What Is the Prayer of Manasseh?
Short answer
The prayer of Manasseh is a short ancient penitential prayer written in the voice of King Manasseh of Judah. While Second Chronicles records that Manasseh repented and prayed while bound in Babylon, the biblical text does not include his words. This separate fifteen-verse composition arose centuries later and appears in the Apocrypha, Orthodox Bibles, and appendices to Catholic Bibles.
The prayer of Manasseh is a short ancient penitential prayer composed in the name of one of Judah's most notorious rulers. At Find A Prayer, we study ancient biblical texts and devotional writings to help believers understand where these historical prayers fit into the wider story of faith. Second Chronicles tells how King Manasseh turned away from God, suffered defeat, and prayed in captivity. God heard his plea and restored him to Jerusalem.
Scripture notes that his prayer was recorded, yet the canonical books do not provide the transcript. Centuries later, an unknown Jewish writer composed a penitential prayer in his voice. Understanding the prayer of Manasseh requires examining both the historical account in Chronicles and the distinct textual traditions that preserve this brief work today.
An Ancient Plea for Mercy in the Voice of a King
The prayer of Manasseh represents an ancient literary work that gives voice to a repentant monarch seeking divine mercy. It consists of roughly fifteen verses in most modern printings. The text is brief.
It belongs to the broader category of penitential literature, where a sinner acknowledges personal guilt and relies entirely on God's willingness to forgive. Second Kings presents him as an idolatrous ruler whose sins brought judgment upon the kingdom. Yet the narrative in Chronicles introduces a striking turn of events during his captivity.
Later generations wondered what such a wicked king might have said when he finally turned to God. This ancient prayer fills that imaginative space. It does not claim to be a word-for-word transcript taken down by a royal scribe.
Instead, it provides a pious reflection on divine mercy. The speaker presents himself as an extreme sinner who finds hope only in the boundless compassion of the Creator.
The Biblical Record of King Manasseh in Chronicles
Second Chronicles provides the historical framework for the king's dramatic repentance and restoration. According to Second Chronicles 33:1, Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. He led the people into widespread idolatry.
Divine judgment followed his persistent rebellion. In Second Chronicles 33:11, the captains of the host of the king of Assyria took Manasseh among the thorns, bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. Affliction broke his pride.
Second Chronicles 33:12-13 states that when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed. God heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. God listened.
Second Chronicles 33:18-19 notes that the rest of his acts and his prayer unto his God are written in the book of the kings of Israel and among the sayings of the seers. The Bible mentions the existence of a written record without citing the actual prayer. This biblical silence prompted later writers to reflect on the words he might have spoken while bound in chains.
What the Prayer of Manasseh Teaches
The theological core of the prayer of Manasseh centers on the infinite mercy of God toward the chief of sinners. The prayer opens with praise for the Lord Almighty and God of our fathers, honoring his majesty as creator of heaven and earth. It shifts quickly to confession.
The author acknowledges that divine wrath is terrible, yet God's compassion remains beyond human measure. The speaker confesses personal unworthiness in stark terms. He declares that his transgressions are more in number than the sand of the sea.
Grief weighs heavily on his spirit. He describes himself as bowed down by heavy chains, unable to lift his eyes toward heaven because of the multitude of his sins. Despite this heavy guilt, the speaker does not despair.
He asks God for forgiveness and relies completely on divine compassion. The prayer presents God as the one who grants pardon to the truly penitent. This emphasis on unearned pardon mirrors biblical prayers like Psalm 51, where mercy outweighs the severity of the offense.
Canon Status Across Major Christian Traditions
Christian communities hold distinct views regarding the canonical authority of the prayer of Manasseh. Traditions take different approaches. In the Protestant world, the text is not included in the Old Testament canon.
Many historical Protestant printings to place it within the Apocrypha between the testaments. Catholic tradition views the work with respect while maintaining clear canonical boundaries. The Council of Trent did not define the prayer of Manasseh as part of the inspired Catholic canon.
