Manasseh led Judah into idolatry by undoing Hezekiah’s reforms, erecting altars to false gods, and embracing astral worship.
King Manasseh, who reigned over Judah from about 697-642 B.C., chose to reject the reforms instituted by his father, King Hezekiah (who ruled from about 715-686 B.C.). This finds expression in the statement: “For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down” (v.3). These “high places” were locations of idol worship scattered throughout the land of Judah, often built on elevated sites. Manasseh’s decision to restore these forbidden shrines directly opposed the righteous actions of Hezekiah, who had torn them down in his effort to cleanse the nation of idolatry (2 Chronicles 31:1). Here in 2 Chronicles 33:3, the text underscores that Manasseh reversed many of those righteous acts, leading the people away from their covenant relationship with God.
The verse further explains that Manasseh not only revived these idol-worship spots, but “he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them” (v.3). Jerusalem, situated on the southern plateau of the central highlands between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea, was meant to be the place where the people worshiped the one true God (2 Chronicles 6:5-6). Instead, Manasseh defiled it by setting up altars for Canaanite deities like Baal, as well as Asherim (the plural for the objects associated with the goddess Asherah). By venerating the “host of heaven” (stars and celestial bodies), Manasseh abandoned God’s commandment against divination and idolatry (Deuteronomy 17:2-3), demonstrating a stark deviation from the spiritual focus on the Lord that was envisioned by faithful kings before him. These events foreshadow a deeper message of the Bible that humanity often seeks salvation and worship from created things rather than the Creator, a theme that finds its ultimate resolution in the New Testament’s revelation of Jesus as the true mediator between God and humankind (1 Timothy 2:5).
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2 Chronicles 33:3 meaning
King Manasseh, who reigned over Judah from about 697-642 B.C., chose to reject the reforms instituted by his father, King Hezekiah (who ruled from about 715-686 B.C.). This finds expression in the statement: “For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down” (v.3). These “high places” were locations of idol worship scattered throughout the land of Judah, often built on elevated sites. Manasseh’s decision to restore these forbidden shrines directly opposed the righteous actions of Hezekiah, who had torn them down in his effort to cleanse the nation of idolatry (2 Chronicles 31:1). Here in 2 Chronicles 33:3, the text underscores that Manasseh reversed many of those righteous acts, leading the people away from their covenant relationship with God.
The verse further explains that Manasseh not only revived these idol-worship spots, but “he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them” (v.3). Jerusalem, situated on the southern plateau of the central highlands between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea, was meant to be the place where the people worshiped the one true God (2 Chronicles 6:5-6). Instead, Manasseh defiled it by setting up altars for Canaanite deities like Baal, as well as Asherim (the plural for the objects associated with the goddess Asherah). By venerating the “host of heaven” (stars and celestial bodies), Manasseh abandoned God’s commandment against divination and idolatry (Deuteronomy 17:2-3), demonstrating a stark deviation from the spiritual focus on the Lord that was envisioned by faithful kings before him. These events foreshadow a deeper message of the Bible that humanity often seeks salvation and worship from created things rather than the Creator, a theme that finds its ultimate resolution in the New Testament’s revelation of Jesus as the true mediator between God and humankind (1 Timothy 2:5).