Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem means he led the people astray spiritually. The Hebrew verb translated seduced is literally “caused to go astray.” The English word seduced often has sexual connotations, but since the meaning of the Hebrew term here is much more general, a different verb should be used, such as “misled” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible), “led … astray” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “made … go wrong” (Moffatt). For the sake of clarity Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem may have to be reworded as “the people living in Jerusalem and in the rest of Judah.”

So that they did more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the people of Israel: The comparison between the people of Judah and the pagan nations who were driven out before the Israelites as they entered the land shows the Judeans to be extremely pagan in themselves. Some interpreters understand before the people of Israel to mean that God destroyed the pagan nations “in favour of the Israelites” (Revised English Bible) or “for the Israelites” (New Jerusalem Bible). However, as in verse 2, the sense is more likely “at the coming of the Israelites” (New American Bible) or “when the people of Israel entered the land” (New Living Translation).

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 .