Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and he told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel. Then he restored the altar of the LORDThe phrase "restored the altar of the LORD" signifies a pivotal moment of repentance and renewal. The Hebrew root for "restored" is "חָדַשׁ" (chadash), meaning to renew or repair. This act of restoration is not merely physical but deeply spiritual, symbolizing a return to true worship and a rejection of idolatry. Historically, altars were central to Israelite worship, serving as the place where sacrifices were made to God. By restoring the altar, King Manasseh was acknowledging the sovereignty of Yahweh and re-establishing the covenant relationship between God and His people. and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it
The "peace offerings" (Hebrew: "שֶׁלֶם" - shelem) and "thank offerings" (Hebrew: "תּוֹדָה" - todah) were integral parts of the sacrificial system. Peace offerings symbolized reconciliation and fellowship with God, while thank offerings expressed gratitude for His blessings. These sacrifices were acts of worship and devotion, reflecting a heart turned back to God. In the context of Manasseh's reign, this was a significant shift from his previous idolatrous practices, demonstrating a sincere desire to honor God and seek His favor. and he told Judah to serve the LORD
The directive to "serve the LORD" underscores the king's role as a spiritual leader. The Hebrew word for "serve" is "עָבַד" (avad), which implies worship, work, and obedience. Manasseh's command to Judah to serve the LORD indicates a national call to repentance and a collective return to covenant faithfulness. This reflects the biblical principle that leaders have a responsibility to guide their people in righteousness and to encourage them to live according to God's statutes. the God of Israel
The designation "the God of Israel" reaffirms the unique relationship between Yahweh and His chosen people. It is a reminder of the covenant established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the promises made to their descendants. By invoking this title, the text emphasizes God's faithfulness and the identity of Israel as His people. In a broader theological context, it highlights the continuity of God's redemptive plan and His desire for His people to remain distinct and devoted to Him amidst a world of competing deities and ideologies. Persons / Places / Events 1. ManassehKing of Judah who initially led the nation into idolatry but later repented and sought to restore true worship. 2. Altar of the LORDThe sacred place for sacrifices, symbolizing the restoration of worship and relationship with God. 3. JudahThe southern kingdom of Israel, which Manasseh ruled and led back to the worship of Yahweh. 4. Peace Offerings and Thank OfferingsSacrifices made to express gratitude and seek reconciliation with God. 5. Repentance and RestorationThe event of Manasseh's transformation from idolatry to leading Judah back to God. Teaching Points The Power of RepentanceTrue repentance can lead to personal and communal restoration. Manasseh's life demonstrates that no one is beyond God's grace. Restoration of WorshipRestoring the altar signifies the importance of returning to genuine worship. Believers are called to prioritize their relationship with God. Leadership and InfluenceLeaders have a profound impact on the spiritual direction of their communities. Manasseh's change of heart led Judah back to God. Sacrifices of GratitudeOffering peace and thank offerings reflects a heart of gratitude and reconciliation. Christians are encouraged to live lives marked by thankfulness. Obedience to God's CommandsManasseh's command for Judah to serve the LORD highlights the importance of obedience in the life of a believer. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Manasseh's account illustrate the concept of repentance and God's willingness to forgive? 2. In what ways can we "restore the altar" in our own lives, ensuring that our worship is genuine and pleasing to God? 3. How can leaders today learn from Manasseh's example in terms of influencing others towards or away from God? 4. What are some practical ways we can offer "sacrifices of peace and thank offerings" in our daily lives? 5. How does the transformation in Manasseh's life encourage us to trust in God's power to change hearts, both our own and others'? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Kings 21Provides a parallel account of Manasseh's reign, highlighting his initial sins and later repentance. Leviticus 3 and 7Describes the peace and thank offerings, emphasizing their role in maintaining a covenant relationship with God. Romans 12:1Encourages believers to offer themselves as living sacrifices, drawing a parallel to the restoration of true worship. Psalm 51David's prayer of repentance, illustrating the heart attitude necessary for true restoration with God. People Amon, Ben, David, Hezekiah, Israelites, Josiah, Manasseh, SolomonPlaces Assyria, Babylon, Fish Gate, Gihon, Jerusalem, Ophel, Valley of HinnomTopics Altar, Buildeth, Built, Commanded, Fellowship, Judah, Offered, Offering, Offerings, Order, Ordered, Peace, Peace-offerings, Praise-offerings, Reinstated, Repaired, Restored, Sacrificed, Sacrifices, Sacrificeth, Servants, Serve, Thank, Thank-offering, Thank-offerings, Thanksgiving, ThereonDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Chronicles 33:16 7364 fellowship offering 2 Chronicles 33:1-25 5366 king 2 Chronicles 33:15-16 7476 thank-offering Library Manasseh's Sin and Repentance
'So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel. 10. And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. 11. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. 12. And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureManasseh
BY REV. J. G. GREENHOUGH, M.A. "Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem."--2 CHRON. xxxiii. l. Fifty and five years--he wore the crown a longer time than any other of the house of David. Of all the kings that reigned in Jerusalem, this man's reign filled the largest space; yet he is the one king of Judah about whom we are told least. In the modern city of Venice there is a hall which is adorned with the portraits of all the doges …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known How Shall one Make Use of Christ as the Life, when Wrestling with an Angry God Because of Sin?
