1. Manasses, King of Judah

Manasses, also known as Manasseh, was the son of Hezekiah and Hephzibah, and he reigned as the king of Judah for 55 years, from approximately 697 to 642 BC. His reign is recorded in 2 Kings 21:1-18 and 2 Chronicles 33:1-20. Manasses ascended to the throne at the young age of twelve and is often remembered for his significant departure from the religious reforms of his father, Hezekiah.

During his reign, Manasses led Judah into a period of idolatry and moral decline. He rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah had destroyed, erected altars to Baal, and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He also worshiped the host of heaven and served them (2 Kings 21:3). Manasses even went so far as to sacrifice his own son in the fire, practice divination, and consult mediums and spiritists, provoking the LORD to anger (2 Kings 21:6).

The Bible records that Manasses shed much innocent blood, filling Jerusalem from one end to another (2 Kings 21:16). His actions led to the LORD's pronouncement of judgment upon Judah, declaring that He would bring such disaster upon Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle (2 Kings 21:12).

Despite his grievous sins, the account in 2 Chronicles 33:10-13 reveals a remarkable turn in Manasses' life. When the LORD brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against him, Manasses was taken captive with hooks and bound with bronze shackles. In his distress, he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. God was moved by his entreaty and brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasses knew that the LORD is God.

Following his repentance, Manasses undertook reforms to undo some of the damage he had caused. He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem, and he threw them out of the city (2 Chronicles 33:15). He restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship and thank offerings on it, commanding Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel (2 Chronicles 33:16).

2. Manasses, Tribe of Israel

Manasses is also the name of one of the tribes of Israel, descended from Manasseh, the firstborn son of Joseph and Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On (Genesis 41:50-51). The tribe of Manasseh was one of the twelve tribes of Israel and was divided into two half-tribes, with one half settling east of the Jordan River and the other half settling west of the Jordan.

The eastern half-tribe of Manasseh settled in the region of Bashan, extending from the Gilead to Mount Hermon (Deuteronomy 3:13). The western half-tribe settled in the fertile region of central Canaan, sharing borders with the tribes of Ephraim and Issachar (Joshua 17:1-11).

The tribe of Manasseh played a significant role in the history of Israel, contributing warriors to the battles for the conquest of Canaan and participating in the leadership and governance of the nation. Notably, Gideon, one of the judges of Israel, was from the tribe of Manasseh (Judges 6:15).

3. Manasses, in the Genealogy of Jesus

In the New Testament, Manasses is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. He is listed as an ancestor of Jesus, highlighting the fulfillment of God's promises through the lineage of David (Matthew 1:10). Despite his early life of idolatry and rebellion, Manasses' inclusion in the genealogy underscores the themes of repentance, redemption, and the sovereign grace of God in the unfolding of His redemptive plan.Manasses

1. Manasseh, king of Judah. (Matthew 1:10)
2. Manasseh the son of Joseph. (Revelation 7:6)

MANASSES

ma-nas'-ez (Manasses; Codex Vaticanus Manasse):

(1) One who had married a "strange wife" (1 Esdras 9:33) equals "Manasseh" of Ezra 10:33.

(2) The wealthy husband of Judith; died of sunstroke when employed at the barley harvest (Judith 8:2, 7; 10:03; 16:22;).

(3) A person mentioned in Tobit 14:10, who "gave alms, and escaped the snare of death." It must be admitted that Manasses here is an awkward reading and apparently interrupts the sense, which would run more smoothly if Manasses were omitted or Achiacharus read. There is great variety of text in this verse. Codex Sinaiticus (followed by Fritzsche, Libri apoc. vet. Test Greek, 1871) reads en to poiesai me eleemosunen exelthen, where Manasses is omitted and Achiacharus is understood as the subject. Itala and Syriac go a step further and read Achiacharus as subject. But Codex Vaticanus (followed by Swete, the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American)) reads Manasses, which must be the correct reading on the principle of being the most difficult. Explanations have been offered

(1) that Manasses is simply the Hebrew name for Achiacharus, it not being uncommon for a Jew to have a Greek and a Hebrew name;

(2) that on reading Amon, Manasses was inserted for Achiacharus according to 2 Chronicles 33:22;;

(3) that Manasses here is an incorrect reading for Nasbas (Tobit 11:18), identified by Grotius with Achiacharus: "It seems impossible at present to arrive at a satisfactory explanation" (Fuller, Speaker's Commentary).

There is as great uncertainty as to the person who conspired against Manasses: Aman, in Codex Alexandrinus, followed by the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American), who is by some identified with the Haman of Esther and Achiacharus with Mordecai; Adam, in Codex Vaticanus, followed by Swete; Itala Nadab; Syriac Ahab (Acab).

