B. Manasseh and Amon Reign Over Judah (21:1-26)

Hezekiah was succeeded by his son Manasseh, who, according to the editor, totally redefined evil (21:1-18). Included among his deeds are the sacrificing of his son and the erection of a pagan idol in Solomon’s temple. In fact, Manasseh influenced the people under him to such an extent that they were actually worse than the Canaanites who inhabited the land before Joshua’s arrival (v.9). As a result, Yahweh’s mercy runs out and the ultimate destruction of Judah is predicted (vv.12-15).

The parallel account in 2Ch 33:10-13, however, suggests that extreme Assyrian pressure led Manasseh to repent of his evil ways. If so, the editor of Kings either knows nothing of it, discredits it, or ignores it. All are understandable in light of 2Ki 23:26, where God’s anger with Manasseh continues to burn even after Josiah’s reforms. Any such repentance left no lasting impression here.

Manasseh’s successor, Amon, simply continued the evil that he learned from his father (21:19-26). That he bore the same name as an Egyptian god rather than an Israelite name, such as Joel (“Yahweh is God”) or Obadiah (“Servant of Yahweh”), says something about the situation. After a reign of only two years, he was assassinated in the palace by his own officials.