Biblical Meaning of Manasseh (King)
Manasseh — causing to forget — was the most wicked king in Judah's history whose personal repentance in Assyrian captivity became one of the most dramatic personal redemptions in scripture.
The Most Wicked King
Manasseh (Hebrew: Menashe — "one who causes to forget"; the same name as Joseph's son meaning "God has made me forget my suffering") was Hezekiah's son, king of Judah for fifty-five years — the longest reign of any Judean king. His record in 2 Kings 21 is a catalog of religious horror: he rebuilt every high place his father Hezekiah had destroyed, erected altars to Baal, "bowed down to all the starry hosts," set up an Asherah pole inside the temple itself, practiced divination and sorcery, consulted mediums, and sacrificed his own son in fire. "He did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites." The text adds: "he had filled Jerusalem from end to end with innocent blood."
The Assyrian Captivity and the Prayer
Second Chronicles 33 adds the rest of the story, not told in Kings: the Assyrians took Manasseh in bronze shackles to Babylon. "In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God." He restored true worship, removed the foreign gods, repaired the altar and commanded Judah to serve the LORD. The worst king became, in his captivity, a man of genuine prayer. His frequency: the warning that the worst history does not preclude the deepest repentance; and the hope that the God who hears Manasseh hears anyone.
Key spiritual meanings of Biblical Meaning of Manasseh (King)
- Causing to forget
- the paradox of the name — the most remembered bad king
- Fifty-five years of evil
- the longest Judean reign devoted to systematic idolatry
- Bronze shackles in Babylon
- the captivity that accomplished what fifty-five years could not
- He humbled himself greatly
- the key phrase that changed everything
- The LORD was moved by his entreaty
- divine response to the worst king's genuine prayer
- Manasseh knew that the LORD is God
- the knowledge finally reached through suffering
- If Manasseh can be received, anyone can
- the extreme of grace that the story implies
- Name frequency
- forgetting overtaken by the unforgettable divine mercy that remembered him
Frequently asked questions
What does Biblical Meaning of Manasseh (King) mean spiritually?
Manasseh — causing to forget — was the most wicked king in Judah's history whose personal repentance in Assyrian captivity became one of the most dramatic personal redemptions in scripture.
The Most Wicked King
Manasseh (Hebrew: Menashe — "one who causes to forget"; the same name as Joseph's son meaning "God has made me forget my suffering") was Hezekiah's son, king of Judah for fifty-five years — the longest reign of any Judean king. His record in 2 Kings 21 is a catalog of religious horror: he rebuilt every high place his father Hezekiah had destroyed, erected altars to Baal, "bowed down to all the starry hosts," set up an Asherah pole inside the temple itself, practiced divination and sorcery,…
The Assyrian Captivity and the Prayer
Second Chronicles 33 adds the rest of the story, not told in Kings: the Assyrians took Manasseh in bronze shackles to Babylon. "In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God." He restored true worship, removed the foreign gods, repaired the…
What are the 8 spiritual meanings of Biblical Meaning of Manasseh (King)?
1. Causing to forget: the paradox of the name — the most remembered bad king 2. Fifty-five years of evil: the longest Judean reign devoted to systematic idolatry 3. Bronze shackles in Babylon: the captivity that accomplished what fifty-five years could not 4. He humbled himself greatly: the key phrase that changed everything 5. The LORD was moved by his entreaty: divine response to the worst king's genuine prayer 6. Manasseh knew that the LORD is God: the knowledge finally reached through suffering 7. If Manasseh can be received, anyone can: the extreme of grace that the story implies 8. Name frequency: forgetting overtaken by the unforgettable divine mercy that remembered him