2 Kings 21:3

Contextual Overview

¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah. ¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother’s name was Hephzi–bah. ¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned five and fifty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hephzibah. ¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he was king fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. ¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother was Hephzibah. ¹ Manasseh [was] twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Hephzi-bah. ¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Hephzibah. ¹Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. ¹ Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. ¹ Manasses was of twelue yeer, whanne he bigan to regne, and he regnyde fyue and fifti yeer in Jerusalem; the name of his modir was Asiba.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the high places: 2 Kings 18:4, 2 Kings 18:22, 2 Chronicles 32:12, 2 Chronicles 34:3

he reared: 2 Kings 10:18-20, 1 Kings 16:31-33, 1 Kings 18:21, 1 Kings 18:26

a grove: Rather, as we have before remarked, Asherah or Astarte. So Castel defines Asherah to be Simulacrum ligneum Astarte dicatum; "A wooden image dedicated to Astarte."

Ahab: 2 Kings 8:18, 2 Kings 8:27, Micah 6:16

and worshipped: 2 Kings 17:16, 2 Kings 23:4, Deuteronomy 4:19, Deuteronomy 17:3, 2 Chronicles 33:3-5, Job 31:26

Reciprocal: Genesis 2:1 - host Deuteronomy 16:21 - General 1 Kings 11:7 - build an high 1 Kings 14:9 - to provoke 1 Kings 14:23 - groves 1 Kings 16:33 - made a grove 2 Kings 23:5 - all the host 2 Kings 23:24 - the workers Jeremiah 8:2 - and all Jeremiah 23:27 - as Ezekiel 16:15 - and playedst Ezekiel 16:24 - thou hast Hosea 2:13 - the days Acts 7:42 - the host

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

Genesis 17:19
And God said, No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son; and you shall call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant for his descendants after him.

Genesis 17:19
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, [and] with his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall name him Isaac (laughter); and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.

Genesis 17:19
And the Lord seide to Abraham, Sara, thi wijf, schal bere a sone to thee, and thou schalt clepe his name Ysaac, and Y schal make my couenaunt to hym in to euerlastynge boond of pees, and to his seed aftir hym;

Genesis 17:19
and God saith, `Sarah thy wife is certainly bearing a son to thee, and thou hast called his name Isaac, and I have established My covenant with him, for a covenant age-during, to his seed after him.

Genesis 17:19
But God replied, "Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed,.... The temples and altars upon them, see

2 Kings 18:4,

and he reared up altars for Baal; in the high places he rebuilt:

and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel: which was either an idol itself, or a shade of trees where idols were placed; or rather Asherah, rendered "a grove", is the same with Astarte, the goddess of the Zidonians, the figure of which he made and worshipped; for groves were not so soon and easily planted, raised, and made; so the same in

1 Kings 16:33

and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them: the sun, moon, and stars, particularly the planets Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Venus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The first step in the re-establishment of idolatry seems to have been the restoration of the high places where Yahweh was professedly worshipped 2 Kings 18:22, but with idolatrous rites 1 Kings 14:23. The next was to re-introduce the favorite idolatry of Israel, Baal-worship, which had formerly flourished in Judaea under Athaliah 2 Kings 11:18, and Ahaz 2 Chronicles 28:2. After this, Manasseh seems to have especially affected Sabaism, which had been previously unknown in Judaea (compare 2 Kings 17:16 and note).

Worshipped all the host of heaven - Sabaism, or pure star-worship, without images, and without astrological superstitions, included a reverence for the sun, the moon, the chief stars, and the twelve signs of the Zodiac (2 Kings 23:5 note). The main worship was by altars, on which incense was burned Jeremiah 19:13. These altars were placed either upon the ground 2 Kings 21:5, or upon the house-tops 2 Kings 23:12; Zephaniah 1:5. The sun was worshipped with the face toward the east Ezekiel 8:16; chariots and horses were dedicated to him 2 Kings 23:11. The star-worship of the Jews has far more the character of an Arabian than an Assyrian or Chaldaean cult. It obtained its hold at a time when Assyria and Babylonia had but little communication with Judaea - i. e., during the reign of Manasseh. It crept in probably from the same quarter as the Molech worship, with which it is here (and in 2 Chronicles 33:3-6) conjoined.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 21:3. Made a grove — He made Asherah, the Babylonian Melitta or Roman Venus. See 2 Kings 17:10, and the observations at the end of that chapter; and see here on 2 Kings 21:7.

Worshipped all the host of heaven — All the stars and planets, but particularly the sun and the moon.