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 you shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their sacred poles.
And it happened on that night Jehovah said to him, Take your father's young bull, even the second bull of seven years, and throw down the altar of Baal which your father has, and cut down the pillar by it.
And he set a graven image of the Asherah which he had made in the house, of which Jehovah had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.
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 you shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their sacred poles.
But you shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their sacred poles.
But you shall deal with them in this way: you shall destroy their altars and break down their images, and cut down their groves and burn their graven images with fire.
You shall completely destroy all the places in which the nations which you shall possess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall overthrow their altars and break their pillars, and burn their pillars with fire. And you shall cut down the carved images of their gods, and destroy their names out of that place.
You shall not set up for yourself pillars of any trees near the altar of Jehovah your God which you shall make for yourself.
You shall not set up for yourself pillars of any trees near the altar of Jehovah your God which you shall make for yourself.
And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah and forgot Jehovah their God, and served Baals and the Asherahs.
And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah and forgot Jehovah their God, and served Baals and the Asherahs.
And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah and forgot Jehovah their God, and served Baals and the Asherahs.
And it happened on that night Jehovah said to him, Take your father's young bull, even the second bull of seven years, and throw down the altar of Baal which your father has, and cut down the pillar by it. And build an altar to Jehovah your God upon the top of this rock, in an orderly manner, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which you shall cut down.
And also he even removed his mother Maachah from being queen because she had made an idol in a grove. And Asa destroyed her idol and burned it by the torrent Kidron.
And Ahab made an Asherah. And Ahab did more to provoke Jehovah, the God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
And now send and gather to me all Israel to mount Carmel, and four hundred and fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.
But they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin, but walked in them. And also the Asherah in Samaria stood.
He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent which Moses had made; for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it. And he called it Nehushtan.
And he set a graven image of the Asherah which he had made in the house, of which Jehovah had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.
And he set a graven image of the Asherah which he had made in the house, of which Jehovah had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring forth out of the temple of Jehovah all the vessels which were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Bethel.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring forth out of the temple of Jehovah all the vessels which were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Bethel.
And he brought out the Asherah from the house of Jehovah outside Jerusalem, to the torrent Kidron, and burned it at the torrent Kidron, and stamped it to powder, and threw the powder of it on the graves of the sons of the people. And he broke down the houses of the sodomites, which were by the house of Jehovah, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah.
And also as to Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen mother, because she had made an idol in a grove. And Asa cut down her idol and stamped it and burned it at the torrent Kidron.
And also as to Maachah the mother of Asa the king, he removed her from being queen mother, because she had made an idol in a grove. And Asa cut down her idol and stamped it and burned it at the torrent Kidron.
So the artisan strengthens the refiner, and he smoothing with the hammer, him who struck the anvil, saying of soldering, It is good. And he made it strong with nails; it will not totter.
He engraves iron with a tool. He works in the coals, and forms it with hammers, and works it with the strength of his arms. Then, he is hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water, and is weak.
while their sons remember their altars and their Asherahs by the green trees on the high hills.
while their sons remember their altars and their Asherahs by the green trees on the high hills.
I will also cut off your graven images, and your pillars out of the midst of you; and you shall never again worship the work of your hands. And I will pluck your shrines out of the midst of you; so I will destroy your 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
And I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.
And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah and forgot Jehovah their God, and served Baals and the Asherahs.
And it happened on that night Jehovah said to him, Take your father's young bull, even the second bull of seven years, and throw down the altar of Baal which your father has, and cut down the pillar by it.