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Tuesday, August 5th, 2025
the Week of Proper 13 / Ordinary 18
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THE MESSAGE

2 Chronicles 33:14

After that Manasseh rebuilt the outside defensive wall of the City of David to the west of the Gihon spring in the valley. It went from the Fish Gate and around the hill of Ophel. He also increased its height. He tightened up the defense system by posting army captains in all the fortress cities of Judah. He also did a good spring cleaning on The Temple, carting out the pagan idols and the goddess statue. He took all the altars he had set up on The Temple hill and throughout Jerusalem and dumped them outside the city. He put the Altar of God back in working order and restored worship, sacrificing Peace-Offerings and Thank-Offerings. He issued orders to the people: "You shall serve and worship God , the God of Israel." But the people didn't take him seriously—they used the name " God " but kept on going to the old pagan neighborhood shrines and doing the same old things.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Fish Gate;   Gihon;   Hezekiah;   Influence;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Jerusalem;   Manasseh;   Ophel;   Revivals;   Thompson Chain Reference - Cities;   Fenced Cities;   Gihon;   Ophel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Cities;   Fishes;   Gates;   Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gihon;   Jerusalem;   Ophel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jerusalem;   Manasseh, king of judah;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Fish;   Gihon;   Jerusalem;   Ophel;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Esarhaddon;   Fish;   Gihon;   Jerusalem;   Manasseh (2);   Ophel;   Siloam, Tower of;   Zion;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Chronicles, Books of;   David, City of;   Fish Gate;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Gihon;   Jerusalem;   Kidron (1);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gihon ;   Ophel ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gihon;   Jerusalem;   Manasseh;   Ophel;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Fish;   Jeru'salem;   O'phel;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Manasseh;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Chronicles, Books of;   Fortification;   Gihon (2);   Jerusalem;   Kidron, the Brook;   Manasseh (3);   Ophel;   Zion;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Food;   Fortress;   Gihon;   Jerusalem;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
After this, he built the outer wall of the city of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate; he brought it around the Ophel, and he heightened it considerably. He also placed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
Hebrew Names Version
Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gichon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he compassed `Ofel about [with it], and raised it up to a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Yehudah.
King James Version
Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah.
English Standard Version
Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah.
New Century Version
After that happened, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of Jerusalem and made it higher. It was in the valley on the west side of the Gihon spring and went to the entrance of the Fish Gate and around the hill of Ophel. Then he put commanders in all the strong, walled cities in Judah.
New English Translation
After this Manasseh built up the outer wall of the City of David on the west side of the Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate and all around the terrace; he made it much higher. He placed army officers in all the fortified cities in Judah.
Amplified Bible
After this he built an outer wall for the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the river valley, to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
New American Standard Bible
Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, up to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.
World English Bible
Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he compassed Ophel about [with it], and raised it up to a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Nowe after this he built a wall without the citie of Dauid, on the Westside of Gihon in the valley, euen at the entrie of the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it very hie, and put captaines of warre in all the strong cities of Iudah.
Legacy Standard Bible
Afterwards, he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
Berean Standard Bible
After this, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David from west of Gihon in the valley to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and he brought it around the Ophel and heightened it considerably. He also stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
Contemporary English Version
Later, Manasseh rebuilt the eastern section of Jerusalem's outer wall and made it taller. This section went from Gihon Valley north to Fish Gate and around the part of the city called Mount Ophel. He also assigned army officers to each of the fortified cities in Judah.
Complete Jewish Bible
After this he built an outer wall for the City of David on the west side of Gichon, in the valley, extending as far as the entrance at the Fish Gate; it encompassed the ‘Ofel, and he built it very high. He stationed army commanders in all the fortified cities of Y'hudah.
Darby Translation
And after this he built the outer wall of the city of David, on the west, toward Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the fish-gate, and carried it round Ophel, and raised it up a very great height; and he put captains of war in all the fortified cities of Judah.
Easy-to-Read Version
After that happened, Manasseh built an outer wall for the City of David. This wall went to the west of Gihon Spring in Kidron Valley, to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and around the hill of Ophel. He made the wall very tall. Then he put officers in all the fortresses in Judah.
