דברי הימים ב, פרק ל״ג, פסוק י״א

Manasseh's capture marks a dramatic turning point in his reign, an event recorded exclusively in this account and absent from parallel historical records [מלבי״ם]. Rather than a massive, all-out war aimed at completely destroying the king, this assault was a targeted, limited strike. Local Assyrian officers stationed in the region initiated the attack, successfully overpowering him [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The exact nature of Manasseh's capture is a matter of interpretation. The primary approach among commentators is that he was physically subdued using hooks or rings, which were tools typically used to drag wild animals against their will. These crude implements were attached directly to his face, serving not only to secure him but to profoundly humiliate and degrade him. Alternatively, the capture may have involved fortified strongholds where the king desperately fled and attempted to hide from his pursuers before being discovered [רלב״ג].

Once apprehended, Manasseh was locked in heavy copper chains, the standard restraints used for common criminals [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Bound and disgraced, he was marched all the way to the city of Babylon. There, he was brought to stand trial and face justice for his actions before the Assyrian king [ביאור שטיינזלץ].