What is the meaning of 2 Kings 21:2? And he did evil • “He” is Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, who reigned in Judah for fifty-five years (2 Kings 21:1). • Scripture presents a stark contrast between Hezekiah’s reforms (2 Kings 18:3 – 6) and Manasseh’s reversal of them (2 Chronicles 33:2). • God’s Word calls Manasseh’s lifestyle “evil,” the same label given to Ahab (1 Kings 21:25) and other notorious kings, underlining the seriousness of his rebellion. in the sight of the LORD • Every act, public or private, unfolded before God’s eyes (Proverbs 15:3; Psalm 139:2-4). • Human approval or political success could not mask Manasseh’s wickedness from divine scrutiny (Galatians 6:7). • The phrase reminds us that evaluation is based on God’s unchanging standard, not shifting cultural norms (Isaiah 5:20). by following the abominations • “Abominations” refers to practices God explicitly detests—idolatry, witchcraft, child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21, 30; Deuteronomy 18:9-12). • Manasseh built altars for Baal, worshiped “all the host of heaven,” and even sacrificed his own son (2 Kings 21:3-6). • He patterned his reign not after David but after pagan rites that provoked God’s wrath (2 Kings 23:13; 2 Chronicles 33:6). of the nations • These nations were the Canaanite peoples God warned Israel about centuries earlier (Deuteronomy 12:29-31). • God’s covenant called Israel to be distinct (Exodus 19:5-6); instead, Manasseh erased those distinctions and copied pagan society (2 Chronicles 33:9). • The king’s imitation of foreign practices shows how cultural influence can eclipse covenant faithfulness when God’s Word is neglected (Romans 12:2). that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites • God had expelled the Canaanites because of their vile practices (Deuteronomy 9:4-5; Joshua 23:9-13). • Israel’s occupation of the land came with a mandate to remain holy; relapsing into the same sins invited the same judgment (2 Kings 17:8; 18:11-12). • By re-embracing what God had judged, Manasseh effectively reversed the spiritual gains of Israel’s conquest and brought Judah to the brink of exile (Jeremiah 15:4). summary 2 Kings 21:2 paints Manasseh as a king who knowingly replicated the very sins that had justified God’s eviction of the Canaanites. His evil was not hidden; it was committed “in the sight of the LORD,” whose perfect vision and righteous standard never change. By adopting the “abominations” of the nations, Manasseh abandoned covenant faithfulness, traded the blessings of obedience for the curses of rebellion, and set Judah on a course toward inevitable judgment. |
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