George Lamsa Translation
Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David on the west side of the brook of Gihon to the entrance of the fish gate, and encircled the whole of Jerusalem with an outer wall and raised it up a very great height, and he appointed commanders of the army in all the fortified cities of Judah.
Good News Translation
After this, Manasseh increased the height of the outer wall on the east side of David's City, from a point in the valley near Gihon Spring north to the Fish Gate and the area of the city called Ophel. He also stationed an army officer in command of a unit of troops in each of the fortified cities of Judah.
Lexham English Bible
Then afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of the Gihon in the valley, and for the entrance into the Gate of the Fishes. And it encircled the Ophel and raised it very high. Then he placed strong commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.
Literal Translation
And after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west of Gihon, in the valley, and at the entrance of the Fish Gate. And it went around to the tower and he made it exceedingly high, and he put commanders of the army in allthe cities of defense in Judah.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Afterwarde buylded he ye vttemost wall of the cite of Dauid, on the west syde of Gihon by the broke, and at the intraunce of the Fyshgate, and rounde aboute Ophel, and made it very hye. And layed captaynes in ye stroge cities of Iuda,
American Standard Version
Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he compassed Ophel about with it, and raised it up to a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.
Bible in Basic English
After this he made an outer wall for the town of David, on the west side of Gihon in the valley, as far as the way into the town by the fish doorway; and he put a very high wall round the Ophel; and he put captains of the army in all the walled towns of Judah.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
After this he buylt a wall without the citie of Dauid on the west side of Gion, in the valley, as they came to the fishe gate, and round about Ophel, & brought it vp of a very great heyght, and put captaynes of warre in all the strong cities of Iuda.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height; and he put captains of the army in all the fortified cities of Judah.
King James Version (1611)
Now after this, hee built a wall without the citie of Dauid, on the Westside of Gihon, in the valley, euen to the entring in at the fish-gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it vp a very great height, and put captaines of warre in all the fenced cities of Iudah.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And afterward he built a wall without the city of David, from the southwest southward in the valleys and at the entrance through the fish-gate, as men go out by the gate round about, even as far as Opel: and he raised it much, and set captains of the host in all the fortified cities in Juda.
English Revised Version
Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate; and he compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fenced cities of Judah.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Aftir these thingis he bildide the wal with out the citee of Dauid, at the west of Gion, in the valei, fro the entryng of the yate of fischis, bi cumpas `til to Ophel; and he reiside it gretli; and he ordeynede princes of the oost in alle the stronge citees of Juda.
Update Bible Version
Now after this he built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish gate; and he compassed Ophel about [with it], and raised it up to a very great height: and he put valiant captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.
Webster's Bible Translation
Now after this, he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance at the fish-gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great highth, and put captains of war in all the fortified cities of Judah.
New King James Version
After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it enclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. Then he put military captains in all the fortified cities of Judah.
New Living Translation
After this Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, from west of the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley to the Fish Gate, and continuing around the hill of Ophel. He built the wall very high. And he stationed his military officers in all of the fortified towns of Judah.
New Life Bible
After this he built the outside wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the Fish Gate. He built it around the Ophel, and made it very high. Then he put army captains in all the strong cities of Judah.
New Revised Standard
Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, reaching the entrance at the Fish Gate; he carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, after this, he built an outer wall to the city of David on the west of the Gihon in the ravine, even to the entering in through the fish-gate, and went round to Ophel, and carried it up very high, - and put captains of valour in all the fortified cities, throughout Judah.
Douay-Rheims Bible
After this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon in the valley, from the entering in of the gate round about to Ophel, and raised it up to a great height: and he appointed captains of the army in all the fenced cities of Juda:
Revised Standard Version
Afterwards he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it round Ophel, and raised it to a very great height; he also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah.
Young's Literal Translation
And after this he hath built an outer wall to the city of David, on the west of Gihon, in the valley, and at the entering in at the fish-gate, and it hath gone round to the tower, and he maketh it exceeding high, and he putteth heads of the force in all the cities of the bulwarks in Judah.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah.

