Manasseh's building of altars to the host of heaven in the courts of the house of the Lord indicates the extent of pagan religious practice installed within the sacred precinct. The reference to the host of heaven (stellar deities) indicates an astrological dimension to the pagan practice. The construction of these altars within the temple courts indicates that worship of celestial deities occurred in the very place designated for worship of the Lord alone. The explicit location within the Lord's house emphasizes the profundity of the desecration. The building of such altars represents a systematic transformation of the temple from a place of exclusive Yahwistic worship into a syncretistic worship center.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a note on this verse