Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. New Living Translation Instead, you must break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles. English Standard Version You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim Berean Standard Bible Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles. King James Bible But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: New King James Version But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images New American Standard Bible But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones, and cut down their Asherim NASB 1995 “But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim NASB 1977 “But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim Legacy Standard Bible But rather, you are to tear down their altars and shatter their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim Amplified Bible But you shall tear down and destroy their [pagan] altars, smash in pieces their [sacred] pillars (obelisks, images) and cut down their Asherim Christian Standard Bible Instead, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, and chop down their Asherah poles. Holman Christian Standard Bible Instead, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, and chop down their Asherah poles. American Standard Version but ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their Asherim; Contemporary English Version Instead, you must destroy their altars and tear down the sacred poles they use in the worship of the goddess Asherah. English Revised Version but ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their Asherim: GOD'S WORD® Translation But tear down their altars, crush their sacred stones, and cut down their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. Good News Translation Instead, tear down their altars, destroy their sacred pillars, and cut down their symbols of the goddess Asherah. International Standard Version Rather, you are to tear down their altars, you are to smash their sacred pillars, and you are to cut down their sacred poles — Majority Standard Bible Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles. NET Bible Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles. New Heart English Bible but you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and you shall cut down their Asherim; Webster's Bible Translation But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves. World English Bible but you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and you shall cut down their Asherah poles; Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionfor you break down their altars, and you shatter their standing pillars, and you cut down its Asherim; Young's Literal Translation for their altars ye break down, and their standing pillars ye shiver, and its shrines ye cut down; Smith's Literal Translation For their altars thou shalt lay waste, and their pillars thou shalt break, and their images thou shalt cut off. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleBut destroy their altars, break their statues, and cut down their groves: Catholic Public Domain Version But destroy their altars, break their statues, and cut down their sacred groves. New American Bible Tear down their altars; smash their sacred stones, and cut down their asherahs. New Revised Standard Version You shall tear down their altars, break their pillars, and cut down their sacred poles Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleBut you must destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their idols. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Beware that you will not establish a covenant with those inhabiting the land where you go, lest it shall be a stumbling block to you. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917But ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their Asherim. Brenton Septuagint Translation Ye shall destroy their altars, and break in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their groves, and the graven images of their gods ye shall burn with fire. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The LORD Renews the Covenant…12Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst. 13Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles. 14For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.… Cross References Deuteronomy 7:5 Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire. Deuteronomy 12:3 Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place. Judges 2:2 and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done? 2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it. 2 Chronicles 31:1 When all this had ended, the Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own property. Isaiah 17:8 They will not look to the altars they have fashioned with their hands or to the Asherahs and incense altars they have made with their fingers. Isaiah 27:9 Therefore Jacob’s guilt will be atoned for, and the full fruit of the removal of his sin will be this: When he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing. Jeremiah 17:2 Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles by the green trees and on the high hills. Micah 5:13-14 I will also cut off the carved images and sacred pillars from among you, so that you will no longer bow down to the work of your own hands. / I will root out the Asherah poles from your midst and demolish your cities. 