18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, behold, they are written among the acts of the kings of Israel.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
The "prayer of Manasseh," preserved to us in some manuscripts of the Septuagint, has no claim to be considered the genuine utterance of the Jewish king. It is the composition of a Hellenistic Jew, well acquainted with the Septuagint, writing at a time probably not much anterior to the Christian era.
The words of the seers that spake to him - See 2-Kings 21:11-15.
In the book of the kings of Israel - The writer of Chronicles usually speaks of "the book of the kings of, Judah and Israel" (or "Israel and Judah"). Here be designates the same compilation by a more compendious title, without (apparently) any special reason for the change. Compare 2-Chronicles 20:34.
The words of the seers that spake to him - "Which were spoken to him in the name of the Word of the Lord God of Israel." - Targum.
Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his (i) prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they [are written] in the book of the kings of Israel.
(i) Which although it is not contained in the Hebrew, yet because it is here mentioned and is written in the Greek, we have placed it in the end of this book.
Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh,.... Good and bad, what were done by him both before and after his conversion:
and his prayer unto his God; which it seems was taken and recorded, but now lost; for as for that which is among the apocryphal writings, there is no reason to believe it to be his, though it is thought to be so by many (o):
and the words of the seers; or the prophets, as the Targum; and the prophets in his days, according to the Jewish chronology (p), were Joel, Nahum, and Habakkuk:
that spake to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel; words of admonition and reproof before his humiliation, and words of comfort, advice, and instruction, after it; the Targum is,"that spake to him in the name of the Word of the Lord God of Israel:"
behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel; not in the canonical book so called, where none of the above things, namely, his prayer, and the speeches of the prophets, are to be found, at least not all; but in the annals of the kings of Israel, now lost.
(o) Vid. Fabritii Bibliothec. Graec. l. 3. c. 31. p. 738, 739. (p) Seder Olam Rabba, c. 20.
Conclusion of Manasseh's history. His other acts, his prayer, and words of the prophets of the Lord against him, were recorded in the history of the kings of Israel; while special accounts of his prayer, and how it was heard (העתר־לו, the letting Himself be entreated, i.e., how God heard him), of his sons, and the high places, altars, and images which he erected before his humiliation, were contained in the sayings of Hozai (see the Introduction).
Of Israel - Of Judah, often called Israel, he speaks not of the book of Kings, for these things are not mentioned there, but of their publick records, whence the most important things were taken by the prophets, and put into those canonical books.
*More commentary available at chapter level.