Get Affordable VMs - excellent virtual server hosting


browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

manasseh

manasseh


  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Manasseh 
  who  makes  to  forget.  "God  hath  made  me  forget"  (Heb.  nashshani), 
  Gen.  41:51.  (1.)  The  elder  of  the  two  sons  of  Joseph.  He  and  his 
  brother  Ephraim  were  afterwards  adopted  by  Jacob  as  his  own  sons 
  (48:1).  There  is  an  account  of  his  marriage  to  a  Syrian  (1  Chr. 
  7:14);  and  the  only  thing  afterwards  recorded  of  him  is  that 
  his  grandchildren  were  "brought  up  upon  Joseph's  knees"  (Gen. 
  50:23;  R.V.,  "born  upon  Joseph's  knees")  i.e.,  were  from  their 
  birth  adopted  by  Joseph  as  his  own  children. 
 
  The  tribe  of  Manasseh  was  associated  with  that  of  Ephraim  and 
  Benjamin  during  the  wanderings  in  the  wilderness.  They  encamped 
  on  the  west  side  of  the  tabernacle.  According  to  the  census 
  taken  at  Sinai,  this  tribe  then  numbered  32,200  (Num.  1:10,  35; 
  2:20,  21).  Forty  years  afterwards  its  numbers  had  increased  to 
  52,700  (26:34,  37),  and  it  was  at  this  time  the  most 
  distinguished  of  all  the  tribes. 
 
  The  half  of  this  tribe,  along  with  Reuben  and  Gad,  had  their 
  territory  assigned  them  by  Moses  on  the  east  of  the  Jordan 
  (Josh.  13:7-14);  but  it  was  left  for  Joshua  to  define  the  limits 
  of  each  tribe.  This  territory  on  the  east  of  Jordan  was  more 
  valuable  and  of  larger  extent  than  all  that  was  allotted  to  the 
  nine  and  a  half  tribes  in  the  land  of  Palestine.  It  is  sometimes 
  called  "the  land  of  Gilead,"  and  is  also  spoken  of  as  "on  the 
  other  side  of  Jordan."  The  portion  given  to  the  half  tribe  of 
  Manasseh  was  the  largest  on  the  east  of  Jordan.  It  embraced  the 
  whole  of  Bashan.  It  was  bounded  on  the  south  by  Mahanaim,  and 
  extended  north  to  the  foot  of  Lebanon.  Argob,  with  its  sixty 
  cities,  that  "ocean  of  basaltic  rocks  and  boulders  tossed  about 
  in  the  wildest  confusion,"  lay  in  the  midst  of  this  territory. 
 
  The  whole  "land  of  Gilead"  having  been  conquered,  the  two  and 
  a  half  tribes  left  their  wives  and  families  in  the  fortified 
  cities  there  and  accompanied  the  other  tribes  across  the 
  Jordan,  and  took  part  with  them  in  the  wars  of  conquest.  The 
  allotment  of  the  land  having  been  completed,  Joshua  dismissed 
  the  two  and  a  half  tribes,  commending  them  for  their  heroic 
  service  (Josh.  22:1-34).  Thus  dismissed,  they  returned  over 
  Jordan  to  their  own  inheritance.  (See  {ED}.) 
 
  On  the  west  of  Jordan  the  other  half  of  the  tribe  of  Manasseh 
  was  associated  with  Ephraim,  and  they  had  their  portion  in  the 
  very  centre  of  Palestine,  an  area  of  about  1,300  square  miles, 
  the  most  valuable  part  of  the  whole  country,  abounding  in 
  springs  of  water.  Manasseh's  portion  was  immediately  to  the 
  north  of  that  of  Ephraim  (Josh.  16).  Thus  the  western  Manasseh 
  defended  the  passes  of  Esdraelon  as  the  eastern  kept  the  passes 
  of  the  Hauran. 
 
