MANASSEH
Manasseh was the king of southern Judea. He was known for his idol worship and lack of faith in Yahweh.
Manasseh was the fourteenth king of the Kingdom of Judah. He was the oldest of the sons of Hezekiah and his mother, Hephzibah. He became king at the age of 12 and reigned for 55 years. The biblical account of Manasseh is found in 2 Kings 21:1–18 and 2 Chronicles 32:33–33:20.?
Born:?709 BC,?Jerusalem
Died:?643 BC,?Jerusalem
Spouse:?Meshullemeth?(m. ?–644 BC)
House:?House of David
Children:?Amon of Judah
Parents:?Hezekiah,?Hephzibah
Grandchild:?Josiah
Manasseh, one of the?Twelve Tribes of Israel, constituted?Israel's people.
After the?Exodus?from Egypt and the death of?Moses, the Israelites entered the Promised Land under the leadership of?Joshua, who assigned territory to each of the 12 tribes. The tribe of Manasseh settled in central?Palestine—some to the east, some to the west of the?Jordan River. When the independent kingdom of Israel, established by the ten northern tribes after the death of King?Solomon?(10th century?BCE), was conquered by the Assyrians in the late 8th century?BCE, many Israelites were carried off into slavery. In time the tribe of Manasseh was?assimilated?by other peoples and thus became known in?legend?as one of the?Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
Manasseh
MANASSEH?m? nas' ?;?one who causes to forget). KJV MANASSES (Matt 1:10).
1. The older of two sons born to Joseph and Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the Egyp. Priest of On (Heliopolis;?Gen 41:50,?51;?46:20). Biblical etymology derives the name "to forget" and means, "He who causes one to forget." Joseph interprets the name by stating, "God has made me forget all my hardship and my father's house" (41:51). When Joseph brought his sons Ephraim and Manasseh to his father for his blessing, Jacob adopted them as his own, placing them on an equality with his sons as progenitors[A] of separate tribes. In blessing the two boys Jacob subordinated Manasseh, the elder, to Ephraim, the younger, who thus inherited the position of privilege, the firstborn's blessing (Gen 48). Notwithstanding his subordination, in the inheritance, Manasseh was to be blessed by "the angel who has redeemed" Jacob "from all evil" and was to become a great people (Gen 48:16,?19). Jacob's statement, "By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, 'God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh'" (48:20), is the basis of the benediction Jewish parents pronounce upon their sons on the Sabbath and holy days. Manasseh's Aramean concubine was the mother of Machir, whose descendants became the tribe of Manasseh (1 Chron 7:14). The Targums Jerusalem and pseudo-Jonathan in?Genesis 42?are responsible for the Jewish tradition that Manasseh was a steward in the house of Joseph and that he acted as the interpreter for Joseph in his conversation with his brothers (Gen 42:23). The same tradition records that Manasseh possessed unusual physical strength demonstrated when he retained Simeon (42:24).
A. definition of progenitor
a: progenitor:?an ancestor in the direct line:?FOREFATHER
b:?a biologically ancestral forerunner
2. One of the twelve tribes of Israel descending from Manasseh, the grandson of Jacob through Joseph, Manasseh was one of the two Joseph tribes; Ephraim was the other. At the Exodus Manasseh numbered 32,200 (Num 1:35;?2:21), while Ephraim had 40,500 (Num 1:32,?33;?2:19). At the time of Israel's conquest of Canaan, forty years later, Manasseh had increased to 52,700 (26:34), while Ephraim had fallen to 32,500 (26:37). At the time of the entrance into Canaan, Manasseh was sixth in the numerical strength of the twelve tribes, being surpassed by Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, and Asher. During the journey through the wilderness, the position of Manasseh was on the western side of the Tabernacle with Ephraim and Benjamin (2:18-24). The head of the tribe was Gamaliel, the son of Pedahzur (1:10;?7:54). The Jerusalem and pseudo-Jonathan Targums say that the standard of the Rachel tribes, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Benjamin, carried the figure of a boy with the statement, "The cloud of the Lord rested on them until they went forth out of the camp." The Talmud says that Manasseh's tribal banner was a black flag carrying the embroidered figure of a unicorn. The tribe of Manasseh was represented by Gaddi, son of Susi, when Moses sent the twelve spies to survey the land of Canaan (13:11).