Because of its antiquity and spiritual value, Catholic Bibles have often printed it in an appendix rather than alongside the deuterocanonical books. Eastern Orthodox Bibles generally include the text as part of their broader scriptural collection. Orthodox editions often locate the prayer among the Odes, a collection of biblical songs appended to the Psalms.
It has also found a place in some liturgies and personal devotion within Eastern Orthodox and Anglican traditions. Each tradition preserves the work in a manner consistent with its own historical heritage.
Unknown Origins and Questions of Date and Language
The exact date, author, and original language of the prayer of Manasseh remain historical mysteries. Scholars generally agree that the text was written centuries after the historical king ruled in Jerusalem. Most historians date the composition to the last centuries before the birth of Christ. The historical author remains unknown.
An anonymous Jewish writer likely composed the prayer to provide the missing words referenced in Second Chronicles. By speaking in the voice of the penitent king, the author created a model prayer for any believer seeking restoration. Questions about its original language also remain unsettled. Some scholars argue that the prayer was originally composed in Greek, pointing to its poetic structure and vocabulary.
Others propose that a lost Hebrew or Aramaic original once existed. Scripture scholars openly acknowledge that these questions cannot be answered with total certainty today.
Finding Mercy Through the Prayer of Manasseh Today
The enduring value of the prayer of Manasseh lies in its witness to the boundless scope of God's forgiveness. Many believers struggle with the fear that their past mistakes place them beyond divine pardon. Manasseh represents the extreme limit of human wickedness.
If God could hear a king who committed terrible sins, no repentant sinner is beyond hope. The New Testament echoes this same pattern of unmerited grace. In Luke 18:13, the publican would not lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast and asked God for mercy.
First John 1:9 assures believers that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Grace is available. You can draw encouragement from this ancient prayer when offering your own supplications.
When guilt threatens your peace of mind, turn to Scripture and bring your confessions directly to God. Take time today to read Second Chronicles 33 and reflect on how the prayer of Manasseh points to the enduring mercy of God for all who seek him.
Key Bible verses
- And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God. — 2 Chronicles 33:12-13
- Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. — Psalm 51:1
- And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. — Luke 18:13
- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. — 1 John 1:9
Frequently asked questions
What is the Prayer of Manasseh?
The Prayer of Manasseh is a short ancient penitential prayer written in the voice of King Manasseh of Judah. It contains roughly fifteen verses focusing on personal confession and divine mercy. Although Second Chronicles mentions that Manasseh prayed while held in Babylon, this separate text was written centuries later and is not part of the Hebrew Bible.
Is the Prayer of Manasseh in the Bible?
The Prayer of Manasseh is included in some Christian Bibles but excluded from others. It is not part of the Protestant Old Testament canon, though it frequently appears in the Apocrypha. Catholic Bibles historically placed it in an appendix, while Eastern Orthodox Bibles generally include it among the Odes.
Who wrote the Prayer of Manasseh?
The author of the Prayer of Manasseh is unknown. Scholars conclude that an anonymous Jewish writer composed the prayer centuries after King Manasseh died, likely during the final centuries before Christ. The writer crafted the text in the voice of the repentant monarch to illustrate how God forgives even the worst of sinners.
Why is the Prayer of Manasseh not in Protestant Bibles?
The Prayer of Manasseh is not in the Protestant Old Testament because it was not part of the ancient Hebrew biblical canon. Protestant reformers restricted the Old Testament to books preserved in Hebrew. While they valued the prayer for personal study, they placed it in the Apocrypha rather than among authoritative canonical scripture.
What does the Prayer of Manasseh teach about repentance?
The Prayer of Manasseh teaches that God's willingness to forgive exceeds even the greatest human sins. The speaker acknowledges sins numbered like the sands of the sea and admits complete unworthiness before God. By pleading solely for divine mercy, the prayer illustrates that true repentance relies on God's grace rather than human merit.