And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.
We have seen Manasseh by his wickedness undoing the good that his father had done; here we have him by repentance undoing the evil that he himself had done. It is strange that this was not so much as mentioned in the book of Kings, nor does any thing appear there to the contrary but that he persisted and perished in his son.
Commenting on 2 Chronicles 33:11-20
And prayed unto him,.... To have mercy on him, and forgive him his sins: and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication; and granted his request, showed favour to him, and forgave him his sins: and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom; so wrought upon the heart of the king of Assyria, as to give him his liberty, and restore him...
when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God--In the solitude of exile or imprisonment, Manasseh had leisure for reflection. The calamities forced upon him a review of his past life, under a conviction that the miseries of his dethronement and captive condition were owing to his awful and unprecedented apostasy (Ch2 33:7) from the God of his fathers.