Manasseh took an essential part in the victories of Israel over her enemies. The Biblical account describes how the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, took Gilead and conquered the Amorites (32:39). Jair the Manassite took the whole region of Bashan and called the villages Havvoth-jair after his name (32:41;?Deut 3:14;?1 Chron 5:18-22). Nobah "went and took Kenath and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name" (Num 32:42). Troops of the tribe of Manasseh crossed to the West bank of the Jordan and contributed effectively to the victories of the conquest under the leadership of Joshua (Josh 22:1,?7). After the fighting, the tribe of Manasseh coöperated with the Reubenites and the Gadites in building an altar by the Jordan, which nearly led to civil war in Israel because it was misinterpreted by the other tribes (Josh 22:10-34). Other prominent leaders from Manasseh included judge Gideon, who defeated the Midianites with a small army (Judg 6:15). Gideon's son Abimelech maintained himself at the head of a short-lived kingdom in the territory of Manasseh (ch. 9). Also from Manasseh was the judge Jephthah who defeated the Ammonites (ch. 11).
The territory occupied by Manasseh lay on both banks of the Jordan River. On the E bank, its territory was farthest N adjacent to Syria and esp. adapted for raising cattle. On the W bank, it was on the northern and most fruitful area of the mountain of Ephraim. The boundaries of the two sections of Manasseh cannot be drawn with exactness. Eastern Manasseh seems to have extended from the Jabbok to Mount Hermon in the N, and western Manasseh lay N of Ephraim, extending to the slopes of Mount Carmel (cf.?Josh 17:15). Thirteen cities in the eastern area of Manasseh were assigned to the Levites, and ten in the western section (21:5,?6). Golan, a city of refuge, was in the eastern area of Manasseh. Although Manasseh was larger numerically than Ephraim about the time of the conquest of Canaan, in later times, Ephraim surpassed Manasseh in population, wealth, and power. Western Manasseh was never able to dominate the Canaanites completely in its area (17:12;?Judg 1:27).?See?Location of Tribes.
When David was made king at Hebron, 18,000 men came from the western half-tribe of Manasseh to join the movement (1 Chron 12:31), while eastern Manasseh was represented in the 120,000 troops who came together with the men of Reuben and Gad. When David organized his administration under the leadership of "men of great ability" (1 Chron 26:31), he found in western Manasseh Joel, son of Pedaiah, and eastern Manasseh Iddo, son of Zechariah (1 Chron 27:20,?21). Men of Manasseh were involved in the revival under Asa, in the Passover celebration in the reign of Hezekiah, and his attack upon idolatry. They were also involved in the reform of Josiah and the restoration of the Temple (2 Chron 15:9;?30:1,?10,?11,?18;?31:1;?34:6,?9). The eastern tribe of Manasseh was more exposed to the attacks of the Syrians and Assyrians than other parts of the country. Manasseh suffered the same fate as the other northern tribes in the deportations by Tiglath-pileser III and later by Sargon at the time of the fall of Samaria in 722?b.c.
Manasseh eventually lost its identity in becoming assimilated with the people of the new environment after the destruction of the northern kingdom whose gods the Manassites came to worship. The Biblical account emphasizes that the children of Manasseh "transgressed against the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land" (1 Chron 5:25).
In?Psalms 4:7?and?108:8,?Manasseh is called a most precious possession of God. Ezekiel has a place for the tribe of Manasseh in his picture of the future (Ezek 48:4), and John includes the tribe in his vision described in?Revelation 7:6.
3. A king of Judah who reigned from c. 696?b.c.?to 641?b.c., a reign of fifty-five years (2 Kings 21:1;?2 Chron 33:1). He was the son and successor of Hezekiah and was only twelve years of age at his father's death. His reign of fifty-five years was the longest in Judah's history, and its events are recorded in?2 Kings 21:1-18?and?2 Chronicles 33:1-20. During practically the entire reign of Manasseh, Judah was a tribute-paying province of the Assyrians. This situation began under Tiglath-pileser III when the Assyrians came to the help of Ahaz against Pekah of the northern kingdom and Rezin of Syria and continued so on through the reign of Esarhaddon (c. 681-669?b.c.) and Ashurbanipal (c. 669-630?b.c.). In the Assyrian insurers. of these kings, Manasseh is specifically referred to as a vassal king. Each of these kings invaded and plundered Egypt and Manasseh sent a contingent of troops to aid their armies in these campaigns.
