For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's striking that Manasseh didn't just rebuild his father Hezekiah's destroyed high places, but actively erected altars for Baal and worshiped the stars. This shows a deliberate, aggressive turning away from God, not just a passive return to old ways. He wasn't just restoring a past practice; he was introducing foreign, idolatrous worship with a vengeance.
For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Manasseh, Hezekiah's son, has just taken the throne, and instead of continuing his father's reforms that honored God, he immediately reverses course. He actively promotes idolatry, rebuilding pagan worship sites and setting up altars to foreign gods, directly contradicting the faithful path his father had forged. This sets the stage for a reign marked by widespread sin and turning away from the Lord.
Manasseh took the reforms of his godly father, Hezekiah, and completely dismantled them. What does this tell us about the fragility of spiritual progress?
Reversing Spiritual Gains
King Hezekiah was known for his deep faith and his efforts to purify Judah's worship, tearing down pagan altars and establishing true worship of God (2 Kings 18:4). His son, Manasseh, however, didn't just ignore his father's legacy; he actively reversed it. This verse highlights a shocking act of defiance:
This wasn't just a lapse in judgment; it was a deliberate choice to reintroduce practices that God had vehemently condemned.
Manasseh didn't just bring back old pagan practices; he introduced new forms of idolatry. What does 'worshiping all the host of heaven' mean for us today?
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Beyond Idols: Cosmic Worship
The phrase 'worshiped all the host of heaven and served them' points to a broader, cosmic dimension of Manasseh's apostasy. This wasn't just about local shrines; it involved
This expansive idolatry shows a heart completely turned away from the unique, covenantal God of Israel.
Understand the original words
bamah · Hebrew Noun
High places were elevated sites, often natural hills or man-made platforms, used for religious worship. While sometimes used to worship Yahweh, they were frequently associated with idolatrous practices and pagan deities, and were strictly forbidden by the Mosaic Law in favor of the central sanctuary.
Ba'al · Hebrew Noun
A Canaanite storm god associated with fertility and rain. The worship of Baal was a major rival to the worship of Yahweh in Israel, involving cultic prostitution and various sacrificial rites.
Asherah · Hebrew Noun
A Canaanite mother goddess associated with fertility and sexual rites. The term refers both to the deity and the wooden pole or image that represented her in pagan worship.
tsaba' · Hebrew Noun
In a biblical context, this refers to the celestial bodies (sun, moon, stars) viewed as divine beings or powers. Worshiping them was a form of idolatry that acknowledged created things rather than the Creator.
Manasseh's reign represents a dramatic and deliberate reversal of his father Hezekiah's faithful reforms, pushing Judah back into the very idolatry and syncretism that prophets had condemned for centuries, setting the stage for future judgment.
c. 740-725 BC
Hezekiah's Reforms
King Hezekiah, a righteous ruler, undertook major religious reforms, removing idolatrous objects and high places of worship to centralize worship of Yahweh in Jerusalem.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling its people and often repopulating the land with foreigners, a devastating event that served as a stark warning.
c. 715-687 BC— this verse
Reign of Manasseh
Manasseh, Hezekiah's son, reigned for 55 years, a period marked by a significant religious backlash against his father's reforms.
c. 687-642 BC
Reign of Amon
Manasseh's son, Amon, continued his father's wicked practices, further entrenching the return to idolatry in Judah.
c. 640-609 BC
Reign of Josiah
Josiah, Amon's son, later initiated another wave of significant religious reforms after the discovery of the Book of the Law in the Temple.
This passage describes King Ahab, whom Manasseh is explicitly compared to, also engaging in widespread idolatry by building altars to Baal and making Asherah poles, setting a precedent for Manasseh's sin.
Deuteronomy 18:9-12This section of the Law explicitly condemns the very practices Manasseh engaged in, such as consulting mediums and practicing divination, showing how far his actions deviated from God's commands.
Jeremiah 7:17-20Prophetically, Jeremiah laments the people's idolatry and calls out the 'queen of heaven' (often associated with Asherah worship), echoing the same kind of spiritual rebellion Manasseh led.
2 Kings 23:4-7This passage details Josiah's later reform efforts, where he actively removed and destroyed the very altars and symbols of worship that Manasseh had established, highlighting the lasting damage of Manasseh's reign.
It's striking that Manasseh didn't just rebuild his father Hezekiah's destroyed high places, but actively erected altars for Baal and worshiped the stars. This shows a deliberate, aggressive turning away from God, not just a passive return to old ways. He wasn't just restoring a past practice; he was introducing foreign, idolatrous worship with a vengeance.
Manasseh, Hezekiah's son, has just taken the throne, and instead of continuing his father's reforms that honored God, he immediately reverses course. He actively promotes idolatry, rebuilding pagan worship sites and setting up altars to foreign gods, directly contradicting the faithful path his father had forged. This sets the stage for a reign marked by widespread sin and turning away from the Lord.
Manasseh, Hezekiah's son, has just taken the throne, and instead of continuing his father's reforms that honored God, he immediately reverses course. He actively promotes idolatry, rebuilding pagan worship sites and setting up altars to foreign gods, directly contradicting the faithful path his father had forged. This sets the stage for a reign marked by widespread sin and turning away from the Lord.
"For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them." — It's striking that Manasseh didn't just rebuild his father Hezekiah's destroyed high places, but actively erected altars for Baal and worshiped the stars. This shows a deliberate, aggressive turnin…
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Last reviewed October 2026