Bible Strands
2 Kings 21:2
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records King Manasseh’s conduct immediately after noting his accession at age twelve and his fifty-five-year reign in Jerusalem. The text places his actions in direct sequence to the covenant standards established for Israel’s rulers.
The words — The Hebrew וַיַּעַשׂ (va.ya‘as) and הָרַע (ha.ra‘) literally render “and he did the evil,” documenting concrete action rather than internal disposition. The phrase כְּתֹעֲבֹת הַגּוִים (ke.to‘ăḇôṯ ha.gōyîm) translates “according to the abominations of the nations,” specifying the exact pattern he adopted.
The thread — The passage directly invokes the defilement warning of Leviticus 18:25 and the prohibition against adopting foreign worship in Deuteronomy 12:31. It structurally mirrors 2 Kings 16:2 by recording a king’s reign while noting his departure from David’s standard.
Why it lands — The text requires a factual evaluation of a leader’s actions against the explicit commands Yahweh gave Israel. It demands recognition that replicating displaced nations’ practices constitutes active disobedience rather than neutral cultural practice.
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 did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
Cross-references
- Leviticus 18:25 Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.
- Deuteronomy 12:31 You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
- 2 Kings 16:2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God.
- 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 21:16 Moreover, Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, in addition to the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, doing evil in the sight of the LORD.
- 2 Kings 22:17 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be kindled against this place and will not be quenched.’
- 2 Chronicles 33:2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
- 2 Chronicles 36:14 Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 15:4 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 16:51 Furthermore, Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have multiplied your abominations beyond theirs, and all the abominations you have committed have made your sisters appear righteous.