Contextual Overview

11Then God directed the leaders of the troops of the king of Assyria to come after Manasseh. They put a hook in his nose, shackles on his feet, and took him off to Babylon. Now that he was in trouble, he went to his knees in prayer asking for help—total repentance before the God of his ancestors. As he prayed, God was touched; God listened and brought him back to Jerusalem as king. That convinced Manasseh that God was in control. 14After that Manasseh rebuilt the outside defensive wall of the City of David to the west of the Gihon spring in the valley. It went from the Fish Gate and around the hill of Ophel. He also increased its height. He tightened up the defense system by posting army captains in all the fortress cities of Judah. He also did a good spring cleaning on The Temple, carting out the pagan idols and the goddess statue. He took all the altars he had set up on The Temple hill and throughout Jerusalem and dumped them outside the city. He put the Altar of God back in working order and restored worship, sacrificing Peace-Offerings and Thank-Offerings. He issued orders to the people: "You shall serve and worship God , the God of Israel." But the people didn't take him seriously—they used the name " God " but kept on going to the old pagan neighborhood shrines and doing the same old things. 18The rest of the history of Manasseh—his prayer to his God, and the sermons the prophets personally delivered by authority of God , the God of Israel—this is all written in The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. His prayer and how God was touched by his prayer, a list of all his sins and the things he did wrong, the actual places where he built the pagan shrines, the installation of the sex-goddess Asherah sites, and the idolatrous images that he worshiped previous to his conversion—this is all described in the records of the prophets. 20 When Manasseh died, they buried him in the palace garden. His son Amon was the next king.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 3327-3361, bc 677-643

he built: 2 Chronicles 32:5

Gihon: 2 Chronicles 32:30, 1 Kings 1:33, 1 Kings 1:45

fish gate: Nehemiah 3:3, Nehemiah 12:39, Zephaniah 1:10

Ophel: or, the tower, 2 Chronicles 27:3, Nehemiah 3:26, Nehemiah 3:27

put: 2 Chronicles 11:11, 2 Chronicles 11:12, 2 Chronicles 17:19

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 21:20 - the defenced

Cross-References

Genesis 32:3
Then Jacob sent messengers on ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir in Edom. He instructed them: "Tell my master Esau this, ‘A message from your servant Jacob: I've been staying with Laban and couldn't get away until now. I've acquired cattle and donkeys and sheep; also men and women servants. I'm telling you all this, my master, hoping for your approval.'"
Deuteronomy 2:1
Then we turned around and went back into the wilderness following the route to the Red Sea, as God had instructed me. We worked our way in and around the hills of Seir for a long, long time.
Judges 5:4
God , when you left Seir, marched across the fields of Edom, Earth quaked, yes, the skies poured rain, oh, the clouds made rivers. Mountains leapt before God , the Sinai God, before God , the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 20:10
"And now it's happened: men from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir have shown up. You didn't let Israel touch them when we got here at first—we detoured around them and didn't lay a hand on them. And now they've come to kick us out of the country you gave us. O dear God, won't you take care of them? We're helpless before this vandal horde ready to attack us. We don't know what to do; we're looking to you."
Ezekiel 25:8
" God , the Master, says: Because Moab said, ‘Look, Judah's nothing special,' I'll lay wide open the flank of Moab by exposing its lovely frontier villages to attack: Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim. I'll lump Moab in with Ammon and give them to the people of the east for the taking. Ammon won't be heard from again. I'll punish Moab severely. And they'll realize that I am God ."
Mark 4:33
With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.
Romans 15:1
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, "How can I help?"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now after this he built a wall without the city of David,.... Which perhaps had been broken down by the Assyrian army, when it came and took him; Vitringa l thinks this is the wall of the pool of Siloah, Nehemiah 3:15 which seems to be the first and oldest wall, as Josephus m; for that turning to the north bent towards the pool of Siloam; an Arabic writer n calls it the southern wall:

on the west side of Gihon; on the west side of the city, towards Gihon; for that was to the west of it, 2 Chronicles 32:30,

in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate; through which the fish were brought from Joppa, and where, according to the Targum, they were sold:

and compassed about Ophel; the eastern part of Mount Zion; some say it was the holy of holies, 2 Chronicles 27:3,

and raised it up a very great height; built the wall very high there:

and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah; this he did to put his kingdom in a posture of defence, should it be attacked by the Assyrian army again.

l Comment. in Jesaiam, c. 22. 9. m De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 9. n Abulpharag. Hist. Dynast. Dyn. 3. p. 67.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Rather, “he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west of Gihon-in-the-valley.” The wall intended seems to have been that toward the northeast, which ran from the vicinity of the modern Damascus gate across the valley of Gihon, to the “fish-gate” at the northeast corner of the “city of David.”

We may gather from this verse that, late in his reign, Manasseh revolted from the Assyrians, and made preparations to resist them if they should attack him. Assyria began to decline in power about 647 B.C., and from that time her outlying provinces would naturally begin to fall off. Manasseh reigned until 642 B.C.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 33:14. He built a wall — This was probably a weak place that he fortified; or a part of the wall which the Assyrians had broken down, which he now rebuilt.


 
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