2 Kings 21 3

2 Kings 21:3 kjv

For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

2 Kings 21:3 nkjv

For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a wooden image, as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

2 Kings 21:3 niv

He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.

2 Kings 21:3 esv

For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

2 Kings 21:3 nlt

He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had destroyed. He constructed altars for Baal and set up an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them.

2 Kings 21 verses

2 Kings 21 3 Meaning

2 Kings 21:3 describes the extreme idolatry and apostasy of King Manasseh of Judah, detailing his specific acts of rebellion against the Lord and the covenant made with Israel. It highlights his direct reversal of his righteous father Hezekiah's reforms, re-establishing prohibited forms of worship, namely the high places, altars to Baal, and the Asherah pole. Furthermore, it points out his unprecedented embrace of astral worship, serving the "host of heaven," which was foreign to the Mosaic law and a pagan practice adopted from surrounding nations, aligning him with the most wicked kings of Israel, particularly Ahab.

2 Kings 21 3 Context

King Manasseh reigned over Judah for an exceptionally long period, 55 years (697/696-642/641 BC), starting at a very young age (12 years old). His reign is presented as a drastic spiritual decline, starkly contrasting with his father Hezekiah's significant reforms and purification of worship. While Hezekiah cleansed the land of idolatry, Manasseh actively re-instituted and promoted all forms of paganism. This verse describes the core elements of his widespread religious apostasy that directly contradicted Mosaic law and Hezekiah's God-honoring work, drawing parallels with the worst king of the northern kingdom, Ahab, and foreshadowing the inevitable divine judgment upon Judah (2 Kgs 21:10-15). Historically, Manasseh's long reign allowed for a deep-seated integration of these foreign practices, making subsequent reform attempts challenging. Judah was a vassal state under Assyrian dominance during his reign, and Assyrian religious practices, including astral worship, may have exerted influence.

2 Kings 21 3 Word analysis

• For he rebuilt (בָּנוֹ bā·nōw)
  • "rebuilt": The verb bana (בנה) signifies building or restoring. Its use here immediately signals a deliberate reversal. Hezekiah had "destroyed" (natats) these very places (2 Kgs 18:4). This indicates Manasseh's direct challenge to his father's godly legacy and divine commands, a defiant act against the Lord's covenant.
• the high places (הַבָּמוֹת ha·bā·mō·wṯ)
  • "high places": Bamot refers to elevated open-air sanctuaries, often with altars, pillars, and cultic objects, used for worship outside the Jerusalem Temple. While initially not always illicit, by the time of the monarchy, they consistently became associated with pagan worship or syncretistic practices forbidden by Mosaic law (Lev 26:30, Deut 12:2-3). Manasseh restored these specific bamot that Hezekiah had dedicated to purifying the worship of the Lord.
• that Hezekiah his father (אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁמִיד חִזְקִיָּהוּ אָבִיו֙ ʾă·šer hiš·mîḏ ḥiz·qî·yā·hū ʾā·ḇîw)
  • "destroyed": The verb shamad (שמד) means to annihilate or wipe out, conveying the completeness of Hezekiah's previous reforms against these pagan sites. Manasseh's action is thus presented as a deliberate undoing of righteous obedience. This creates a sharp antithesis between the father's devotion and the son's rebellion.
• he also erected altars for Baal, and made an Asherah (וַיָּקֶם מִזְבְּחֹת לַבַּעַל וַיַּעַשׂ אֲשֵׁרָה way·yā·qem miz·bə·ḥōṯ lab·ba·‘al way·ya·‘aś ’ă·šê·rāh)
  • "altars for Baal": Mizbêaḥ (מזבח) means altar. Baal was a primary Canaanite storm god, associated with fertility and common in Israelite idolatry since the time of the Judges (Jdg 2:13) and notoriously promoted by Ahab (1 Kgs 16:31-33). Worship of Baal directly challenged the Lord's sovereignty as the true source of life and sustenance.
  • "made an Asherah": Asherah refers to a Canaanite goddess of fertility and motherhood, often depicted by a sacred pole or tree in cultic sites. Her worship involved detestable rites. Its creation symbolized the deepest embrace of Canaanite paganism, strictly forbidden in Deut 7:5 and Deut 12:3.
• just as Ahab king of Israel had done (כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אַחְאָב מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל ka·ʾă·šer ‘ā·śāh ʾaḥ·ʾāḇ me·leḵ yiś·rā·ʾêl)
  • "Ahab king of Israel": Ahab, a Northern Kingdom king (1 Kgs 16:30-33), is depicted as the epitome of wickedness due to his zealous promotion of Baal worship. This explicit comparison serves as a stark indictment of Manasseh's spiritual degradation, elevating him to the level of one of the worst covenant-breakers in Israel's history, whose actions directly led to the downfall of the Northern Kingdom. It implicitly warns of similar judgment for Judah.
• and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them (וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לְכָל־צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיַּעֲבֹד אֹתָם way·yiš·taḥ·wū lə·ḵāl-ṣə·ḇā’ haš·šā·ma·yim way·ya·‘ă·ḇōḏ ’ō·ṯām)
  • "worshiped": Shachah (שתחו) means to bow down, prostrate oneself in adoration, or pay homage. This signifies absolute submission.
  • "all the host of heaven": Tseva’ haššāmayim (צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם) refers to celestial bodies—the sun, moon, stars, and planets—believed by ancient Near Eastern cultures (especially Mesopotamian) to be deities or dwelling places of deities. Worship of the "host of heaven" was a form of astral cult (Deut 4:19, 17:3; Jer 8:2) and represented an alien, severe form of idolatry explicitly condemned by Yahwistic law. It signifies a cosmological challenge to the Lord as the Creator of all heavenly bodies (Isa 40:26).
  • "served them": The verb ʿabad (עבד) implies active devotion, slave-like submission, and carrying out the commands or requirements of these foreign gods, reflecting a full commitment to their cult.

