Discovery Box2 Kings 21:6 
Context21:6 He passed his son 1 through the fire 2 and practiced divination and omen reading. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits, and appointed magicians to supervise it. 3 He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 4
2 Kings 21:16
Context21:16 Furthermore Manasseh killed so many innocent people, he stained Jerusalem with their blood from end to end, 5 in addition to encouraging Judah to sin by doing evil in the sight of the Lord. 6
1 tc The LXX has the plural “his sons” here.
2 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 16:3.
3 tn Heb “and he set up a ritual pit, along with conjurers.” The Hebrew אוֹב (’ov), “ritual pit,” refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. In 1 Sam 28:7 the witch of Endor is called a בַעֲלַת אוֹב (ba’alat ’ov), “owner of a ritual pit.” See H. Hoffner, “Second millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967), 385-401.
4 tc Heb “and he multiplied doing what is evil in the eyes of the
5 tn Heb “and also Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, until he filled Jerusalem from mouth to mouth.”
6 tn Heb “apart from his sin which he caused Judah to commit, by doing what is evil in the eyes of the