2 Chronicles 33:10-13?describes the arrest of Manasseh and his deportation to Babylon in chains by "the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria." The Chronicler declares that Manasseh's arrest and deportation resulted from God's judgment upon the king's wickedness (2 Chron 33:9-11). Scholars disagree as to why the Assyrians forced Manasseh to go to Babylon. It may not necessarily have been because of Manasseh's rebellion against Assyria, for which there is no clear evidence. It may have been how the Assyrians forced the Judean king to demonstrate his loyalty as a vassal. This procedure was an Assyrian policy toward vassals whose loyalty was in doubt. Assyrian inscriptions give no specific suspicious act of Manasseh as the reason for his arrest. In Ashurbanipal's record of his first campaign against Egypt, he lists twenty-two vassal kings, among whom is Manasseh. A rebellion of serious proportions erupted in 652?b.c.?against Ashurbanipal, led by his brother Shamash-shumukin of Babylon. The civil war raged for four years and ended with the defeat of Babylon. If Manasseh had been interested in throwing off the yoke of Ashurbanipal, this would have been his time for action.
Some scholars find no problem in Manasseh's journey by coercion to Babylon, followed by his restoration to his throne. The Assyrian records report the parallel case of Pharaoh Necho I, who was also one of the royal prisoners of Ashurbanipal and then restored to Egypt.
The Assyrian kings of this period spent much of their time in Babylon. Manasseh repented for his sins and was restored to his kingdom (2 Chron 33:12,?13). A penitential psalm attributed to Manasseh is included in the apocryphal "Prayer of Manasseh," probably from the Maccabean period. It is an attempt to express Manasseh's repentance and faith at his arrest by the Assyrians. His religious reforms when he was restored were superficial as he did not remove the high places of paganism (2 Chron 33:17). Upon his return from Babylon, Manasseh gave himself to a building program, defense measures, and administration besides the religious reforms. Considering his fifty-five-year reign, very little is known of these activities. His reign was a period of great material prosperity due to his coöperation with the Assyrians: Assyrian records list Manasseh and other subjects who paid tribute (2 Chron 33:12-19).
His responsibility for the religious syncretism distinguishes the reign of Manasseh
Definition of?syncretism
1:?the combination of different forms of belief or practice
2:?the fusion of two or more originally different inflectional forms of his time which gained him the reputation of being the typical evil king of Judah.
According to the account in?2 Kings 23:26,?27,?his was the most immoral reign of all the kings and was the reason for the ultimate collapse of the southern kingdom. Assyria and inscrs. was greatly influenced by Assyrian excavations at Gezer that disclose Assyrian presence there and the use of the Assyrian language and dating methods. Manasseh's active leadership in promoting pagan practices was perhaps prompted by more political than religious interests. There was a significant surge of paganism involving the spread of the various cults, with their mythologies emanating from the Assyrian empire's significant population and culture centers. The resulting religious syncretism as it involved Judah is referred to by Isaiah (Isa 2:6-8). The popular religion of Judah became a medley of Assyria-Babylonian cults, Canaanite fertility cult Baalism, and Yahwism. Ezekiel's picture of the situation is exceptionally vivid (Ezek 8). The most degraded aspect of this pagan cultus was human sacrifice, and like Ahaz, before him, Manasseh "burned his sons as an offering in the valley of the sons of Hinnom" (2 Chron 33:6).
The record in?2 Kings 21:1-18;?24:3,?4?emphasizes three critical aspects of the regime of Manasseh: upon his accession to the throne, he led in a reaction against the reforms instituted by his father Hezekiah; he accelerated the development of heathenism in the country; he instituted bitter persecution of the prophetic party which opposed the popular syncretism led by the king. He "filled Jerusalem with innocent blood" (2 Kings 24:4), and the prophets were put to the sword (Jer 2:30). Rabbinical lit. emphasizes that Manasseh was even eviler than Ahaz and that he killed Isaiah, who had fled and hid in a tree, by sawing him asunder. Jeremiah said that Manasseh's sin had yet to be expiated (Jer 15:4; cf.?2 Kings 23:26). When Manasseh's immediate successor, Josiah, came to the throne, the supreme need was religious revival (2 Kings 23:26).
