2 Chronicles 33 6

2 Chronicles 33:6 kjv

And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

2 Chronicles 33:6 nkjv

Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

2 Chronicles 33:6 niv

He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, arousing his anger.

2 Chronicles 33:6 esv

And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

2 Chronicles 33:6 nlt

Manasseh also sacrificed his own sons in the fire in the valley of Ben-Hinnom. He practiced sorcery, divination, and witchcraft, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the LORD's sight, arousing his anger.

2 Chronicles 33 verses

2 Chronicles 33 6 Meaning

This verse describes King Manasseh's extreme departure from God, detailing his deep involvement in horrific and forbidden practices. It highlights his abomination of child sacrifice in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and his pervasive engagement with various forms of occult activity, including divination, witchcraft, omens, mediums, and spiritists. These actions constituted profound evil in the Lord's sight, intensely provoking His holy anger. Manasseh's actions represented a dramatic and shocking reversal from his father Hezekiah's righteous reign, plunging Judah into unprecedented idolatry and spiritual depravity.

2 Chronicles 33 6 Context

Chapter 33 of 2 Chronicles details the long and wicked reign of King Manasseh of Judah, beginning immediately after the righteous reign of his father, Hezekiah. This verse captures the initial, profound depths of Manasseh's depravity and spiritual apostasy, presenting him as a king who systematically overturned all the reforms enacted by Hezekiah and plunged the nation into the worst forms of pagan worship and occult practices. The preceding verses (33:1-5) set the stage by describing his rebuilding of high places, altars to Baal, worship of heavenly bodies, and the desecration of the temple itself by building altars to false gods within it. Verse 6 thus continues the litany of his severe transgressions, highlighting specific abhorrent acts that directly contravened God's covenant commands to Israel. Historically, child sacrifice was a gruesome practice associated with Canaanite and Ammonite deities like Molech, while divination and necromancy were common throughout the ancient Near East. For Israel, these acts were a complete betrayal of their unique relationship with YHWH, who is the sole sovereign over life and death and the only source of true revelation.

2 Chronicles 33 6 Word analysis

• He also burned his children in the fire: הֶעֱבִיר (he'ĕvir), "caused to pass through." This Hebrew phrase, when associated with children and fire, specifically refers to the heinous practice of child sacrifice, typically in worship of Molech or other pagan deities. This was the ultimate violation of the covenant and God's sanctity of life (Ex 13:2; Lev 18:21). The phrase "his children" (בָּנָיו - banaʸw) underscores the horrific and unnatural act of a father sacrificing his own offspring.
• in the Valley of Ben Hinnom: גֵּי בֶן הִנֹּם (Ge Ben Hinnom). This specific geographical location south of Jerusalem (often called Topheth, Jer 7:31) became synonymous with child sacrifice. In later Jewish tradition, the corruption and suffering associated with these abominations led it to become a byword for hell or eternal punishment, evolving into "Gehenna" in the New Testament (Mk 9:43). Its mention emphasizes the deliberate, established nature of Manasseh's idolatry.
• he practiced divination: וְעוֹנֵן (wᵉ‘ōnēn), "practiced soothsaying" or "augury." This involves attempting to foresee the future or discover hidden knowledge through interpreting omens, signs, or phenomena. It implies relying on sources other than God for guidance.
• and witchcraft: וְנִחֵשׁ (wᵉniḥēš), "practiced sorcery" or "enchantment." This refers to attempting to manipulate circumstances or gain control through magical arts, often involving spells or charms, often with malevolent intent or for illicit gain.
• and sought omens: וְקָסַם (wᵉqāsam), "practiced divination" or "used lots." While divination is a general term, this specifically implies using tools or rituals to gain knowledge or direction, often through chance or pre-determined patterns (e.g., casting lots, inspecting entrails), entirely bypassing divine revelation. These three terms collectively cover various forms of seeking forbidden knowledge from pagan spirits or fate rather than God.
• and he consulted mediums: וְעָשָׂה אוֹב (wᵉ‘āśâ ‘ōv), literally "he made a ghost" or "consulted one having a familiar spirit." This refers to necromancy – communication with the dead or spirits through an individual believed to be able to channel them, usually by invoking an "ov" (a pit where spirits of the dead were thought to reside).
• and spiritists: וְיִדְּעֹנִי (wᵉyiḍə‘ōni), "a knower" or "wizard." This refers to someone who claims special knowledge gained from occult sources, often believed to be demonic. Consulting such individuals directly violates the command to seek God alone for guidance.
• He did much evil: הַרְבֵּה הָרַע (harbeh hārā‘), "great evil." This summarizes the severity and extent of Manasseh's actions. It signifies not merely a transgression but an entrenched pattern of wickedness that corrupted the nation. The acts described are not isolated incidents but a consistent embrace of practices diametrically opposed to God's law.
• in the eyes of the Lord: בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה (bə‘ênê Yahweh). This phrase emphasizes that God Himself was observing and judging these actions. It implies that these were not just social wrongs or minor religious infractions, but direct offenses against the holy and righteous character of Yahweh. His assessment is absolute truth.
• provoking Him to anger: לְהַכְעִיס (ləhaḵ‘is), "to cause vexation" or "arouse anger." This highlights God's righteous and active response to Manasseh's egregious sins. God's anger is not a petty human emotion but a holy reaction against deliberate rebellion, spiritual adultery, and the severe desecration of His covenant, His people, and His land. It underscores the profound gravity of Manasseh's sin.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "He also burned his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom": This phrase details the most heinous act: human sacrifice. It illustrates an ultimate betrayal of the Creator by offering life, given by God, back to pagan deities. This was an outright rejection of God's command regarding the sacredness of life (Deut 5:17) and the sanctity of the family. The specific location, Hinnom, becomes a marker for the utter defilement and judgment to come.
• "he practiced divination and witchcraft and sought omens; and he consulted mediums and spiritists": This segment enumerates Manasseh's extensive involvement in forbidden occult arts. It reveals a deep-seated spiritual rebellion that sought guidance and power from dark sources rather than relying on the living God. These practices deny God's sovereignty and His exclusive right to reveal knowledge. They represent a fundamental rejection of faith and trust in the One who reveals Himself (Isa 45:11).
• "He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, provoking Him to anger": This conclusive statement encapsulates God's verdict on Manasseh's actions. It underscores that his sin was not a slight transgression but profound wickedness judged from a divine perspective. The result was a holy and righteous anger from God, signifying the severity of breaking covenant and defying divine authority, leading to inevitable judgment unless repentance occurred.