Words-group Analysis:

• "rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed": This phrase captures the deliberate reversal of righteous religious reforms. It underscores Manasseh's defiant rejection of the covenantal God and his commitment to undoing the work of his pious predecessor. This immediate antithesis sets the tone for his entire reign in the Deuteronomistic history.
• "erected altars for Baal, and made an Asherah": This specifies the type of egregious paganism adopted. Baal and Asherah were key figures in Canaanite polytheism, representing fertility cults often associated with sexual immorality and child sacrifice. Their prominence highlights a complete embrace of the local idolatry the Israelites were repeatedly commanded to eradicate.
• "just as Ahab king of Israel had done": This direct comparison serves as a profound condemnation. Ahab was seen as the epitome of apostasy in the Northern Kingdom, particularly for promoting Baal worship. By linking Manasseh to Ahab, the narrator emphasizes the depth of Manasseh's wickedness and warns that Judah is now following the destructive path of Israel, which led to their exile.
• "worshiped all the host of heaven and served them": This describes the adoption of highly organized and influential Mesopotamian astral cults. It signifies a departure from traditional Canaanite paganism towards a more extensive and potentially sophisticated form of polytheism. This implies a thorough rejection of the unique and singular sovereignty of Yahweh as Creator and ruler over all cosmic forces, elevating created things above the Creator (Rom 1:25).

2 Kings 21 3 Bonus section

The severe nature of Manasseh's sins, initiated and promoted as detailed in this verse, is further highlighted by 2 Kings 21:11-15, where the Lord declares an irreversible judgment upon Judah specifically because of Manasseh's iniquities. Even Manasseh's later repentance and restoration in 2 Chronicles 33, while a testament to God's mercy to an individual, does not negate the corporate, societal impact and the long-term spiritual damage inflicted during his long reign, which led to the deep entrenchment of idolatry that was exceedingly difficult to dislodge completely. This verse vividly illustrates how deeply a nation's fate can be tied to the spiritual choices of its leaders.

2 Kings 21 3 Commentary

2 Kings 21:3 stands as a pivotal verse in understanding the narrative trajectory of Judah's downfall. Manasseh's actions depicted here are not merely backsliding; they represent an active, aggressive dismantling of true worship and a wholesale embrace of syncretistic and foreign paganism. By systematically rebuilding the high places, re-erecting altars for Baal, making Asherah poles, and astonishingly engaging in the worship of astral deities—the host of heaven—Manasseh went beyond any previous Judean king in desecrating the land and actively offending the Lord.

The text emphasizes the defiance by highlighting that he rebuilt what his own godly father destroyed, making his sin especially egregious as it involved the willful undoing of righteous reforms. The comparison to Ahab, the worst king of the northern kingdom of Israel, signals the profound depths of his spiritual depravity, implying that Judah was now mirroring the actions that led to the Northern Kingdom's exile. This widespread and deliberate institutionalization of idolatry across all levels of society meant the entire nation became steeped in abominable practices, cementing a path of no return for Judah, despite future reform efforts. The sheer scale and depth of Manasseh's idolatry are presented as the primary reason for God's severe judgment and the eventual Babylonian exile.