חב"ד: Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, was only twelve years old when he succeeded his father to the throne of Judea. In no way did he resemble his father whose piety and faith were not equaled by any other king who followed him. The young ruler, born of a late marriage, was immediately surrounded by the clique of court-notables who, during Hezekiah’s reign, had gone into hiding. Manasseh’s weak character and susceptibility to idolatry made him a willing tool in the ruthless and selfish hands of these men. Even into the Holy Temple they brought idols, and some of the basic concepts of Jewish thought and tradition were falsified and distorted. When he came out sharply against the evil ways of King Manasseh and his notables, Isaiah was murdered.
With him he pulled down the whole spiritual structure which his father had set up for the people; and even though the king personally repented in his later years, he was never able to make amends for the damage he had done in the first decades of his evil rule.
Manasseh was succeeded by his son Amon who was not better than his father when he took over the kingdom of Judea.
The land was plunged deeper and deeper into the slough of immorality and idolatry. But fortunately King Amon’s rule was short. After two years he was assassinated by his own servants. The people avenged his death; they slew the murderers and declared Josiah, Amon’s son, King of Judah.
