Deuteronomy 12:3

Tear down their altars, knock down their idolatrous pillars, burn down their Asherah poles, and cut down the idols of their gods. Remove any trace of them from everywhere.

Free Bible Version

In The King James Version

And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

In Context

2You are to completely destroy all the pagan shrines where the nations you're driving out worshiped their gods: on the top of high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

4You are not to worship the Lord your God in the way that they did.

Read all of Deuteronomy 12

Cross References

Exodus 23:13Make sure to pay attention to everything I've told you. Don't think to call on the names of other gods—you must not even mention them.

Deuteronomy 7:5On the contrary, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, knock down their idolatrous pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn down their idols.

1 Kings 15:13He even dismissed his grandmother Maacah as queen mother, because she had made a disgusting idol. Asa had the idol chopped down and burned in the Kidron Valley.

2 Kings 23:14He smashed the sacred stone pillars to pieces, chopped down the Asherah poles, and covered the places with human bones.

2 Chronicles 14:3He took down the foreign altars and high places, smashed their sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.

2 Chronicles 31:1When all this had finished, the Israelites who were there went to the towns of Judah and smashed the pagan pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and destroyed the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had completely demolished all of them. After that they all went home to their respective towns.

Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 12:2-5

Relics of Idolatry to Be Destroyed. ( b. c. 1451.) 1 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. 2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: 3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye… Read the whole commentary →

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