2 Kings 21 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

In this chapter, the author continues to tell what the kings were like who ruled over the kingdom of Judah.

1. King Manasseh of Judah (1–18)
2. King Amon of Judah (19–26)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

How could such a good king as Hezekiah have had such a bad son as Manasseh?

The author says in 18:5 that Hezekiah “trusted in Yahweh the God of Israel” more than any of the kings of Judah who lived before him or after him. By contrast, he says that Hezekiah’s son Manasseh was even more evil than the pagan nations that had lived in Canaan before the Israelites. How could such a good king have had such a bad son? Manasseh was only 12 years old when his father died and he became king. He was still young and impressionable, and he seems to have come under the influence of a group of Judean leaders who had consistently opposed Hezekiah’s reforms. The book of Isaiah describes how these leaders continued to worship foreign gods and cultivate foreign alliances (Isaiah 2:6–9, 20:5, 30:1–7). They seem to have done all they could to influence Manasseh to become like them and, unfortunately, they seem to have succeeded.