2 Chronicles 33 6 Bonus section

Manasseh's profound wickedness described in 2 Chronicles 33:6 marks him as arguably the most wicked king in Judah's history before the exile. What makes his narrative particularly unique, and crucially relevant to the broader message of Chronicles, is the subsequent account of his genuine repentance. Verses 12-13 of the same chapter vividly describe Manasseh, when taken captive to Babylon, humbling himself greatly before God and praying fervently. The Lord, being gracious, heard his plea, restored him to his throne, and Manasseh then removed the idols he had made, indicating a significant transformation. This demonstrates God's profound capacity for forgiveness and restoration, even for the most egregious sins, when there is true repentance. The inclusion of Manasseh's repentance, emphasized far more in Chronicles than in Kings, underscores a core theological theme of the chronicler: God's steadfast mercy and His willingness to restore anyone who genuinely turns to Him, even a king who committed atrocities like child sacrifice and pervasive occultism. This narrative provides powerful testament to the limitless nature of God's grace through a repentant heart, contrasting starkly with the intense anger his actions initially provoked.

2 Chronicles 33 6 Commentary

2 Chronicles 33:6 portrays Manasseh as a monarch who plunged Judah into a maelstrom of spiritual perversion, embodying a radical antithesis to covenant faithfulness. His sin was twofold and multifaceted: the barbaric practice of child sacrifice, an abhorrent act against life and the family unit that epitomized pagan devotion and God's detestation, and the comprehensive embrace of all forms of occultism. Each enumerated practice – divination, witchcraft, omens, mediums, and spiritists – represented a direct contravention of God's clear commands for Israel to rely solely on Him and to abhor the abominations of the surrounding nations (Deut 18). Manasseh's deliberate adoption of these pagan rites signifies a profound rejection of YHWH's authority and a complete spiritual rebellion, not merely a lapse. The severity of his actions, done "in the eyes of the Lord," resulted in intense divine provocation, signifying that God's holiness could not tolerate such blasphemy and desecration of His land and His people. This verse serves as a stark reminder of the depth of human depravity and the justness of divine wrath when God's commands and character are utterly despised.