Manasseh of Judah

In the seventh century, the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel faced the rising empires of Assyria and Babylon. In order to survive possible invasion or annexation, the Kingdom of Judah issued many religious reforms under Kings Hezekiah and Josiah. Religious practices before these threats were much more decentralized and had roots in earlier Yahwistic cultic practices. An example of these practices would be the High Places as areas of worship. With the downfall of the northern Kingdom of Israel, Judah had to prepare for an Assyrian annexation and tried to differentiate itself from their northern neighbors. In order to do so King Hezekiah and King Josiah both created religious reforms attempting to centralize the Jerusalem cultic practice and unite the people against both Assyrian and Babylonian aggression. High places became an easy target in the reforms of both kings. A high place is an elevated cultic installation where religious rites were performed. They could be in either a rural or an urban setting and were sometimes found on naturally higher areas or were sometimes artificially built up. These High Places could possibly represent the oldest Yahwistic cultic practices in Israel. Originally, Biblical passages supported…

Although 2nd Kings and 2nd Chronicles both relay the accounts of how Manasseh sinned against God, several key differences portray an alternate meaning for a separate audience and purpose. 2nd Kings 21:10 and 2nd Chronicles 33:9 both share with the audience how Manasseh’s wickedness surpassed all the Amorites who had ruled before him, and his role in making Judah sin with his idols. After this point, both divert in opposite directions with Chronicles adding how Manasseh was deported to Babylon,…

King Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 is a story of repentance. Manasseh ruled for 55 long years and he started his reign at twelve years old. The initial ten years of his rule was conceivably a cogency with his father, Hezekiah. Though Manasseh had the longest tenure as king of Judah, the bible reflects on Manasseh and his devotion. He is both a bad guy and a good guy but also a man of repentance. It is clear that Manasseh headed people of Judah far from love of the LORD (2 Chronicles 33:9).…

Manasseh: 2 Kings vs. 2 Chronicles King Manasseh was certainly a memorable king of Judah for those who had read and reread the books of Kings and Chronicles. Both books draw much attention to him, but there can be no doubt that the figure of Manasseh as portrayed in Chronicles was significantly different from the king evoked by the book of Kings. Initially, 2 Chronicles 33 follows closely the accounts of 2 Kings 21. King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, began his 55-year reign at the age of 12.…

Nahum prophesied that Assyria would be destroyed (630 BC) Babylon, one of the cities ruled by the Assyrians rebelled (625 BC) During 612 BC, the Assyrians were destroyed The Babylonians and the Medes from what is now Iran destroyed Nineveh the capital of the Assyrian Empire. So the Assyrian Empire came to an end. However the Babylonians then began to conquer the peoples previously ruled by the Assyrians. The Babylonians created their own empire to replace the Assyrian one and in time they turned…

religion and culture. The Israelites transitioned from different types of government. They started out with having spiritual leaders such as Moses to Joshua, then they went to judges who weren’t so spiritual. At the end of the judges period, the Israelites pushed for them to have a king. Over time culture changed during the time of the Israelites. Land was part of their culture because it was given to the Israelites by God. They had many conquests to face before settlement was an option.…

bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen 12: 2-3) this is the basis of the Abrahamic covenant, the first covenant made to Israel. This covenant laid the groundwork for Israel’s history. It could be said that the Abrahamic covenant was the highway on which the Messiah would come and the millennial kingdom as well. Through this…

Promise Land. From of old, God has been speaking of the Promise Land. However, when the Israelites enter the earthly Promise Land it is not heavenly Promise Land that one truly seeks for. Sin and suffering are still part of the human experience in the earthly Promise Land, as it does not exist in perfection. Similarly, King Hezekiah is the human Immanuel, but not the divine. Who is the first Immanuel figure King Hezekiah? Before answering this question, it is important to understand the…

writing” (201). Because of this, the placement of this book is recognized in two separate times. According to Mickal, the Hebrew Bible places the book of Joel with the Minor Prophets, after Ezekiel & Hosea but before Amos, while the English and Greek Bible places it after Daniel and Hosea, but before Amos (2004). According to James L. Crenshaw, the prophet is addressing the kingdom of Judah (2008). This chapter focuses on the importance for the elderly to illustrate Judah’s past to the younger…

The book of Nehemiah was authored by Ezra between 445 and 420 B.C. It records the events of the Jews returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the wall that once stood strong and protected them from their enemies. Nehemiah started out as the king of Persia’s cup bearer and was eventually commissioned as a governor. Before entering into the leadership of Nehemiah the Jewish people had been exiled for over seventy years, Jerusalem had been completely destroyed, and the temple had been burned in 586…