He burned his son as an offering is literally “he caused his son to pass through the fire” (see the comments on 2 Kgs 16.3). This wording is used when speaking of Israelites who practiced child sacrifice in defiance of the clearly stated law prohibiting it (Deut 18.10). When child sacrifice was practiced by other cultures surrounding the people of Israel, the Old Testament speaks more directly of their “burning” their children in sacrifice to their gods (Deut 12.31; 2 Kgs 17.31). But the end result is the same; this is a way of saying that “he sacrificed his son.”
Practiced soothsaying and augury: These practices are likewise forbidden by the Law of Moses (Lev 19.26; Deut 18.10). Practiced soothsaying is a rather archaic English expression used to translate a Hebrew verb that involves the use of magic or sorcery to control events. In Lev 19.26 it is translated “practice … witchcraft.” If there is a relationship between the Hebrew word for practiced soothsaying and the noun for “cloud,” as some scholars think, this may suggest that Manasseh studied the clouds in order to understand the future. The Hebrew term rendered augury is translated “sorcery” in 2 Kgs 17.17 (see the comments there). 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 word has now taken on the broader meaning of “divination” or discovering secret knowledge by consulting spirits. The precise methods used in Old Testament times are unknown. New Century Version translates “practiced magic and told the future by explaining signs and dreams.”
Dealt with mediums and with wizards: Deut 18.11 prohibits dealing with mediums and wizards. The two Hebrew nouns rendered here 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. Peregrino renders the Hebrew noun here with the technical term “necromancers,” that is, people who consult the spirits of the dead in order to reveal the future or influence future events. The Hebrew term rendered wizards comes from the verb “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, which is normally a rather literal translation, renders these two terms as “people who invoked the dead and who predicted the future.” Compare also “the consulting of ghosts and spirits” (New American Bible).
He did much evil in the sight of the LORD …: 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 discussion on 1 Kgs 14.9. The Masoretic Text does not have the pronoun him. However, some Hebrew manuscripts and some of the ancient versions do have the pronoun; and some modern translations follow these manuscripts by adding the pronoun (Gray, Osty-Trinquet). Revised Standard Version seems to have supplied the pronoun him because the context requires it. In many languages the decision to include the pronoun will be based on grammatical considerations in the receptor language and not on text-critical decisions.
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .