generated later traditions identifying Manasseh as the killer of the prophet Isaiah (the Martyrdom of Isaiah), though this is not stated in the biblical text.

Connections

Manasseh's reign directly fulfills the covenant warnings of Deuteronomy 28-29 and Leviticus 26 — the consequences of comprehensive idolatry. The measuring line and plumb line imagery (verse 13) echoes Amos 7:7-8 and Isaiah 34:11, instruments of construction now repurposed for destruction. The comparison with the 'nations the LORD drove out' (verse 2) invokes the entire conquest tradition of Joshua, suggesting that Judah has become indistinguishable from the Canaanites. The phrase 'I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore from the land' (verse 8) echoes 2 Samuel 7:10 (the Davidic covenant), recasting God's promise as conditional. Manasseh's placing an Asherah in the Temple reverses Solomon's dedication (1 Kings 8) and Hezekiah's cleansing (2 Kings 18:4). The 'people of the land' who execute Amon's assassins and install Josiah (verses 23-24) represent the rural Judean landholders who consistently support the Davidic line — they appear also in 11:14-20 (Joash's enthronement) and 23:30 (Jehoahaz's installation).

2 Kings 21:1

בֶּן־שְׁתֵּ֨ים עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה בְמׇלְכ֔וֹ וַחֲמִשִּׁ֤ים וְחָמֵשׁ֙ שָׁנָ֔ה מָלַ֖ךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְשֵׁ֥ם אִמּ֖וֹ חֶפְצִי־בָֽהּ׃

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah.

KJV Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The standard regnal formula introduces Manasseh with the longest reign in Judean history — fifty-five years (roughly 697-642 BCE, including a co-regency with Hezekiah). His mother's name Cheftsi-vah means 'my delight is in her,' a name Isaiah uses as a prophetic title for restored Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:4). The irony is piercing: the king who will cause Jerusalem's destruction was born to a woman whose name means 'God delights in her.'
2 Kings 21:2

וַיַּ֤עַשׂ הָרַע֙ בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה כְּתֹעֲבֹ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר הוֹרִישׁ֙ יְהוָ֔ה מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

KJV And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

תּוֹעֵבָה to'evah
"detestable practices" — abomination, detestable act, loathsome thing, ritual abhorrence

to'evah designates acts so offensive to God's holiness that they provoke revulsion and judgment. In Deuteronomic law the term covers idolatry, forbidden sexual acts, dishonest commerce, and child sacrifice. Here it characterizes Manasseh's entire program as equivalent to the Canaanite abominations that forfeited the land.

Translator Notes

  1. The standard evaluation formula — va-ya'as ha-ra be-einei YHWH ('he did the evil in the eyes of the LORD') — is intensified by the comparison: ke-to'avot ha-goyim ('according to the detestable things of the nations'). The term to'evah ('abomination, detestable thing') is the strongest term of ritual revulsion in Hebrew. The nations in question are the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Canaan, making the charge that Manasseh has returned Judah to the very conditions that justified the conquest.
2 Kings 21:3

וַיָּ֗שׇׁב וַיִּ֤בֶן אֶת־הַבָּמוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִבַּ֔ד חִזְקִיָּ֖הוּ אָבִ֑יו וַיָּ֨קֶם מִזְבְּחֹ֜ת לַבַּ֗עַל וַיַּ֤עַשׂ אֲשֵׁרָה֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֗ה אַחְאָב֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֙חוּ֙ לְכׇל־צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וַיַּעֲבֹ֖ד אֹתָֽם׃

He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, erected altars for Baal, made an Asherah pole just as Ahab king of Israel had done, and bowed down to the entire host of heaven and served them.