(4) A king of Judah (Matthew 1:10 the King James Version, Greek form, the Revised Version (British and American) "Manasseh"), whose prayer forms one of the apocryphal books.

See MANASSES, THE PRAYER OF.

(5) The elder son of Joseph (Revelation 7:6, the King James Version Greek form, the Revised Version (British and American) "Manasseh").

S. Angus

MANASSES, THE PRAYER OF

1. Name

2. Canonicity and Position

3. Contents

4. Original Language

5. Authenticity

6. Author and Motive

7. Date

8. Text and Versions

(1) Greek

(2) Latin

LITERATURE

The Prayer of Manasses purports to be, and may in reality be, the prayer of that king mentioned in 2 Chronicles 33:13, 18 f.

1. Name:

In Cod.

A. it is called simply "A Prayer of Manasses," in the London Polyglot "A Prayer of Manasses, King of the Jews." Its title in the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) is "A Prayer of Manasses, King of Judah, when He Was Held Captive in Babylon." In Baxter's Apocrypha, Greek and English this Prayer appears at the end with the heading "A Prayer of Manasses, son of Ezekias" (equals Hezekiah).

2. Canonicity and Position:

The Greek church is the only one which has consistently reckoned this Prayer as a part of its Bible. Up to the time of the Council of Trent (1545-1563 A.D.), it formed a part of the Vulgate, but by that council it was relegated with 3 and 4 (1 and 2) Esdras to the appendix (which included uncanonical scriptures), "lest they should become wholly lost, since they are occasionally, cited by the Fathers and are found in printed copies. Yet it is wholly absent from the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) of Sixtus V, though it is in the Appendix of the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) of Clement VIII. Its position varies in manuscripts, versions and printed editions of the Septuagint. It is most frequently found among the odes or canticles following the Psalter, as in Codices Alexandrinus, T (the Zurich Psalter) and in Ludolf's Ethiopic Psalter. In Swete's Septuagint the Psalter of Solomon followed by the odes (Odai), of which The Prayer of Manasseh is the 8th, appear as an Appendix after 4 Maccabees in volume III. It was placed after 2 Chronicles in the original Vulgate, but in the Romanist Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) it stands first, followed by 3 and 4 (1 and 2) Esdras in the apocryphal Appendix. It is found in all manuscripts of the Armenian Bible, where, as in Swete's Septuagint, it is one of many odes. Though not included in Coverdale's Bible or the Geneva VS, it was retained (at the close of the Apocrypha) in Luther's translation, in Mathew's Bible and in the Bishops' Bible, whence it passed into our English Versions of the Bible.

3. Contents:

According to 2 Chronicles 33 (compare 2 Kings 21) Manasseh was exiled by the Assyrians to Babylon as a punishment for his sins. There he became penitent and earnestly prayed to God for pardon and deliverance. God answered his prayer and restored him to Jerusalem and to the throne. Though the prayer is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 33:13, 18, it is not given, but this lack has been supplied in the The Prayer of Manasseh of the Apocrypha. After an opening invocation to the God of Abraham, Isaac, Judah and their righteous seed, the Creator of all things, most high, yet compassionate, who has ordained repentance, not for perfect ones like the patriarchs who did not need it, but for the like of the person praying, there follows a confession of sin couched for the most part in general terms, a prayer for pardon and a vow to praise God forever if this prayer is answered.

4. Original Language:

The bulk of scholars (Fritzsche, Reuss, Schurer, Ryssel, etc.) agree that this Prayer was composed in Greek. The Greek recension is written in a free, flowing and somewhat rhetorical style, and it reads like an original work, not like a translation. Though there are some Hebraisms, they are not more numerous or striking than usually meet us in Hellenistic Greek. It is of some importance also that, although Jewish tradition adds largely to the legends about Manasseh, it has never supplied a Hebrew version of the Prayer (see VERSIONS; TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT). On the other hand, Ewald (Hist. Isr, I, 186; IV, 217, note 5, German edition, IV, 217), Furst (Gesch. der bibl. Lit., II, 399), Budde (ZAW, 1892, 39;), Ball (Speaker's Apocrypha) and others argue for a Hebrew original, perhaps existing in the source named of 2 Chronicles 33:18 (see Ryssel in Kautzsch, Die Apocrypha des Altes Testament, 167).

