So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.
So Manasseh led the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem astray, causing them to do even worse things than the pagan nations that the LORD had destroyed to make room for the Israelites.
The writer is showing how King Manasseh's evil leadership caused God's people to become even more wicked than the nations God had previously judged and removed from the land.
📚 Historical Context
Manasseh ruled Judah from about 697-642 BC and was considered one of the most wicked kings in Judah's history. He reversed the religious reforms of his godly father Hezekiah, reintroducing idol worship, child sacrifice, and occult practices. The 'heathen nations' referred to were the Canaanite peoples whom God had driven out when Israel first entered the Promised Land centuries earlier.
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