Manasseh's reign, 1, 2. His great idolatry, 3-9. His wickedness causes prophecies against Judah, 10-16. Amon succeeds him, 17, 18. Amon's wicked reign, 19-22. He is slain by his servants, and those murderers slain by the people, and Josiah is made king, 23-26.
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzi-bah. 2 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. 3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed, he reared altars for Baal, he made a grove as Ahab king of Israel did, and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, "In Jerusalem I will put my name." 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 And he made his son pass through the fire, observed times, used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards. He committed much wickedness in the sight of the LORD to provoke him to anger. 7 And he set an engraved 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, I will put my name forever. 8 I will not make the feet of Israel move anymore 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." 9 But they did not listen. And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.
10 And the LORD spoke by his servants the prophets, saying, 11 "Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations and has done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, 12 Therefore, thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah so that whoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle. 13 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 wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 And I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become captives and plunder to all their enemies, 15 Because they have done that which was evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.'"
16 Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin with which he made Judah to sin in doing evil in the sight of the LORD. 17 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? 18 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.
19 Amon was twenty-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. 20 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD as his father Manasseh did. 21 And he walked in all the way that his father walked in and served the idols that his father served and worshiped them. 22 And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers and did not walk in the way of the LORD. 23 And the servants of Amon conspired against him and slew the king in his own house. 24 And the people of the land slew all those who had conspired against king Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead. 25 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? 26 And he was buried in his sepulcher in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son reigned in his stead.
Matthew Henry Commentary - 2nd Kings, Chapter 21[➚]