KJV For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verse catalogs a comprehensive reversal of Hezekiah's reforms (18:4). The verb va-yashav ('he returned, he turned back') emphasizes deliberate undoing. The comparison ka-asher asah Ach'av melekh Yisra'el ('just as Ahab king of Israel had done') is devastating — Manasseh is not merely a bad Judean king but a replica of the worst Israelite king. The 'host of heaven' (tseva ha-shamayim) refers to astral deities — sun, moon, stars, and planets worshiped as gods — an Assyrian religious influence during Manasseh's era of vassal status.
2 Kings 21:4

וּבָנָ֥ה מִזְבְּחֹ֖ת בְּבֵ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֔ה בִּירוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם אָשִׂ֥ים אֶת־שְׁמִֽי׃

He built altars in the house of the LORD — the place where the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will establish my name."

KJV And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

בַּיִת יְהוָה bayit YHWH
"house of the LORD" — house, temple, dwelling, household, dynasty

bayit YHWH ('house of the LORD') is the Temple — God's earthly dwelling. The desecration of this space by Manasseh initiates the theological crisis that ends with its destruction in chapter 25. The house that Solomon built and dedicated with such glory becomes the site of every abomination.

Translator Notes

  1. The contrast is devastating: God chose this precise location to place his name (asim et shemi), and Manasseh installs pagan altars there. The 'name theology' — God's name dwelling in the Temple rather than God himself — is central to Deuteronomic thought (Deuteronomy 12:5, 1 Kings 8:29). To place foreign altars where God's name dwells is to defile the point of intersection between heaven and earth.
2 Kings 21:5

וַיִּ֥בֶן מִזְבְּח֖וֹת לְכׇל־צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם בִּשְׁתֵּ֖י חַצְר֥וֹת בֵּית־יְהוָֽה׃

He built altars for the entire host of heaven in both courtyards of the house of the LORD.

KJV And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The two courtyards — the inner court (the priestly area) and the outer court (the general assembly area) — are both contaminated. The phrase bi-shtei chatsrot beit YHWH ('in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD') means every accessible area of the Temple complex now contains pagan altars. The sacred space has been comprehensively violated.
2 Kings 21:6

וְהֶעֱבִ֤יר אֶת־בְּנוֹ֙ בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְעוֹנֵ֣ן וְנִחֵ֔שׁ וְעָ֥שָׂה א֖וֹב וְיִדְּעֹנִ֑ים הִרְבָּ֗ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת הָרַ֛ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָ֖ה לְהַכְעִֽיס׃

He passed his son through fire, practiced cloud-reading and divination, and established mediums and spiritists. He did much that was evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

KJV And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The catalog of forbidden practices covers the full range prohibited in Deuteronomy 18:10-12: he'evir et beno ba-esh ('he made his son pass through the fire') refers to child sacrifice or a dedicatory fire ritual associated with Molech; onen ('cloud-reader, soothsayer') and nichesh ('diviner, one who reads omens') are forms of mantic prophecy; ov ('medium, one who consults the dead') and yid'onim ('spiritists, knowing ones') are necromancers. The final phrase le-hakh'is ('to provoke') attributes intentionality — Manasseh's acts are not merely careless but deliberately provocative.
2 Kings 21:7

וַיָּ֕שֶׂם אֶת־פֶּ֥סֶל הָאֲשֵׁרָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה בַּבַּ֗יִת אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָמַ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־דָּוִ֣ד וְאֶל־שְׁלֹמֹ֣ה בְנ֔וֹ בַּבַּ֨יִת הַזֶּ֜ה וּבִירוּשָׁלַ֗͏ִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר בָּחַ֙רְתִּי֙ מִכֹּל֙ שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אָשִׂ֥ים אֶת־שְׁמִ֖י לְעוֹלָֽם׃

He placed the carved image of Asherah that he had made in the house — the house about which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish my name forever."

