2 Chronicles 33:7

33:1-20 We have seen Manasseh's wickedness; here we have his repentance, and a memorable instance it is of the riches of God's pardoning mercy, and the power of his renewing grace. Deprived of his liberty, separated from his evil counsellors and companions, without any prospect but of ending his days in a wretched prison, Manasseh thought upon what had passed; he began to cry for mercy and deliverance. He confessed his sins, condemned himself, was humbled before God, loathing himself as a monster of impiety and wickedness. Yet he hoped to be pardoned through the abundant mercy of the Lord. Then Manasseh knew that Jehovah was God, able to deliver. He knew him as a God of salvation; he learned to fear, trust in, love, and obey him. From this time he bore a new character, and walked in newness of life. Who can tell what tortures of conscience, what pangs of grief, what fears of wrath, what agonizing remorse he endured, when he looked back on his many years of apostacy and rebellion against God; on his having led thousands into sin and perdition; and on his blood-guiltiness in the persecution of a number of God's children? And who can complain that the way of heaven is blocked up, when he sees such a sinner enter? Say the worst against thyself, here is one as bad who finds the way to repentance. Deny not to thyself that which God hath not denied to thee; it is not thy sin, but thy impenitence, that bars heaven against thee.

Verses 7, 8. - (Comp. Psalm 132:13, 14 ; 2 Samuel 7:10 .) Verse 7. - A carved image, the idol; translate, a carved image of the idol ; i.e. the Asherah ; for see the parallel ( 2 Kings 21:7 ). The idol ; Hebrew, סֶמֶל . This name is found here and in ver. 15; in Deuteronomy 4:16 , translated (Authorized Version) "figure;" and Ezekiel 8:3, 5 , translated (Authorized Version) "image." 2 Chronicles 33:7

(7) And he set . . . had made. — And he set the carven image of the idol which he had made. “ Idol” ( sèmel ) explains “Asherah,” the term used in Kings. Both “carven image “and “idol” (Authorised Version, figure ) occur in Deuteronomy 4:16 . The house of God.—Chronicles has added, of God, by way of explanation. The Temple proper is meant, as distinct from the courts. Before all.—Out of all. For ever.—Le’êlum, a form only found here (equivalent to le’ólām).

The reign of Manasseh; cf. 2 Kings 21:1-18 . - The characteristics of this king's reign, and of the idolatry which he again introduced, and increased in a measure surpassing all his predecessors ( 2 Chronicles 33:1-9 ), agrees almost verbally with 2 Kings 21:1-9 . Here and there an expression is rhetorically generalized and intensified, e.g., by the plurals לבּעלים and אשׁרות ( 2 Chronicles 33:3 ) instead of the sing. לבּעל and אשׁרה (Kings), and בּנין ( 2 Chronicles 33:6 ) instead of בּנו (see on 2 Chronicles 28:3 ); by the addition of וכשּׁף to ונחשׁ עונן, and of the name the Vale of Hinnom, 2 Chronicles 33:6 (see on Joshua 15:18 , גּי for גּיא); by heaping up words for the law and its commandments ( 2 Chronicles 33:8 ); and other small deviations, of which הסּמל פּסל ( 2 Chronicles 33:7 ) instead of האשׁרה פּסל (Kings) is the most important. The word סמל, sculpture or statue, is derived from Deuteronomy 4:16 , but has perhaps been taken by the author of the Chronicle from Ezekiel 8:3 , where סמל probably denotes the statue of Asherah. The form עילום for עולם ( 2 Chronicles 33:7 ) is not elsewhere met with.