2 Chronicles 33:6

2Ch 33:6 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.

Ver. 6. And he caused his children to pass, &c.] Thinking thereby to merit remission of sin, {Mic 6:7} and to obtain victories, as that king of Moab did. {2Ki 3:27}

And he observed times, and used enchantments.] Five of those six sorts of witchcraft mentioned by Moses, {Deu 18:9-14} Manasseh fell into. See 2Ki 21:6.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Read 2 Kings 16:3.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(6) He.—Emphatic. Not in Kings.

Caused his children . . . fire.—The plural, as in 2Ch_28:3, is rhetorical. Kings, “his son.”

In the valley of the son of Hinnom.—Explanatory addition by the chronicler.

Also he observed times, and used enchantments.—And he practised augury and divination. Forbidden, Lev_19:26. The first words seem strictly to mean “observed clouds; “the second, “observed serpents.”

And used witchcraft.—And muttered spells or charms. This word does not occur in the parallel place, but all the offences here ascribed to Manasseh are forbidden in Deu_18:10-11.

And dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards.—And appointed a necromancer and a wizard. Kings has wizards. The source of all these modes of soothsaying was Babylon. Like the first king of Israel, Manasseh appears to have despaired of help or counsel from Jehovah. (Comp. Jer_44:17-18.) The heavy yoke of Assyria again weighed the nation down, and the great deliverance under Hezekiah was almost forgotten. “To all the Palestinian nations the Assyrian crisis had made careless confidence in the help of their national deities a thing impossible. As life was embittered by foreign bondage, the darker aspects of heathenism became dominant. The wrath of the gods seemed more real than their favour; atoning ordinances were multiplied, human sacrifices became more frequent, the terror which hung over all the nations that groaned under the Assyrian yoke found habitual expression in the ordinances of worship; and it was this aspect of heathenism that came to the front in Manasseh’s imitations of foreign religion” (Robertson Smith, The Prophets of Israel, p. 366).

He wrought much evil.—Literally, he multiplied doing the evil. He was worse than his evil predecessors

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. And he caused] R.V. He also made. There is stress on the pronoun “He” (that wicked one!).

to pass through the fire] Cp. 2Ch_28:3, note.

in the valley of the son of Hinnom] Cp. Jer_7:31-32.

observed times] R.V. practised augury. The precise meaning of the Heb. word (‘ônçn) is quite uncertain. “Augury” among the Romans consisted chiefly in observing birds and interpreting the observations made, but augurs observed also various natural phenomena.

used witchcraft] R.V. practised sorcery. The Heb. word (kishshçph) is said to mean “make a magic brew with shredded herbs.”

with a familiar spirit] R.V. with them that had familiar spirits. The Heb. word (ôb) probably means a necromancer who uses ventriloquism in the practice of his art. The witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28) was such a person. LXX. here has [ἐποίησεν] ἐνγαστριμύθους, i.e. “he appointed ventriloquists.”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Valley. Heb. Ge-ben-hinnon, "the vale of the son of Ennom," (H.) a Jebusite, who had formerly possessed that part of the valley of Cedron. M. Syriac write Gena, whence comes Greek: geenna a place at the foot of Moria, and the sink of the city. A constant fire was kept up to burn dead bodies. Kimchi. D.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Caused his children. Parallel, (2Ki_21:6) "his son," in the singular number. (see also 2Ki_16:3 compared with our 2Ch_28:3) There can be no doubt that this worst of cruel abominations, learned from Ammon and Moab, amounted to nothing less than the sacrifice of the child in the fire. It is, perhaps, something remarkable that we do not encounter anywhere any description of the exact manner of administration of this cruelty, and of its taking effect on the pitiable victim. The solemn commands of Lev_18:21 and Deu_18:10 bespeak sufficiently distinctly the prevision and earnest precaution of the Divine Ruler of Israel, through Moses, on behalf of his people. The following references all bear on the subject, and will be studied with advantage in order given: 2Ki_3:27 2Ki_17:17; Mic_6:7; Amo_5:26; Jer_7:32 Jer_19:4; Eze_16:20 Eze_20:26. In the valley of the son of Hinnom. (Jos_15:8 Jos_18:16) On an elevation at the eastern extremity of this valley it was that Solomon erected "high places" to Moloch, entailing on himself a long and dire responsibility. (1Ki_11:7) Consult also our 2Ch_28:3 and note there; with added reference, Stanley"s "Sinai and Palestine,"pp. 172, 482. Also he observed times; Revised Version, and he practised augury. The Hebrew word is newOw. This root is found once in piel infinitive, (Gen_9:14) and is rendered (Authorized Version), "when I bring a cloud," etc.; beside, it is found in all ten times, always in poel, in preterite twice (the present passage and parallel), future once, (Lev_19:26) participle seven times (Deu_18:10, Deu_18:14; Jud_1:9:37, margin) in which six places it is rendered (Authorized Version) "observing times," once in Isaiah and Micah with rendering "soothsayers," again in Isaiah "sorcerers," and in Jeremiah "enchanter." There is difficulty in fixing its exact meaning, though its general meaning may be embraced in the words of the Revised Version. A likely meaning, judging from derivation, may be the practising augury from observing of the clouds. The passages in Leviticus and Deuteronomy are those that of old solemnly prohibited it. And used enchantments; Hebrew, vjeniw; the root is the familiar word for "serpent." The verb occurs eleven times, always in piel. The prohibition to practise such "enchantment" or divination is found in Lev_19:26 Lev_18:10; the five occasions of the use of the word in Genesis, however, (Gen_30:27 Gen_44:5, Gen_44:15) argue that it was not a thing intrinsically bad, but bad probably from. certain, so to say, simoniacal possibilities to which it lent itself. There lay in it some assumption, no doubt, of superhuman help, and the wickedness may have consisted in assuming it where it was not real. And used witchcraft; Hebrew, pCekiw; Revised Version, and practised sorcery. The word is found six times in piel. The prohibition is found in Deu_18:10; the rendering of the word (Authorized Version) is by the term "sorcery" three times, and "witch" or "witchcraft" the other three times. Dealt with a familiar Spirit, and with wizards. The prohibitions are in Lev_19:31 Lev_20:6, Lev_20:27; Deu_18:11. See as illustrations 1Sa_28:3-21; and notice the language of Isa_8:19, "that chirp and mutter;" and Isa_19:3.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

and those who divine by the jidoa bone - Heb. יִדְּעוֹנִי spelled in full with a “vav,” because he did much [evil], and he added to the graven image of the idol that he made. They would take the bone of an animal known as jidoa, and place it in their mouths, whence it would speak.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.