KJV And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The narrator quotes the divine promise at length to maximize the contrast. The pesel ha-Asherah ('carved image of Asherah') — a cultic representation of the Canaanite mother goddess — is placed inside the very building about which God made his promise to David and Solomon. The word le-olam ('forever') at the end of God's promise echoes painfully: 'forever' is now confronted with Manasseh's idol. The passage compresses 2 Samuel 7:13 and 1 Kings 8:29 into a single citation.
2 Kings 21:8

וְלֹ֣א אוֹסִ֗יף לְהָנִיד֙ רֶ֣גֶל יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לַאֲבוֹתָ֑ם רַ֣ק ׀ אִם־יִשְׁמְר֣וּ לַעֲשׂ֗וֹת כְּכֹל֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתִ֔ים וּלְכׇל־הַ֨תּוֹרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה אֹתָ֖ם עַבְדִּ֥י מֹשֶֽׁה׃

"I will never again cause Israel's feet to wander from the land I gave their ancestors — if only they are careful to do everything I commanded them, the entire instruction that my servant Moses gave them."

KJV Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

תּוֹרָה torah
"instruction" — law, instruction, teaching, direction, guidance

torah here refers to the entire body of Mosaic teaching — not a single law but the comprehensive covenantal instruction. The conditional attached to the land promise — obedience to the whole torah — makes the coming exile a consequence not of divine caprice but of systematic covenant violation.

Translator Notes

  1. The divine promise continues with its devastating conditional: raq im ('only if'). The promise of permanence in the land was never unconditional. The word torah here — ve-le-khol ha-torah asher tsivvah otam avdi Mosheh ('the entire instruction that my servant Moses commanded them') — is the comprehensive body of Mosaic law. Manasseh has violated not one or two commands but the entire covenantal framework.
2 Kings 21:9

וְלֹ֖א שָׁמֵ֑עוּ וַיַּתְעֵ֣ם מְנַשֶּׁ֗ה לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת אֶת־הָרָ֔ע מִן־הַגּוֹיִ֕ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִשְׁמִ֧יד יְהוָ֛ה מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

But they did not listen. Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.

KJV But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb va-yat'em ('he led them astray, he caused them to wander') casts Manasseh as a seducer of the entire nation. The comparative min ha-goyim ('more than the nations') is the most extreme condemnation possible: Judah under Manasseh has surpassed the wickedness of the Canaanites whose abominations forfeited them the land. If the Canaanites lost the land for their sins, and Judah has exceeded those sins, the conclusion is inescapable.
2 Kings 21:10

וַיְדַבֵּ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה בְּיַ֥ד עֲבָדָ֖יו הַנְּבִיאִ֥ים לֵאמֹֽר׃

The LORD spoke through his servants the prophets, saying:

KJV And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase be-yad avadav ha-nevi'im ('by the hand of his servants the prophets') is the standard formula for prophetic mediation. The specific prophets are unnamed — this is a collective prophetic witness. The divine speech that follows (verses 11-15) is one of the most consequential oracle-of-doom passages in the Deuteronomistic History.
2 Kings 21:11

יַ֗עַן אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֜ה מְנַשֶּׁ֤ה מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה֙ הַתֹּעֵב֣וֹת הָאֵ֔לֶּה הִרְבָּ֣ה לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת ׀ הָרַ֗ע מִכֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֥וּ הָאֱמֹרִ֖י אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְפָנָ֑יו וַיַּחֲטִ֥א גַם־אֶת־יְהוּדָ֖ה בְּגִלּוּלָֽיו׃

"Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable acts — acting more wickedly than everything the Amorites who came before him ever did — and has caused Judah also to sin with his worthless idols,

KJV Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The oracle begins with ya'an asher ('because') — a formal juridical charge. The Amorites (ha-Emori) represent the pre-Israelite population generically. The term gillulim ('idols') is deliberately derogatory, probably derived from a root meaning 'dung pellets' — a contemptuous label for cult objects. The verb va-yachati ('he caused to sin') makes Manasseh responsible not only for his own sin but for the corruption of the entire people.
2 Kings 21:12

לָכֵ֗ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הִנְנִ֛י מֵבִ֥יא רָעָ֖ה עַל־יְרוּשָׁלַ֣͏ִם וִיהוּדָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֛ר כׇּל־שֹׁ֥מְעָ֖יו תִּצַּ֥לְנָה שְׁתֵּ֥י אׇזְנָֽיו׃

therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will ring.

