Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 33:7
Manasseh even took the carved image he had made and set it up in the house of God, of which God had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The chronicler records King Manasseh’s placement of an idol inside the Jerusalem temple during his reign, directly juxtaposing his actions with God’s prior declaration to David and Solomon. This moment captures the peak of royal desecration before the narrative shifts to divine warning.
The words — The verb וַיָּשֶׂם (va.ya.sem) translates literally as “and he put” or “he set up,” denoting the physical act of installation. The phrase פֶּסֶל הַסֶּמֶל (pe.sel ha.se.mel) specifies the “carved image” or “sculpted idol” Manasseh constructed.
The thread — This act violates the covenant guarantee that God’s Name would permanently dwell in the chosen temple and Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 7:16; 1 Kings 8:29). The text later ties this desecration to the warning that Israel will be removed from the land if they abandon the laws delivered through Moses (2 Chronicles 33:8).
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to see that covenant protection is contingent on obedience, not mere physical presence in a holy site. It forces a direct comparison between human rebellion and divine promise, leaving no ambiguity about the consequence of defiling consecrated space.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 33:4 Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.”
- 2 Chronicles 7:16 For I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that My Name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
- 1 Kings 8:29 May Your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place.
- 1 Kings 8:44 When Your people go to war against their enemies, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the LORD in the direction of the city You have chosen and the house I have built for Your Name,
- 1 Kings 8:48 and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray to You in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name,
- 1 Kings 11:13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
- 1 Kings 11:32 But one tribe will remain for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
- 2 Kings 21:7 Manasseh even took the carved Asherah pole he had made and set it up in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever.
- 2 Kings 23:6 He brought the Asherah pole from the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.
- 2 Chronicles 6:6 But now I have chosen Jerusalem for My Name to be there, and I have chosen David to be over My people Israel.’