  (2.)  The  only  son  and  successor  of  Hezekiah  on  the  throne  of 
  Judah.  He  was  twelve  years  old  when  he  began  to  reign  (2  Kings 
  21:1),  and  he  reigned  fifty-five  years  (B.C.  698-643).  Though  he 
  reigned  so  long,  yet  comparatively  little  is  known  of  this  king. 
  His  reign  was  a  continuation  of  that  of  Ahaz,  both  in  religion 
  and  national  polity.  He  early  fell  under  the  influence  of  the 
  heathen  court  circle,  and  his  reign  was  characterized  by  a  sad 
  relapse  into  idolatry  with  all  its  vices,  showing  that  the 
  reformation  under  his  father  had  been  to  a  large  extent  only 
  superficial  (Isa.  7:10;  2  Kings  21:10-15).  A  systematic  and 
  persistent  attempt  was  made  and  all  too  successfully,  to  banish 
  the  worship  of  Jehovah  out  of  the  land.  Amid  this  wide-spread 
  idolatry  there  were  not  wanting,  however,  faithful  prophets 
  (Isaiah,  Micah)  who  lifted  up  their  voice  in  reproof  and  in 
  warning.  But  their  fidelity  only  aroused  bitter  hatred,  and  a 
  period  of  cruel  persecution  against  all  the  friends  of  the  old 
  religion  began.  "The  days  of  Alva  in  Holland,  of  Charles  IX  in 
  France,  or  of  the  Covenanters  under  Charles  II  in  Scotland, 
  were  anticipated  in  the  Jewish  capital.  The  streets  were  red 
  with  blood."  There  is  an  old  Jewish  tradition  that  Isaiah  was 
  put  to  death  at  this  time  (2  Kings  21:16;  24:3,  4;  Jer.  2:30), 
  having  been  sawn  asunder  in  the  trunk  of  a  tree.  Psalms  49,  73, 
  77,  140,  and  141  seem  to  express  the  feelings  of  the  pious  amid 
  the  fiery  trials  of  this  great  persecution.  Manasseh  has  been 
  called  the  "Nero  of  Palestine." 
 
  Esarhaddon,  Sennacherib's  successor  on  the  Assyrian  throne, 
  who  had  his  residence  in  Babylon  for  thirteen  years  (the  only 
  Assyrian  monarch  who  ever  reigned  in  Babylon),  took  Manasseh 
  prisoner  (B.C.  681)  to  Babylon.  Such  captive  kings  were  usually 
  treated  with  great  cruelty.  They  were  brought  before  the 
  conqueror  with  a  hook  or  ring  passed  through  their  lips  or  their 
  jaws,  having  a  cord  attached  to  it  by  which  they  were  led.  This 
  is  referred  to  in  2  Chr.  33:11,  where  the  Authorized  Version 
  reads  that  Esarhaddon  "took  Manasseh  among  the  thorns;"  while 
  the  Revised  Version  renders  the  words  "took  Manasseh  in 
  chains;"  or  literally,  as  in  the  margin,  "with  hooks."  (Comp.  2 
  Kings  19:28.) 
 
  The  severity  of  Manasseh's  imprisonment  brought  him  to 
  repentance.  God  heard  his  cry,  and  he  was  restored  to  his 
  kingdom  (2  Chr.  33:11-13).  He  abandoned  his  idolatrous  ways,  and 
  enjoined  the  people  to  worship  Jehovah;  but  there  was  no 
  thorough  reformation.  After  a  lengthened  reign  extending  through 
  fifty-five  years,  the  longest  in  the  history  of  Judah,  he  died, 
  and  was  buried  in  the  garden  of  Uzza,  the  "garden  of  his  own 
  house"  (2  Kings  21:17,  18;  2  Chr.  33:20),  and  not  in  the  city  of 
  David,  among  his  ancestors.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Amon. 
 
  In  Judg.  18:30  the  correct  reading  is  "Moses,"  and  not 
  "Manasseh."  The  name  Manasseh"  is  supposed  to  have  been 
  introduced  by  some  transcriber  to  avoid  the  scandal  of  naming 
  the  grandson  of  Moses  the  great  lawgiver  as  the  founder  of  an 
  idolatrous  religion. 
 
 
  From  Hitchcock's  Bible  Names  Dictionary  (late  1800's)  [hitchcock]: 
 
  Manasseh,  forgetfulness;  he  that  is  forgotten