of Manasseh, unto which in the Kings nothing is added more, but briefly having referred us to the history of the Kings of Iudah, his death immediately fol∣loweth.
Wherefore 2 Chron. 33. 11. it is said, The Lord brought against them the princes of the Army of the king of Assyria, who took him in the thornes, and bound him with two iron chaines, and carried him into Babylon, where being in great affliction, he prayed unto the Lord, &c.] Iosephus, for the Princes of the king of Assyria, hath, the king of Babylon. But herein, saith Lyra, there is no difference; because the King of Babylon, that now was, had been a subject of the king of Assyria, together with the princes there, but now they were revolted, & Babylon was an absolute kingdom of it self, as hath been shewed before. When he together with his princes, then are called princes of the king of Assyria, it is onely spoken as they were in times past, for that the princes of Babylon are meant, appeareth, because he is said to have been carried into Babylon, and these princes are not here simply said in Hebrew, to be the princes of the Assyrian king, but the princes of the army which was his, viz. when he came against Ierusalem, for although they who were of the kingdome of Assyria were ••••••troyed, yet these most probably escaped away alive, and now did no longer live under that kings obedience. The place where he was taken, was in a queachy place full of thorns and briars, to which Iunius saith, he fled to hide himself; for so did many of Israel in the dayes of Saul, for fear of the Philistims. For the great misery endured by Manasseh in Babylon, Jerom saith, that he was put into a brazen vessell full of holes, and therein tormented by fire put about it, wherefore he prayed earnestly to all the gods, whom he had formerly served, but having no help, he remembred what he had heard his father say of the God of Israel, that he onely was able to help in distresse, and would save all those that called upon him, and therefore he sought most earnestly by praier unto him, and was delivered. But this is generally sleighted as a Rabinicall invention, because it hath no ground in holy Scripture, and it is improbable, that being brought into this misery, whilest he was so zealous for his idols, who (it appeared now) could do him no good be∣ing in his own land, that he would seek unto them in a strange land, to which they had suffered him their servitour to be carried away. Moreover, for the affliction endured by him in particular, Chrysostome saith, that he was fed but with so much barley bread in a day, and so much water mingled with vineger, as might keep him alive, being all the while bound with chains in the prison house. Which sheweth, that the particular relations of his miseries are but conjecturall, none being able to tell, what they were besides imprisonment and bands, and this was misery enough for a king to endure. If it be demanded, what quarrell had the king of Babylon or his princes against him, that they should come thus against him, and use him so indignly? It is answered, that most probably he being waxed great, as the kings of Assyria had formerly been, was moved out of the ambition of his minde, when Hezekiah was dead, with whom he had contracted friendship, to think of subduing the land of Iudah, and getting that wonderfull great treasure, which he heard by his embassadours was at Ierusalem, and so sent out some to take the king, which he thought they might easily do being young and improvident, and then he might propound his own conditions, before he were again restored, to pay him such a summe of money down, and to be his tributary under a tribute of so much per annum; thus he. But God, who moderateth in all things, had another end in the coming of these men against him, viz. to punish him with grievous affliction, according to the grievousnesse of his sinnes. But it is strange, and different from all other histories, which is here related, in that it is neither said with what forces this expedition was made, nor how he was taken, nor whether being alone, or ha∣ving any of his princes in his company, he were carried away. Wherefore the sa∣cred historian was only intent to the shewing of his punishment, as being the main thing to be lookt at for use, together with his repentance and deliverance, not re∣garding to speak of other things concomitating the same. It is probable therefore, that all which was here done was extraordinary, and not like to any other invasion or deliverance, any where recorded in holy Scripture. The King Manasseh haply