Reference: Asherah
Easton
and pl. Asherim in Revised Version, instead of "grove" and "groves" of the Authorized Version. This was the name of a sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine of the Assyrian Ishtar. Its symbol was the stem of a tree deprived of its boughs, and rudely shaped into an image, and planted in the ground. Such religious symbols ("groves") are frequently alluded to in Scripture (Ex 34:13; Jg 6:25; 2Ki 23:6; 1Ki 16:33, etc.). These images were also sometimes made of silver or of carved stone (2Ki 21:7; "the graven image of Asherah," R.V.). (See Grove [1].).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
but ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves;
And it came to pass the same night that the LORD said unto him, Take a bullock of thy father's house and a second bullock seven years old and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father has and cut down the grove that is by it
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD had said to David and to Solomon, his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever;
Hastings
In RV Asherah (plur. Asherim, more rarely Asheroth) appears as the tr of a Hebrew substantive which AV, following the Septuagint and Vulgate, had mistakenly rendered grove. By OT writers the word is used in three distinct applications.
1. The goddess Asherah.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
but ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves;
but ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves;
But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall destroy their altars and break down their images and cut down their groves and burn their graven images in the fire.
Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, upon which the Gentiles, of whom ye shall inherit, served their gods, upon the high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree; and ye shall overthrow their altars and break their images and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the statues of their gods and destroy the names of them out of that place.
Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baalim and the groves.
And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baalim and the groves.
And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baalim and the groves.
And it came to pass the same night that the LORD said unto him, Take a bullock of thy father's house and a second bullock seven years old and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father has and cut down the grove that is by it and build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, according to due order, and take the second bullock and offer a burnt sacrifice upon the wood of the grove which thou shall have cut down.
And he also removed Maachah, his mother, from being queen because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa destroyed her idol and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
Ahab also made groves, and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
Now therefore send and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of the groves, who eat at Jezebel's table.
With all this, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked in them; and the grove also remained in Samaria.)
He removed the high places and broke the images and cut down the groves and broke in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days, the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan.
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD had said to David and to Solomon, his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever;
And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD had said to David and to Solomon, his son, In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever;
And the king commanded Hilkiah, the high priest, and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that had been made for Baal and for the grove and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and caused their dust to be carried unto Bethel.
And the king commanded Hilkiah, the high priest, and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that had been made for Baal and for the grove and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and caused their dust to be carried unto Bethel.
And he brought out the graven image of the grove from the house of the LORD outside Jerusalem unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and stamped it small to powder and cast the powder of it upon the graves of the sons of the people. He likewise broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes that were by the house of the LORD where the women wove hangings for the grove.
And also concerning Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa cut down her idol and stamped it and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
And also concerning Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen because she had made an idol in a grove; and Asa cut down her idol and stamped it and burnt it at the brook Kidron.
So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smooths with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is well joined and he strengthened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
The smith shall take the tongs; he shall work among the coals; he shall give it form with the hammers and bring forth in it the arm of his strength; though he is hungry and his strength fails: he shall not drink water, even if he faints.
that their sons might remember their altars and their groves, by the green trees and upon the high hills.
that their sons might remember their altars and their groves, by the green trees and upon the high hills.
and I will cause thy graven images and thy images to be destroyed out of the midst of thee; and never again shalt thou worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities.
Smith
Ash'erah
(straight), the name of a Phoenician goddess, or rather of the idol itself (Authorized Version "grove"). Asherah is closely connected with ASHTORETH and her worship,
See Ashtoreth
comp. Judg 2:3; 6:25; 1Kin 18:19 Ashtoreth being, perhaps, the proper name of the goddess, whilst Asherah is the name of her image or symbol, which was of wood. See
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Therefore, I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baalim and the groves.
And it came to pass the same night that the LORD said unto him, Take a bullock of thy father's house and a second bullock seven years old and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father has and cut down the grove that is by it