מְנַשֶּׁה

From the study of Isaiah 9:21

Range of meaning

These are the names of Joseph's two sons (Gen 41:51–52; 48), and then of the two tribes descended from them, which formed the heart of the northern kingdom. Ephraim regularly stands for the northern kingdom as a whole (Isa 7:2, 5, 8–9, 17; Hosea throughout). Manasseh held land west of the Jordan and in Gilead, east of the Jordan.

Against the English

English readers may see these simply as two place names. To Israelite hearers they were brothers: two sons of the same father, blessed together by Jacob (Gen 48).

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 48 is Jacob's blessing of the two boys. 2 Kings 15 records the run of assassinations in the north. Pekah killed King Pekahiah with fifty men of Gilead (2 Kgs 15:25), and Gilead was largely Manassite territory. Shallum was 'son of Jabesh,' a name that may point to Jabesh-Gilead, but this is uncertain.

From the study of 2 Kings 21:1

Range of meaning

A personal and tribal name. Grammatically it is an active participle of the verb nāshāh, "to forget" (in a form meaning "cause to forget"), so it means "one who makes [someone] forget." Genesis 41:51 explains the first Manasseh's name this way: "God has made me forget all my hardship."

Against the English

English Bibles simply write the name. Readers lose the meaning and also the fact that it matches the name of the large northern tribe.

Used elsewhere in the period

Assyrian royal inscriptions confirm that this king existed. Esarhaddon's prism (around 673 BC) lists "Menasî, king of Yaudi (Judah)" among 22 western vassal kings who were made to send building materials to Nineveh. A prism of Ashurbanipal (around 667 BC) lists him among the kings who sent troops and tribute for the Assyrian campaign against Egypt (ANET pp. 291, 294).

From the study of Jeremiah 15:4

Range of meaning

A personal name ('making to forget', cf. Gen 41:51). Here it means the king of Judah, son of Hezekiah, who reigned about 55 years in the 7th century BC as a loyal vassal of Assyria.

Against the English

All translations agree on the name. What differs is the causal framing: 'because of Manasseh' (KJV, WEB) can sound as if Judah suffers solely for one man. BSB's 'because of what Manasseh… did' keeps the focus on the deeds.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Kgs 21:1–18 catalogs his acts. 2 Kgs 23:26–27 and 24:3–4 say that even Josiah's reform could not turn away the anger Manasseh had provoked, 'for the innocent blood he shed, filling Jerusalem with blood, which the LORD would not pardon'. 2 Chr 33:10–20 adds his captivity and repentance. Assyrian records (Esarhaddon's and Ashurbanipal's inscriptions) list 'Manasseh king of Judah' among the western vassals who sent tribute and labor.