KJV Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase tittsalnah shtei oznav ('both his ears will ring/tingle') describes the physical shock of hearing devastating news — a buzzing or ringing in the ears from the sheer force of the report. The same expression appears in 1 Samuel 3:11 (the oracle against Eli's house) and Jeremiah 19:3 (Jerusalem's doom). It marks the most extreme category of divine judgment.
2 Kings 21:13

וְנָטִ֣יתִי עַל־יְרוּשָׁלַ֗͏ִם אֵ֚ת קָ֣ו שֹׁמְר֔וֹן וְאֶת־מִשְׁקֹ֖לֶת בֵּ֣ית אַחְאָ֑ב וּמָחִ֨יתִי אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ֜͏ִם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יִמְחֶ֤ה אֶת־הַצַּלַּ֙חַת֙ מָחָ֔ה וְהָפַ֖ךְ עַל־פָּנֶֽיהָ׃

I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used on Samaria and the plumb line used on the house of Ahab. I will wipe Jerusalem clean the way a person wipes a dish — wiping it and turning it upside down."

KJV And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The qav Shomron ('line of Samaria') and mishqolet beit Ach'av ('plumb line of the house of Ahab') establish exact parallels between the fate of the northern kingdom and the coming fate of Judah. The dish-wiping image — machah ve-hafakh al paneha ('wipe and turn over on its face') — is unique to this passage and is one of the most memorable metaphors in the prophetic literature. The verb machah also means 'to blot out' (as in Genesis 6:7, the flood narrative), adding a further layer of total erasure.
2 Kings 21:14

וְנָטַשְׁתִּ֗י אֵ֚ת שְׁאֵרִ֣ית נַחֲלָתִ֔י וּנְתַתִּ֖ים בְּיַ֣ד אֹיְבֵיהֶ֑ם וְהָי֥וּ לְבַ֛ז וְלִמְשִׁסָּ֖ה לְכׇל־אֹיְבֵיהֶֽם׃

I will abandon the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will become plunder and loot for all their enemies,

KJV And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word she'erit ('remnant') is loaded: after the northern kingdom's fall, Judah is the remnant of God's nachalah ('inheritance, portion'). Now even this remnant will be abandoned (natash). The terms baz ('plunder') and meshissah ('spoil, loot') reduce God's chosen people to war booty. The theological weight is immense: God himself will hand over his own inheritance to hostile powers.
2 Kings 21:15

יַ֗עַן אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשׂ֤וּ אֶת־הָרַע֙ בְּעֵינַ֔י וַיִּהְי֥וּ מַכְעִסִ֖ים אֹתִ֑י מִן־הַיּ֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָצְא֤וּ אֲבוֹתָם֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם וְעַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃

because they have done what is evil in my eyes and have been provoking me from the day their ancestors came out of Egypt until this very day.

KJV Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The divine accusation reaches back to the exodus itself: min ha-yom asher yats'u avotam mi-Mitsrayim ('from the day their ancestors left Egypt'). The entire history from exodus to Manasseh is framed as continuous provocation. The verb makh'isim ('provoking, angering') is a participle, indicating ongoing, habitual action — not a single act of rebellion but a sustained pattern stretching across centuries.
2 Kings 21:16

וְגַ֨ם דָּ֤ם נָקִי֙ שָׁפַ֤ךְ מְנַשֶּׁה֙ הַרְבֵּ֣ה מְאֹ֔ד עַ֛ד אֲשֶׁר־מִלֵּ֥א אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם פֶּ֣ה לָפֶ֑ה לְבַ֤ד מֵֽחַטָּאתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֶחֱטִ֣יא אֶת־יְהוּדָ֔ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from one end to the other — in addition to the sin by which he caused Judah to sin, doing what was evil in the eyes of the LORD.