5. Authenticity:

Have we here the authentic prayer of Manasseh offered under the circumstances described in 2 Chronicles 33 ? Ewald and the other scholars named (see foregoing section), who think the Prayer was composed in Hebrew, say that we have probably here a Greek rendering of the Hebrew original which the Chronicler saw in his source. Ball, on the other hand, though not greatly opposed to this view, is more convinced that the Hebrew original is to be sought in a haggadic narrative concerning Manasseh. Even if we accept the view of Ewald or of Ball, we still desiderate evidence that this Hebrew original is the very prayer offered by the king in Babylon. But the arguments for a Greek original are fairly conclusive. Many Old Testament scholars regard the narrative of the captivity, prayer and penitence of Manasseh as a fiction of the Chronicler's imagination, to whom it seemed highly improper that this wicked king should escape the punishment (exile) which he richly deserved. So De Wette (Einleitung), Graf (Stud. u. Krit., 1859, 467-94, and Gesch. Bucher des Altes Testament, 174) and Noldeke (Schenkel's Bibelwerk, "Manasse"). Nothing corresponding to it occurs in the more literal narrative of 2 Kings 21, an argument which, however, has but little weight. Recent discoveries of cuneiform inscriptions have taken off the edge of the most important objections to the historicity of this part of Chronicles. See Ball (op. cit., 361;) and Bissell (Lange's Apocrypha, 468). The likeliest supposition is that the author of the Prayer was an Alexandrian Jew who, with 2 Chronicles 33 before him, desired to compose such a prayer as Manasseh was likely to offer under the supposed circumstances. This prayer, written in excellent Alexandrian Greek, is, as Fritzsche points out, an addition to 2 Chronicles 33, corresponding to the prayers of Mordecai and Esther added to the canonical Esther (Additions to Esther 13:8-14:19), and also to the prayer of Azarias (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:2-22) and the So of the Three Young Men (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:29-68) appended to the canonical Book of Daniel.

6. The Author and His Motive:

That the author was an Alexandrian Jew is made probable by the (Greek) language he employs and by the sentiments he expresses. It is strange to find Swete (Expository Times, II, 38) defending the Christian authorship of this Prayer. What purpose could the writer seek to realize in the composition and publication of the penitential psalm? In the absence of definite knowledge, one may with Reuss (Das Altes Testament, VI, 436) suppose that the Jewish nation was at the time given up to great unfaithfulness to God and to gross moral corruption. The lesson of the Prayer is that God will accept the penitent, whatever his sins, and remove from the nation its load of sufferings, if only it turns to God.

7. Date:

Ewald and Furst (op. cit.) hold that the prayer is at least as old as the Book of Chronicles (300 B.C.), since it is distinctly mentioned, they say, in 2 Chronicles 33:13, 18 f. But the original form was, as seen (compare 4 above), Greek, not Hebrew. Moreover, the teaching of the Prayer is post-Biblical. The patriarchs are idealized to the extent that they are thought perfect and therefore not needing forgiveness (33:8); their merits avail for the sinful and undeserving (33:1) (see Weber, Jud. Theologie, 292). The expressions "God of the Just" (33:8), "God of those who repent" (33:13), belong to comparatively late Judaism. A period about the beginning of the Christian era or (Fritzsche) slightly earlier would suit the character (language and teaching) of the Prayer. The similarity between the doctrines implied in The Prayer of Manasseh and those taught in apocryphal writings of the time confirms this conclusion. There is no need with Bertholdt to bring down the writing to the 2nd or 3rd century A.D. Fabricius (Liber Tobit, etc., 208) dates the Prayer in the 4th or 5th century A.D., because, in his opinion, its author is the same as that of the Apostolical Constitutions which has that date. But the source of this part of the Apostolical Constitutions is the Didaskalia (3rd century), and moreover both these treatises are of Christian origin, the Prayer being the work of an Alexandrian Jew.

8. Text and Versions:

(1) Greek:

The Greek text occurs in Codices Alexandrinus, T (Psalterium Turicence 262, Parsons). Swete (OLD TESTAMENT in Greek, III, 802-4) gives the text of Codex Alexandrinus with the variations of T. It is omitted from the bulk of ancient manuscripts and editions of the Septuagint, as also from several modern editions (Tischendorf, etc.). Nestle (Septuaginta Studien, 1899, 3) holds that the Greek text of Codices Alexandrinus, T, etc., has been taken from the Apostolical Constitutions or from the Didaskalia. The common view is that it was extracted by the latter from the Septuagint.

(2) Latin:

The Latin text in Sabatier (Bib. Sac. Latin, III, 1038) is not by Jerome, nor is it in the manner of the Old Latin; its date is later.

LITERATURE.

The outstanding literature has been cited in the foregoing article. Reference may be made to Howorth ("Some Unconventional Views on the Text of the Bible," PSBA, XXXI, 89;: he argues that the narrative concerning Manasseh, including the Prayer in the Apostolical Constitutions, represents a portion of the true Septuagint of 2 Chronicles 33).

T. Witton Davies

PRAYER OF MANASSES

See MANASSES, THE PRAYER OF.

