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Bible Question: I
am interested in finding Rabbinic literature about King Manasseh.
2 Chronicles 3:19 says that some things are written in the records
of Hozai. Can you help?
Bible Answer: According
to the New American Standard (NAS), 2 Chronicles 33:19 reads as follows:
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His
prayer also and how God was entreated by him, and all his
sin, his unfaithfulness, and the sites on which he built
high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images,
before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records
of the Hozai. (NASB) 2Chronicles 33:19 |
The
New International Version (NIV) reads as follows:
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His
prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as
all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built
high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he
humbled himself--all are written in the records of the
seers. (NIV) 2Chronicles 33:19 |
The
NIV has replaced "records of Hozai" with "records
of the seers." The NIV did this because the word for Hozai means "seers" or
prophets. In fact, the Hebrew word for "seer" occurs in
verse 18. Both the NASB and NIV translate it as "seers" in
verse 18, but in verse 19, the NASB translates it as "Hozai" and
the NIV as "seers." I believe the NIV translation is the
best one. There is no known book called the "Book of Hozai."
In fact, verse 18 seems to suggest that the book
of the seers is our "Book of the Kings," that is, 1 and 2 Kings.
Conclusion: There
are several fine Jewish resources on the internet. Here are some
sites you might want to check out: Jewish
Studies, Torah.org, and Torah.net. |
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