Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Chronicles 33:6

"He also made his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; and he practised augury, and used enchantments, and practised sorcery, and dealt with them that had familiar spirits, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger." — 2 Chronicles 33:6 (ASV)

He.—This is emphatic. It is not in Kings.

Caused his children ... fire.—The plural form, as used in 2 Chronicles 28:3, is rhetorical. The Book of Kings states, "his son."

In the valley of the son of Hinnom.—This is an explanatory addition by the chronicler.

Also he observed times, and used enchantments.—And he practised augury and divination. This was forbidden in Leviticus 19:26. The first phrase, "observed times," seems to strictly mean "observed clouds," and the second, "used enchantments," appears to mean "observed serpents."

And used witchcraft.—And muttered spells or charms. This word does not occur in the parallel passage, but all the offences here ascribed to Manasseh are forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:10-11.

And dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards.—And appointed a necromancer and a wizard. The Book of Kings has wizards. The source of all these modes of soothsaying was Babylon.

Like the first king of Israel, Manasseh appears to have despaired of help or counsel from Jehovah . The heavy yoke of Assyria again weighed the nation down, and the great deliverance under Hezekiah was almost forgotten.

“To all the Palestinian nations, the Assyrian crisis had made careless confidence in the help of their national deities a thing impossible. As life was embittered by foreign bondage, the darker aspects of heathenism became dominant. The wrath of the gods seemed more real than their favour; atoning ordinances were multiplied, human sacrifices became more frequent, the terror which hung over all the nations that groaned under the Assyrian yoke found habitual expression in the ordinances of worship; and it was this aspect of heathenism that came to the front in Manasseh’s imitations of foreign religion” (Robertson Smith, The Prophets of Israel, p. 366).

He wrought much evil.—Literally, he multiplied doing the evil. He was worse than his evil predecessors.