2 Kings 21 9

2 Kings 21:9 kjv

But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.

2 Kings 21:9 nkjv

But they paid no attention, and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

2 Kings 21:9 niv

But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.

2 Kings 21:9 esv

But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel.

2 Kings 21:9 nlt

But the people refused to listen, and Manasseh led them to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the LORD had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.

2 Kings 21 verses

2 Kings 21 9 Meaning

The people of Judah did not respond to or obey the divine warnings and instructions given to them. Instead, King Manasseh actively led them into greater wickedness, surpassing the abominable practices of the pagan nations whom the LORD had justly destroyed and removed from the land before the arrival of the children of Israel.

2 Kings 21 9 Context

King Manasseh's reign (697/696–642/641 BC) marked a severe period of apostasy for the Southern Kingdom of Judah, following the faithful reforms of his father, Hezekiah. This verse captures the apex of that national backsliding. Manasseh actively re-instituted Baal worship, set up altars for astral worship in the temple courts, practiced child sacrifice (passing sons through the fire), engaged in sorcery and divination, and filled Jerusalem with innocent blood (2 Kgs 21:2-7, 16). Despite this torrent of wickedness, the people did not respond to divine warnings delivered through prophets. This verse emphasizes not only Manasseh's active corruption as a leader but also the people's complicity in choosing to follow him into an idolatrous and wicked path that surpassed the very nations God had judged and driven out of the land centuries earlier for their detestable practices. It illustrates why, despite a later revival under Josiah, the ultimate judgment of exile was irreversible due to the deeply ingrained sin established by Manasseh and adopted by the populace.

2 Kings 21 9 Word analysis

• But they heeded not:

  • Hebrew: וְלֹא שָׁמֵעוּ (wə-lōʾ shā-mé-ʿū) – from the root שָׁמַע (shāmaʿ), meaning "to hear, listen, obey."
  • Analysis: This is more than a passive ignorance; it signifies an active refusal or unwillingness to obey God's commands and warnings delivered through prophets. "Not heeding" implies a deliberate turning away from what they knew to be right. It highlights a core failing in Israel's covenant relationship: their failure to "hear and obey" the voice of YHWH. This phrase sets the people's responsibility alongside Manasseh's.

• and Manasseh seduced them:

  • Hebrew: וַיַּסְטֵם (way-yas-ṭêm) – from the root סוּט (sûṭ), meaning "to turn aside, lead astray, entice, incite."
  • Analysis: This word signifies an active, manipulative influence. Manasseh was not merely setting a bad example; he was actively encouraging, enabling, and compelling the people into apostasy. As king, his influence was vast and often coercive, leading the entire nation astray. This highlights the severe responsibility of leadership.

• to do more evil:

  • Analysis: This phrase indicates an unprecedented level of depravity. Their sin was not merely comparable to previous generations or pagan practices but had surpassed them in magnitude and nature. This intensifies the severity of Judah's transgression and marks a spiritual rock bottom, suggesting a conscious rejection of God's ways to embrace detestable foreign practices.

• than did the nations:

  • Analysis: Refers specifically to the Canaanite nations (Amorites, Hittites, Jebusites, Perizzites, Hivites, Girgashites) that inhabited the land before Israel's conquest. Their wickedness, particularly their idolatry, immorality, and child sacrifice, was so grievous that God commanded their extermination. This comparison shatters any notion of Judah's moral superiority based on their covenant with God.

• whom the LORD destroyed:

  • Hebrew: הִשְׁמִיד (hish-mîd) – from the root שָׁמַד (shāmaḏ), meaning "to destroy, annihilate, exterminate, lay waste."
  • Analysis: This emphasizes God's active, righteous judgment against severe sin. The destruction of the Canaanites served as a potent lesson and warning for Israel, highlighting God's zero-tolerance policy for such abominations within His holy land. That Judah was now surpassing them in wickedness meant they were inviting the same fate.

• before the children of Israel:

  • Analysis: This specifies the historical context of the Exodus and Conquest, serving as a powerful reminder of God's redemptive acts for Israel and the conditions upon which they received the land. It underscores the irony and tragedy: the chosen people were now engaging in practices even worse than those of the people whom God, for Israel's sake, had displaced. This demonstrates a deep-seated spiritual blindness and rebellion against their own covenant history.

2 Kings 21 9 Bonus section

• The phrase "heeded not" is a recurring theological theme throughout the Deuteronomistic History, illustrating Israel's consistent failure to listen and obey God's voice, leading to eventual exile. It reflects a core reason for the covenant's punitive aspects.
• This verse provides significant insight into the culmination of sin, where a nation crosses a point of no return. Manasseh's widespread idolatry essentially "filled the measure" of Judah's iniquity.
• The active nature of "seduced" (Hebrew: sûṭ) highlights Manasseh's active role as an antagonist to God, deliberately misleading His people away from Him. It wasn't passive influence but deliberate incitement.
• The very acts that consecrated the land for Israel—the righteous judgment upon its former inhabitants for their sin—were now being mimicked and outdone by Israel itself, making their own eventual judgment unavoidable and just.

2 Kings 21 9 Commentary

2 Kings 21:9 serves as a pivotal statement detailing the nadir of Judah's spiritual decline under King Manasseh. It encapsulates two crucial elements: the persistent defiance of the people in "not heeding" divine warnings, and the devastating impact of wicked leadership, as Manasseh "seduced" them into deeper sin. The profound shock of this verse lies in its explicit comparison: Judah's evil practices, fueled by Manasseh, surpassed those of the Canaanite nations. These nations had been summarily destroyed and dispossessed by God precisely because of their abominable idolatry, including child sacrifice and gross immorality. By exceeding such depravity, Judah signaled a complete betrayal of its covenant identity and its purpose as a holy nation set apart for God. This extreme apostasy explains why the subsequent reforms under King Josiah could not avert the ultimate divine judgment of exile (as noted in 2 Kgs 23:26-27), solidifying Manasseh's reign as the turning point towards Judah's destruction. The verse underscores the impartial nature of God's justice, demonstrating that privilege and divine favor do not negate consequences for severe and sustained disobedience, especially when led by corrupt authority.