And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:
And he placed a carved idol of the Asherah pole that he had made in the temple, even though the LORD had told David and his son Solomon, 'In this temple, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.'
The writer is showing how King Manasseh committed the ultimate betrayal by placing a pagan idol in God's holy temple, directly violating God's sacred promises about that place.
📚 Historical Context
This describes King Manasseh's reign around 687-642 BC, when he reversed all the religious reforms his father Hezekiah had made. The 'graven image of the grove' refers to an Asherah pole, a wooden symbol used in Canaanite fertility worship. By placing this idol in Solomon's temple - the very place God had chosen to dwell among His people - Manasseh committed one of the most shocking acts of idolatry in Israel's history.
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