That we may give some satisfaction to this question, we shall, 1. Shew what are the ingredients in this case, or what useth to concur in this distemper. 2. Shew some reasons why the Lord is pleased to dispense thus with his people. 3. Shew how Christ is life to the soul in this case. 4. Shew the believer's duty for a recovery; and, 5. Add a word or two of caution. As to the first, There may be those parts of, or ingredients in this distemper: 1. God presenting their sins unto their view, so as …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII Covenanting According to the Purposes of God.
Since every revealed purpose of God, implying that obedience to his law will be given, is a demand of that obedience, the announcement of his Covenant, as in his sovereignty decreed, claims, not less effectively than an explicit law, the fulfilment of its duties. A representation of a system of things pre-determined in order that the obligations of the Covenant might be discharged; various exhibitions of the Covenant as ordained; and a description of the children of the Covenant as predestinated …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting The Worst Things Work for Good to the Godly
DO not mistake me, I do not say that of their own nature the worst things are good, for they are a fruit of the curse; but though they are naturally evil, yet the wise overruling hand of God disposing and sanctifying them, they are morally good. As the elements, though of contrary qualities, yet God has so tempered them, that they all work in a harmonious manner for the good of the universe. Or as in a watch, the wheels seem to move contrary one to another, but all carry on the motions of the watch: …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial The Girdle of the City. Nehemiah 3
The beginning of the circumference was from 'the sheep-gate.' That, we suppose, was seated on the south part, yet but little removed from that corner, which looks south-east. Within was the pool of Bethesda, famous for healings. Going forward, on the south part, was the tower Meah: and beyond that, "the tower of Hananeel": in the Chaldee paraphrast it is, 'The tower Piccus,' Zechariah 14:10; Piccus, Jeremiah 31:38.--I should suspect that to be, the Hippic tower, were not that placed on the north …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
The Medes and Cimmerians: Lydia--The conquest of Egypt, of Arabia, and of Elam. As we have already seen, Sennacherib reigned for eight years after his triumph; eight years of tranquillity at home, and of peace with all his neighbours abroad. If we examine the contemporary monuments or the documents of a later period, and attempt to glean from them some details concerning the close of his career, we find that there is a complete absence of any record of national movement on the part of either Elam, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 Beginning at Jerusalem
The whole verse runs thus: "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." The words were spoken by Christ, after he rose from the dead, and they are here rehearsed after an historical manner, but do contain in them a formal commission, with a special clause therein. The commission is, as you see, for the preaching of the gospel, and is very distinctly inserted in the holy record by Matthew and Mark. "Go teach all nations," …
John Bunyan—Jerusalem Sinner Saved The Jerusalem Sinner Saved;
OR, GOOD NEWS FOR THE VILEST OF MEN; BEING A HELP FOR DESPAIRING SOULS, SHOWING THAT JESUS CHRIST WOULD HAVE MERCY IN THE FIRST PLACE OFFERED TO THE BIGGEST SINNERS. THE THIRD EDITION, IN WHICH IS ADDED, AN ANSWER TO THOSE GRAND OBJECTIONS THAT LIE IN THE WAY OF THE THEM THAT WOULD BELIEVE: FOR THE COMFORT OF THEM THAT FEAR THEY HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST. BY JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. London: Printed for Elizabeth Smith, at the Hand and Bible, on London Bridge, 1691. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Chronicles 33:16 NIV2 Chronicles 33:16 NLT2 Chronicles 33:16 ESV2 Chronicles 33:16 NASB2 Chronicles 33:16 KJV
2 Chronicles 33:16 Commentaries
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