KJV Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase dam naqi ('innocent blood') — blood shed without just cause — is one of the gravest charges in biblical law (Deuteronomy 19:10, 13). The spatial image peh la-peh ('mouth to mouth,' meaning 'from one end to the other') portrays Jerusalem overflowing with unjustly shed blood. Later tradition (reflected in the Talmud and the Ascension of Isaiah) identified the prophet Isaiah as one of Manasseh's victims, though the biblical text does not name specific victims.
2 Kings 21:17

וְיֶ֛תֶר דִּבְרֵ֥י מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וְחַטָּאת֣וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָטָ֗א הֲלֹא־הֵ֣ם כְּתוּבִ֗ים עַל־סֵ֛פֶר דִּבְרֵ֥י הַיָּמִ֖ים לְמַלְכֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה׃

The rest of the acts of Manasseh — everything he did and the sin he committed — are they not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

KJV Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The standard source citation for Judean kings: Sefer Divrei ha-Yamim le-Malkhei Yehudah ('the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah'). The phrase ve-chattato asher chata ('and his sin that he sinned') is a sharp addition to the usual formula, ensuring the reader understands this reign's legacy is defined by transgression.
2 Kings 21:18

וַיִּשְׁכַּ֤ב מְנַשֶּׁה֙ עִם־אֲבֹתָ֔יו וַיִּקָּבֵ֥ר בְּגַן־בֵּית֖וֹ בְּגַ֣ן עֻזָּ֑א וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ אָמ֥וֹן בְּנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃

Manasseh slept with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the Garden of Uzza. His son Amon reigned in his place.

KJV And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Manasseh is not buried in the royal tombs (the 'City of David' burial site used by most Judean kings) but in gan beito be-gan Uzza ('the garden of his house, in the Garden of Uzza') — a private garden burial. Whether this reflects disgrace or personal preference is debated. The Garden of Uzza may have been a family estate near the palace. The peaceful death of such a wicked king — he is not assassinated or punished during his lifetime — is a theological puzzle the narrator does not address.
2 Kings 21:19

בֶּן־עֶשְׂרִ֨ים וּשְׁתַּ֤יִם שָׁנָה֙ אָמ֣וֹן בְּמׇלְכ֔וֹ וּשְׁתַּ֣יִם שָׁנִ֔ים מָלַ֖ךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם וְשֵׁ֣ם אִמּ֔וֹ מְשֻׁלֶּ֥מֶת בַּת־חָר֖וּץ מִן־יׇטְבָֽה׃

Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz, from Jotbah.

KJV Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The regnal formula for Amon is notably brief, befitting his short reign. His mother Meshullemeth ('the rewarded one' or 'the completed one') was from Jotbah, a town whose location is uncertain — possibly in Galilee or in Judah. The two-year reign (roughly 642-640 BCE) ended in assassination.
2 Kings 21:20

וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָׂ֖ה מְנַשֶּׁ֥ה אָבִֽיו׃

He did what was evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Manasseh had done.

KJV And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The evaluation formula is identical to the standard negative verdict, with the addition ka-asher asah Menasheh aviv ('just as his father Manasseh had done'). Amon is defined entirely by his father's pattern — he has no independent theological identity in this narrative.
2 Kings 21:21

וַיֵּ֕לֶךְ בְּכׇל־הַדֶּ֖רֶךְ אֲשֶׁר־הָלַ֣ךְ אָבִ֑יו וַיַּעֲבֹ֗ד אֶת־הַגִּלֻּלִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָבַ֣ד אָבִ֔יו וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ לָהֶֽם׃

He walked in every way his father had walked, serving the worthless idols his father had served, and bowing down to them.

