Manasseh in Biblical History

Bible History

Schaff's Bible Dictionary

Definitions in Biblical History
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Who is Manasseh?
MANAS'SEH
1. The first-born of Joseph. When he and his brother Ephraim were boys, and Jacob, their grandfather, was about to die, Joseph took them into the patriarch's presence to receive his blessing. On this occasion he adopted them into his own family as his own children, and predicted the superiority of Ephraim over Manasseh. Gen 48:5-20. Nothing further is known of the personal history of Manasseh. His oldest, and as it would seem his only, son was Machir, whose children were embraced by Joseph. On their way to Canaan the Israelites conquered a large territory east of the Jordan, and some of them whose possessions were chiefly in cattle desired to have their portion assigned them among the rich pastures and fruitful hills of Bashan and the surrounding country. This request was granted, and half the tribe of Manasseh received the territory stretching from near to Caesarea-Philippi along the Jordan down nearly to Mahanaim. The other half had its portion on the west of the Jordan, between Ephraim and Issachar, across the country from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. Several great men, such as Gideon, and probably also Jephthah, issued from Manasseh. The eastern part of the tribe prospered much and spread to Mount Hermon, but they finally mixed with the Canaanites, adopted their idolatry, became scattered as Bedouins in the desert, and were the first to be carried away into captivity by the kings of Assyria. 1 Chr 5:25. The western Manasseh, of which only a few glimpses are visible in the later history of Israel, always showed itself on the right side; as, for instance, in the cases of Asa, 2 Chr 15:9, Hezekiah, 2 Chr 30:1, 2 Chr 30:11, 2 Chr 30:18, and Josiah. 2 Chr 34:6, 2 Chr 34:9. 1. Son and successor of Hezekiah, king of Judah, ascended the throne at the age of twelve years, b.c. 696. The former part of his reign was distinguished for acts of impiety and cruelty, 2 Kgs 21, and he succeeded in drawing his subjects away from the Lord to such an extent that the only kind of worship which was not allowed in Judah was that of Jehovah. 2 Kgs 21:2-9. Having supported the Babylonian viceroy in his revolt against Assyria, he was at last taken captive by the Assyrian king and ignominiously transported to Babylon. Upon his repentance, however, he was liberated, and returned to his capital, where he died b.c. 641, after having done much to repair the evils of his former life. 2 Chr 33:1-20.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'manasseh' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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