“Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Chronicles 33:11 Mean?
The chronicler records the divine discipline of Manasseh — Judah's most wicked king. The LORD brought the Assyrian army, which captured Manasseh, bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. The most powerful man in the nation was taken like a prisoner — humiliated, chained, deported.
"The LORD brought upon them" — God is the agent. The Assyrian army is the instrument. The capture was not random military fortune. It was divine discipline — God using a pagan empire to humble a wicked king.
"Took Manasseh among the thorns" — the image suggests Manasseh was hiding, perhaps literally in thorn bushes, when captured. The king who had terrorized a nation was found cowering in thorns.
"Bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon" — the binding and the deportation strip Manasseh of every form of power. The chains replace the crown. The exile replaces the throne. The humiliation is total.
The remarkable sequel (v.12-13): in his affliction, Manasseh humbled himself greatly, and God heard him and restored him. The worst king found mercy. The deepest wickedness met the deepest grace.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does God using a pagan army to discipline his own king demonstrate sovereignty over nations?
- 2.What does Manasseh being found 'among the thorns' communicate about the humiliation of the proud?
- 3.How does the worst king being heard after repentance demolish the idea that anyone is too far gone?
- 4.Where might God's discipline in your life be the thorns that make repentance possible?
Devotional
The LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria. God sent the army. The discipline was divine — using pagan soldiers to humble a king who had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, practiced sorcery, and set up idols in God's temple.
Which took Manasseh among the thorns. Found him hiding. The king of Judah — powerful, feared, commanding armies — hiding in thorns like a fugitive. The humiliation began before the chains.
Bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. Chained. Deported. The throne replaced by a prison cell. The crown replaced by fetters. Every form of power stripped in a single capture.
The story could end there — the wicked king getting what he deserved. But it does not end there. In his affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly (v.12). And God was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem (v.13).
The worst king. The deepest wickedness. Decades of evil. And in the thorns, in the chains, in the Babylonian prison — repentance. And God heard.
If Manasseh can repent and be heard, no one is beyond reach. The fetters and the thorns were not the end of the story. They were the beginning of the return. God's discipline brought the worst king to the place where the worst king could finally pray — and be heard.
The thorns are not punishment alone. They are the location where pride finally breaks and repentance becomes possible.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And when he was in affliction,.... In prison; however, in fetters; according to the Targum, the Chaldeans made an…
The Assyrian monuments contain no record of this expedition; but there can be little doubt that it fell into the reign…
We have seen Manasseh by his wickedness undoing the good that his father had done; here we have him by repentance…
Assyria No Assyrian inscription at present known speaks of the captivity of Manasseh, but we have monumental evidence…
Cross References
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