And he burned his sons as an offering is literally “And he caused his sons to pass through the fire.” See the comments on 2 Chr 28.3. Manasseh burned his sons to death as a sacrifice to the pagan gods in direct violation of the strict prohibition of such a practice in Deut 18.10. Other passages in the Old Testament reveal that children were burned in the worship of the god Molech, a god of the Ammonites, in Hinnom Valley (see 2 Kgs 23.10; Jer 32.35). While the Chronicler has his sons, the parallel text of 2 Kgs 21.6 has the singular “his son.” New Revised Standard Version and God’s Word harmonize the two passages, using the singular here, but such harmonization is not recommended in this case since there is no significant textual evidence to support the singular here.
For the valley of the son of Hinnom, see the comments on 2 Chr 28.3.
And practiced soothsaying and augury and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with wizards: The precise meanings of the Hebrew terms used here are unknown. These terms, as well as other terms in the same semantic category, often are used together and denote various kinds of magic and divination. All these activities were forbidden by the Law of Moses (see Lev 19.26; Deut 18.9-14).
The Hebrew verb rendered practiced soothsaying comes from a root meaning “to cause to appear,” but there is not agreement among scholars as to exactly what the word really means. If there is a relationship between the Hebrew word here and the noun for “cloud,” as some scholars think, this may suggest that Manasseh studied the clouds in order to understand the future. A soothsayer was probably one who observed the times and looked for signs of things to come and who practiced magic.
The exact meaning of the Hebrew verb translated practiced … augury is also difficult to determine with certainty. It probably has to do with predicting or foretelling the future based on signs and omens. Some prefer to translate it “practiced … divination” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). The English word augury was originally related to birds. A Roman “augur” was an official who was thought to be able to foretell the future by observing the behavior of birds. But the English word has now taken on the broader meaning of “divination” or discovering secret knowledge by consulting spirits. The precise methods used in the Old Testament times are unknown.
The Hebrew verb translated practiced … sorcery has to do with witchcraft and the practice of magic. It may have concerned the use of evil spirits to control events and to bring about desired goals.
The Hebrew nouns for mediums and wizards refer to people who claimed to have insight into the spiritual world by dealing with ghosts and other spiritual beings. These two nouns almost always appear together (see, for example, Lev 19.31, where it is prohibited to consult such persons, and 1 Sam 28. 3, 9). Mediums were individuals who consulted the spirits of dead people (see the comments on 1 Chr 10.13). Some versions use the technical term “necromancers” (New American Bible, La Bible de Jérusalem: Nouvelle édition revue et corrigée, El libro del Pueblo de Dios), that is, people who consult the spirits of the dead in order to reveal the future or influence future events. The Hebrew noun for wizards comes from the verb meaning “to know” and seems to refer to persons who had the knowledge to consult the spirits of dead persons. It seems to focus more on their ability to foretell the future. The precise distinctions between these two words is not clear. Nouvelle version Segond révisée, normally a rather literal translation, renders these two terms as “people who invoked the dead and who predicted the future.”
He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger: This statement about the reign of Manasseh provides a summary of what has already been said in verses 2-6a and then declares the result of his sinful actions: his corrupt and immoral lifestyle caused the LORD to become very angry. For provoking him to anger, see the comments on 2 Chr 28.25.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2014. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .