2 Chronicles 33:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Indeed, Manasseh committed many acts of wickedness, for he rebelled against the sanctuary, defiled the temple, filled the city with bloodshed, and engaged in various other unforgivable sins. Yet, following such grave offenses, he was purified from all his wrongdoings. How did this happen? Through repentance and righteous deeds.

Manasseh, who excelled in madness and brutality, overturned the rightful worship, closed the temple, spread falsehood, and outdid all his predecessors in wickedness, was later accepted as a friend of God after true repentance (2 Chron. 33:12). Had he, in light of the enormity of his sins, lost hope in his ability to change and reform, he would have lost all that he ultimately gained. However, by focusing not on his vast iniquities but on the greatness of God’s mercy, he broke free from the bonds of sin, arose, labored, and made his path straight.

He also built altars for all the heavenly hosts and set up an altar within the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had spoken to David and Solomon, declaring, "In it I will place my name." Manasseh constructed altars (4 Kings 21:1-5) and worshipped Baal there, claiming, "My name shall endure forever." He established altars for the heavenly hosts in both courts of the Lord's house, sacrificed his children in the fire, practiced divination, and consulted mediums, engaging in many actions that provoked the Lord's anger.

He placed a carved image he had made in the house of the Lord, the very place where the Lord had chosen to establish His name in the holy city of Jerusalem forever. The Lord had commanded, "I will never allow the foot of an Israelite to depart from the land I have given to their forefathers, as long as they remain faithful to obey all I have commanded them and keep every decree my servant Moses passed on." Yet, they disobeyed; and Manasseh misled them into sin, causing them to act even more wickedly than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed on account of the children of Israel. The Lord sent word to Manasseh and his people through His prophets, saying, "Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has committed such abominations, surpassing those of the Amorites who preceded him, and because he has led Judah into sin through his idols, therefore, says the Lord, the God of Israel, I will bring disaster upon Jerusalem and Judah that will shock all who hear of it. I will measure Jerusalem using the standards of Samaria and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one erases a scroll, and I will cast away the remnant of my inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies, who will plunder them because they have acted wickedly and angered me since the day I brought their ancestors out of Egypt until now." Moreover, Manasseh shed an abundance of innocent blood, filling Jerusalem to the brim, compounding his sins, which led Judah astray by engaging in actions that were abhorrent to the Lord (4 Kings 21:5-16, 2 Chronicles 33:5-10).

Consequently, the Lord brought upon him the leaders of the Assyrian king, who captured Manasseh, bound him with bronze chains, and took him to Babylon (2 Chronicles 33:11). There, he was imprisoned in chains and endured great hardship, receiving only a small portion of coarse bread and vinegar mixed with water to sustain him. In his dire circumstances, he began to seek the favor of the Lord his God, deeply humbling himself before the God of his forefathers and praying (2 Chron. 33:12). He pleaded, "O Lord, Almighty God, God of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who created the heavens and the earth and restrained the seas through Your command; who sealed the abyss with Your fearsome and glorious name; at Your presence all things tremble, for Your majesty is boundless. Your anger against sinners is unbearable, yet Your mercy is immeasurable and unfathomable. You, Lord, are patient, and according to Your great goodness, You have promised repentance to sinners. Thus, O Lord, You have not denied repentance to the righteous like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but have granted it to me, the sinner who has transgressed more than the grains of sand upon the shore. My sins are countless, and I am unworthy to gaze upon the heights of heaven due to my transgressions. Bound by iron chains, I have provoked Your anger through my wicked deeds. Now I bend the knee of my heart, seeking Your favor. I have sinned, O Lord, and I am fully aware of my iniquities, but I implore You: ‘Let me go, O Lord, do not let me perish in my sins. Do not let Your wrath condemn me to destruction, for You are the God of the penitent. Show me Your goodness, for You will save the unworthy by Your great mercy. I will praise You all the days of my life, for the heavenly host sings Your praises, and Yours is the glory forever. Amen.’" The Lord heard his plea (2 Chronicles 33:13) and showed him mercy; flames surrounded him, and the iron chains melted away. The Lord healed Manasseh of his affliction and restored him to his kingdom in Jerusalem. Manasseh came to understand that the Lord is the one true God (2 Chronicles 33:13) and began to serve Him wholeheartedly throughout his remaining days, establishing himself as righteous. He removed false gods and idols from the house of the Lord, dismantled all the high places he had previously established in the Lord’s house and in Jerusalem, and expelled them from the city. He rebuilt the altar of the Lord, offering sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise, instructing the people of Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel (2 Chronicles 33:15-16). Thus, dear children, you see how the Lord hastily punished those who indulged in idolatry and committed heinous acts, yet upon repenting, they received forgiveness and were restored to their former glory.

Regrettably, Christians can also succumb to such evil when, at their own discretion, they allow their hearts to be filled with passions instead of idols, leading them to increasingly embrace God-hating actions, entrenching themselves in sin. Self-indulgence begets further self-indulgence; an obsession with entertainers, such as singers and performers, can cause them to lose their dignity entirely. An obsession with worldly pleasures fosters indifference, even hostility, toward living in accordance with Church teachings. A love for material possessions can blind them to honor and conscience. Some have become so weak in their faith and trust in God that they resort to practices akin to the sorceries that disgraced Manasseh.

It would be futile to admonish those who imitate Manasseh; they despise any rebuke and would cruelly respond to their admonishers as Manasseh did to Isaiah, eager to extinguish them from existence were it not for their fear of earthly judgment and consequences.