3128. Manasses -- Manasseh, an Israelite
... 3127, 3128. Manasses. 3129 . ... NASB Word Usage Manasseh (3). Manasses. Of Hebrew
origin (Mnashsheh); Mannasses (ie Menashsheh), an Israelite -- Manasses. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3128.htm - 6k

Matthew's Genealogy of Jesus Christ
... Achaz begat Ezekias; 10. And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat
Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 11. And Josias begat Jechonias ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/matthews genealogy of jesus christ.htm

Psalm LXXX.
... For there is Ephraim, there Manasses, there Benjamin. But to the
interpretation let us look: Ephraim is fruit-bearing, Benjamin ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxx.htm

Jesus, Pilate and Herod.
... proof.". "He will be very willing," said Manasses, "to oblige you in that
respect in order to obtain your favor and protection.". ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/stead/king of the jews/chapter vii jesus pilate and.htm

Introduction.
... little is known are these: the History of Jannes and Jambres, the magicians who
opposed Moses at the court of Pharaoh; the Conversion of Manasses, a different ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/introduction.htm

Articuli xxxix. Ecclesi?? Anglican??. AD 1562.
... The Story of Susanna, Of Bel and the Dragon. Of Bel and the Dragon, The prayer
of Manasses. The prayer of Manasses, The .1. boke of Machab. ...
/.../articuli xxxix ecclesiae anglicanae a d.htm

On Repentance and Remission of Sins, and Concerning the Adversary.
... Manasses also was utterly wicked, who sawed Isaiah asunder [532] , and was defiled
with all kinds of idolatries, and filled Jerusalem with innocent blood [533 ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture ii on repentance and.htm

Psalm LX.
... Christ, were the Gentiles possessed. There followeth, "And mine is Manasses;"
which is interpreted forgotten. For to Her had been ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lx.htm

Of the Agreement of the Evangelists Matthew and Luke in the ...
... begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; and Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz;
and Achaz begat Ezekias; and Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon i of the agreement.htm

Of the Imposition of Hands. Types of the Deluge and the Dove.
... as well as the former, is derived from the old sacramental rite in which Jacob blessed
his grandsons, born of Joseph, Ephrem [8603] and Manasses; with his ...
/.../tertullian/on baptism/chapter viii of the imposition of.htm

How Shall one Make Use of Christ as the Life, when Wrestling with ...
... 7. Yea, and not even themselves, but even their posterity; as David's child was
smitten with death, and the posterity of Manasses, who found mercy himself, 2 ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xxvii how shall one.htm

Manasses (1 Occurrence)
...MANASSES. ma-nas'-ez (Manasses; Codex Vaticanus Manasse): (1) One who had married
a "strange wife" (1 Esdras 9:33) equals "Manasseh" of Ezra 10:33. ...
/m/manasses.htm - 19k

Manasseh (140 Occurrences)
... 30). Manaseas in 1 Esdras 9:31. (6) The Manasses of 1 Esdras 9:33. A layman ...
unsatisfactory life. See MANASSES, THE PRAYER OF. In ...
/m/manasseh.htm - 68k

Josias (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Josias (2 Occurrences). Matthew 1:10 And Ezekias begat
Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; (KJV DBY WBS). ...
/j/josias.htm - 7k

Ezekias (2 Occurrences)
... begat Ezekias; (KJV DBY WBS). Matthew 1:10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and
Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; (KJV DBY WBS). ...
/e/ezekias.htm - 7k

Begat (112 Occurrences)
... WBS YLT). Matthew 1:10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon;
and Amon begat Josias; (KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT). Matthew 1 ...
/b/begat.htm - 31k

Prayer (406 Occurrences)
... on the Lord's Prayer, New York, 1907. Russell Benjamin Miller. MANASSES, THE
PRAYER OF. 1. Name 2. Canonicity and Position 3. Contents ...
/p/prayer.htm - 80k

Jeremias (3 Occurrences)
... In Ezra 10:33 we find, "Jeremai" among the sons of Hashum. In 1 Esdras it should
come in 9:33 before Manasses. (2) See JEREMIAH (general article). ...
/j/jeremias.htm - 7k

Manas'site (1 Occurrence)
Manas'site. Manasses, Manas'site. Manassites . Multi-Version Concordance
Manas'site (1 Occurrence). ... Manasses, Manas'site. Manassites . Reference Bible.
/m/manas'site.htm - 6k

Manas'seh's (2 Occurrences)
Manas'seh's. Manasseh's, Manas'seh's. Manasses . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(See RSV). Manasseh's, Manas'seh's. Manasses . Reference Bible.
/m/manas'seh's.htm - 7k

Balamon
... BALAMON. bal'-a-mon Balamon; (the King James Version, Balamo): In the field between
Balamon and Dothaim Manasses, the husband of Judith, was buried (Judith 8:3 ...
/b/balamon.htm - 6k

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