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].).
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But overthrow their altars and break their pillars, and cut down their groves,
And the same night the LORD said unto him, "Take an ox of thy father's and another of seven years old, and destroy the altar of Baal that belongeth unto thy father, and cut down the grove that is about it,
And he put an image of a grove that he had made, even in the very temple 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 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.
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But overthrow their altars and break their pillars, and cut down their groves,
But overthrow their altars and break their pillars, and cut down their groves,
But thus ye shall deal with them: overthrow their altars, break down their pillars, cut down their groves and burn their images with fire.
See that ye destroy all places where the nations which ye conquer serve their gods, upon high mountains and on high hills and under every green tree. Overthrow their altars and break their pillars and burn their groves with fire and hew down the images of their gods, and bring the names of them to nought out of that place.
Thou shalt plant no grove, of whatsoever trees it be, nigh unto the altar of the LORD thy God which thou shalt make thee.
Thou shalt plant no grove, of whatsoever trees it be, nigh unto the altar of the LORD thy God which thou shalt make thee.
And so the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served Baalim and Asheroth.
And so the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served Baalim and Asheroth.
And so the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served Baalim and Asheroth.
And the same night the LORD said unto him, "Take an ox of thy father's and another of seven years old, and destroy the altar of Baal that belongeth unto thy father, and cut down the grove that is about it, and make an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock and furnish it. And take the second ox and offer burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove, which thou shalt have cut down."
And thereto he put down Maacah his mother from bearing rule, because she had made an idol in a grove. And Asa destroyed her idol and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
And Ahab made a grove, and proceeded further in angering the LORD God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel that were before him.
But now send and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel; and the Prophets of Baal, four hundred and fifty; and the Prophets of the groves; four hundred, which eat of Jezebel's table.
Nevertheless they departed not from the sin of the house of Jeroboam which made Israel sin, but walked therein. And there remained a grove also in Samaria still:
He put away the hill altars, and brake the images and cut down the groves, and all to brake the brazen serpent that Moses made - for unto those days the children of Israel did burn sacrifice to it, and called it Nehushtan.
And he put an image of a grove that he had made, even in the very temple 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 forever.
And he put an image of a grove that he had made, even in the very temple 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 forever.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the inferior priests and the keepers of the door, to bring out of the temple of the LORD, all the vessels that were made for Baal and for the grove and for all the host of heaven. And he burnt them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried the ashes of them into Bethel.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the inferior priests and the keepers of the door, to bring out of the temple of the LORD, all the vessels that were made for Baal and for the grove and for all the host of heaven. And he burnt them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried the ashes of them into Bethel.
And he brought out the grove from the temple of the LORD without Jerusalem unto the brook Kidron, and stamped it to powder, and cast the dust thereof upon the graves of people of the country. And he brake down the cells of the male whores that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove little houses for the grove.
And thereto king Asa put Maacah his mother out of authority, because she had made an idol in a grove: and brake down her idol and stamped it and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
And thereto king Asa put Maacah his mother out of authority, because she had made an idol in a grove: and brake down her idol and stamped it and burnt it by the brook Kidron.
The Smith comforted the molder, and the Ironsmith the hammer man, saying, 'It shall be good, that we fasten this cast work,' and then they fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
The smith taketh iron, and tempereth it with hot coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and maketh it with all the strength of his arms: yea, sometimes he is faint for very hunger, and so thirsty, that he hath no more power.
that your children also may think upon your altars, woods, thick trees, high hills, mountains and fields.
that your children also may think upon your altars, woods, thick trees, high hills, mountains and fields.
Thine Idols and thine Images will I destroy out of thee so that thou shalt no more bow thyself unto the works of thine own hands. Thy groves will I pluck up by the roots, and break down 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
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Wherefore I have likewise determined that I will not cast them out before you: that they may be a fall unto you, and their gods shall be snares unto you."
And so the children of Israel did wickedly in the sight of the LORD and forgot the LORD their God and served Baalim and Asheroth.
And the same night the LORD said unto him, "Take an ox of thy father's and another of seven years old, and destroy the altar of Baal that belongeth unto thy father, and cut down the grove that is about it,