KJV And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The threefold repetition of 'his father' (aviv) in a single verse hammers the point: Amon is nothing more than a continuation of Manasseh. The gillulim ('worthless idols, dung-pellets') are the same objects Manasseh installed. The 'way' (derekh) metaphor — walking in the father's path — is central to Deuteronomic theology, where life is a road and the king chooses which direction to travel.
2 Kings 21:22

וַיַּעֲזֹ֖ב אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֹתָ֑יו וְלֹ֥א הָלַ֖ךְ בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ יְהוָֽה׃

He abandoned the LORD, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.

KJV And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb va-ya'azov ('he abandoned') is the covenant-breach term — the opposite of the Deuteronomic command to 'hold fast' (davaq) to the LORD. The phrase Elohei avotav ('the God of his ancestors') reminds the reader that Amon has a heritage of faithfulness (through David, Hezekiah) that he has rejected. The irony of derekh YHWH ('the way of the LORD') alongside the 'way of his father' in verse 21 sets the two paths in stark opposition.
2 Kings 21:23

וַיִּקְשְׁר֥וּ עַבְדֵי־אָמ֖וֹן עָלָ֑יו וַיָּמִ֥יתוּ אֶת־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ בְּבֵיתֽוֹ׃

Amon's own officials formed a conspiracy and assassinated the king inside his palace.

KJV And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb va-yiqsheru ('they conspired') is the standard term for palace coups (used of Zimri in 1 Kings 16:9, Jehu in 2 Kings 9:14, and others). The murder be-veito ('in his house') — in the royal residence — indicates an inside job by palace officials. The conspirators' motives are not stated: political, personal, or religious motivations are all possible.
2 Kings 21:24

וַיַּ֤ךְ עַם־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֵ֣ת כׇּל־הַקֹּשְׁרִ֔ים עַל־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ אָמ֑וֹן וַיַּמְלִ֧יכוּ עַם־הָאָ֛רֶץ אֶת־יֹאשִׁיָּ֥הוּ בְנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃

But the people of the land struck down all who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

KJV And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The am ha-arets ('people of the land') — the rural Judean landholding class — intervene to execute the conspirators and ensure Davidic succession. This group consistently supports the legitimate dynasty (see 11:14-20 for the Joash precedent). Their action simultaneously punishes regicide and installs the boy who will become Judah's greatest reformer. The name Yoshiyahu ('Josiah,' meaning 'the LORD supports' or 'the LORD heals') will prove prophetically fitting.
2 Kings 21:25

וְיֶ֛תֶר דִּבְרֵ֥י אָמ֖וֹן אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה הֲלֹא־הֵ֣ם כְּתוּבִ֗ים עַל־סֵ֛פֶר דִּבְרֵ֥י הַיָּמִ֖ים לְמַלְכֵ֥י יְהוּדָֽה׃

The rest of the acts of Amon — what he did — are they not recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah?

KJV Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The standard source citation. For a king who reigned only two years, the formula feels almost generous — there were hardly enough 'acts' to fill a chronicle. The brevity of his record contrasts with his father's fifty-five-year catalog of evil.
2 Kings 21:26

וַיִּקָּבֵ֥ר אֹת֛וֹ בִּקְבֻרָת֖וֹ בְּגַ֣ן עֻזָּ֑א וַיִּמְלֹ֛ךְ יֹאשִׁיָּ֥הוּ בְנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃

He was buried in his tomb in the Garden of Uzza. His son Josiah reigned in his place.

KJV And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Amon is buried in the same Garden of Uzza as his father Manasseh — the private garden burial rather than the royal tombs in the City of David. The final phrase va-yimlokh Yoshiyahu veno tachtav ('and Josiah his son reigned in his place') closes one of the darkest chapters in Judean history and opens the door to the greatest reform. The narrative hinge from Manasseh/Amon to Josiah is one of the most dramatic reversals in the Deuteronomistic History.
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