________ was Judah's most wicked king.

• A. Manasseh
• B. Rehoboam
• C. Jehoram
• D. Ahaz

Answer: (A)

Manasseh is identified as Judah’s most wicked king because the biblical record presents his reign as the peak of spiritual and moral corruption. He did things that went beyond typical kingship abuses: rebuilding and expanding idol worship, erecting altars to Baal, making an Asherah pole, worshiping the host of heaven, and even practicing occult arts. He allowed and promoted child sacrifice by fire and led Judah away from the Lord for a long time during his lengthy fifty-five-year reign. This combination of widespread idolatry, ritual practices, and personal brutality is described as surpassing all that came before him, which is why the text singles him out as the most wicked. While the other kings mentioned had wicked deeds, none are said to have corrupted Judah to the same extreme extent or for as long as Manasseh.