4. The name is given for the grandfather of Jonathan in the KJV of?Judges 18:30?based upon the Heb. text. The RSV has Moses because it is generally presumed that the reading in the MT is an intentional misspelling. After all, the man referred to is said to be a priest of the idolatrous shrine of Micah and the tribe of Dan. Because the priest's name was Moses, he was changed to Manasseh to avoid stigmatizing the revered name and sparing Moses the humiliation of having an idolatrous descendant. The change was accomplished by merely inserting a diminutive?nun?(n) between the first two letters of the name Moses. This removed the stigma and gave the man a name familiar to the Hebrews as an idolater. Hubert Grimme's attempt to equate Moses and Manasseh's names founded on the Sinai inscriptions has been generally rejected by scholars.
5. A son of Hashum (Ezra 10:33), the Manasses of?1 Esdras 9:33, who is said to have put away his foreign wife (Ezra 10:44).
6. A son of Pahath-Moab (10:30) called Manassas in?1 Esdras 9:31?and, with others, put away his foreign wife (Ezra 10:44).
7. This Manasseh is referred to in?Nehemiah 13:28?as "one of the sons of Jehoiada, the son of Eliashib, the high priest," and "the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite" but not mentioned by name. He is named by Josephus, who says (Antiq. xi.?7:2) that he married Nicaso, daughter of Sanballat, and was consequently deposed from the priesthood by Nehemiah. Josephus describes how the high priest Jaddua, Manasseh's brother, expressing the feeling of the people of Jerusalem, presented Manasseh with the alternative of putting away his wife or leaving the priesthood. Manasseh went to Sanballat and told him that he could not leave the priesthood although he loved his wife. Upon Sanballat's promise that he would build with the approval of the king a temple on Mount Gerizim where Manasseh should be the high priest, Manasseh stayed with his wife and father-in-law (Antiq. xi. 8.2-4), and thus became the high priest of the schismatic [Control]
Religious policies
There are three aspects of Manasseh's religious policy which the writer of?Kings?considered deplorable: the religious reaction which followed hard upon his accession; its extension by the free adoption of foreign cults; and the bitter persecution of the prophetic party.
According to Kings, Manasseh reversed the centralizing reforms of his father?Hezekiah and re-established local shrines, possibly for economic reasons. He restored polytheistic worship of?Baal?and?Asherah?(2 Kings 21) in the?Temple and sponsored the Assyrian?astral cult?throughout Judah.?So zealous was he in his worship of the foreign gods that he is said to have participated in the sacrificial cult of?Moloch, which consisted of sacrificing young children or passing them through fire (2 Kings 21:6).?His reign may be described as reactionary to his father's, and?Kings?suggests that he may have executed supporters of his father's reforms. During Manasseh's half-century, the popular worship was a medley of native and foreign cults, the influence of which was slow to disappear.
2 Kings 21:10 suggests that several prophets combined their condemnation of Manasseh. The?Pulpit Commentary?identifies the prophets as probably?Isaiah,?Habakkuk, and possibly?Nahum?and?Zephaniah.?Manasseh's response was to persecute those who had bitterly condemned the popular syncretism. The prophets were put to the sword (Jeremiah 2:30). Exegetical tradition relates that Isaiah, Manasseh's grandfather, suffered an excruciating execution,?sawn in two?under the king's orders. "Innocent blood" reddened the streets of Jerusalem. For many decades those who sympathized with prophetic ideas were in constant peril.
Assyrian detention and repentance
According to?2 Chronicles 33:11–13, Manasseh was on one occasion brought in chains to the?Assyrian king (possibly?Esarhaddon), presumably for suspected disloyalty. The verse indicates that he was later treated well and restored to his throne. In?the Chronicler's account, the severity of Manasseh's imprisonment brought him to repentance. Manasseh was restored to the throne (2 Chronicles 33:11–13) and abandoned?idolatry, removing the foreign idols (2 Chronicles 33:15) and enjoining the people to worship the Lord of Israel?Yahweh. However, neither?Kings?nor Assyrian records mention this incident.