1 Kings 14:23 They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 2 Kings 23:14 He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones. Hosea 10:2 Their hearts are devious; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and demolish their sacred pillars. Leviticus 26:1 “You must not make idols for yourselves or set up a carved image or sacred pillar; you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it. For I am the LORD your God. Numbers 33:52 you must drive out before you all the inhabitants of the land, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Psalm 78:58 They enraged Him with their high places and provoked His jealousy with their idols. Treasury of Scripture But you shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: ye shall Exodus 23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. Deuteronomy 7:5,25,26 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 with fire… Deuteronomy 12:2,3 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: … images. Jump to Previous Altars Asherah Asherahs Asherim Ashe'rim Break Broken Cut Dash Demolish Destroy Groves Hew Images Overturned Pieces Pillars Poles Rather Sacred Shatter Shiver Shrines Smash Standing Statues Stones TearJump to Next Altars Asherah Asherahs Asherim Ashe'rim Break Broken Cut Dash Demolish Destroy Groves Hew Images Overturned Pieces Pillars Poles Rather Sacred Shatter Shiver Shrines Smash Standing Statues Stones TearExodus 34 1. The tablets are replaced5. The name of the Lord proclaimed 8. Moses entreats God to go with them 10. God makes a covenant with them, repeating certain duties 28. Moses after forty days on the mount, comes down with the tablets 29. His face is radiant, and he covers it with a veil Rather, you must tear down their altars This command is given to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. The altars refer to the places of worship used by the Canaanites for their pagan rituals. The directive to tear them down underscores the importance of removing any temptation to idolatry and ensuring the purity of worship dedicated solely to Yahweh. This act symbolizes a complete rejection of Canaanite religious practices and a commitment to the covenant relationship with God. The destruction of altars is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, emphasizing the need for exclusive devotion to God (Deuteronomy 7:5, Judges 6:25-26). smash their sacred stones and chop down their Asherah poles Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites who received the commandments from God on Mount Sinai. He is the central human figure in this account, acting as the mediator between God and the people. 2. The Israelites The chosen people of God, who are being instructed on how to live in the Promised Land without falling into idolatry. 3. Canaan The land that God promised to the Israelites, which was inhabited by various pagan nations whose religious practices were contrary to the worship of Yahweh. 4. Asherah Poles Wooden symbols associated with the worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah, representing idolatrous practices that God commanded the Israelites to destroy. 5. Altars and Sacred Stones Structures used in pagan worship that were prevalent in Canaanite religious practices, which God instructed the Israelites to demolish to maintain purity in worship. Teaching Points Purity in WorshipGod demands exclusive worship and the removal of anything that competes with or corrupts devotion to Him. Believers today must examine their lives for modern "idols" that may detract from their relationship with God. Obedience to God's Commands The Israelites were called to act decisively against idolatry. Christians are similarly called to obey God's Word, even when it requires difficult or counter-cultural actions. Spiritual Warfare The physical destruction of pagan symbols in the Old Testament reflects the spiritual battle believers face today. Christians must be vigilant in identifying and dismantling spiritual strongholds in their lives. Holiness and Separation God’s command to destroy pagan altars underscores the importance of holiness and being set apart for God. Believers are called to live distinctively, reflecting God's character in a world that often opposes His ways.(13) Ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves.--In the "Book of the Covenant" the command had been simply to "quite break down their images" (Exodus 23:24). Now, after the Israelites had displayed their idolatrous leanings, it is added that they are likewise to destroy the "altars" and the "groves." Altars were common among all the idolatrous nations, sometimes attached to temples (1Kings 16:32; 2Kings 21:4-5), sometimes separate from them (Numbers 23:1; Numbers 23:29; 2Kings 16:10-11), and were used for much the same purposes as the Hebrew altars: i.e., for sacrifices, bloody and unbloody, and for burning incense. "Groves"--here mentioned for the first time--were peculiar to a limited number of nations, as the Assyrians, Babylonians, Ph?nicians, Syrians, and a few others. They appear to have been artificial constructions, either of wood or stone, or both, imitative of vegetable forms, and probably emblematic of the productive powers of nature. The worship connected with the "groves" was of a peculiarly gross and licentious character. The very name, asherah, was a modification of Ashtoreth, or Astarte. It is remarkable that nothing is said of destroying Canaannite temples--an indication that as yet they did not exist, and a mark of the high antiquity of the book. . . . Verse 13. - Ye shall destroy their altars, etc. This command is more sweeping than the corresponding one in the "Book of the Covenant" (Exodus 23:24), which expressly mentions only the "images." Here the destruction of idol-altars and idol-groves is further commanded. On idol-altars, see Numbers 23:1, 29; Judges 2:2; 1 Kings 16:32; 1 Kings 18:26, etc. Groves are here for the first time mentioned. They appear to have been artificial constructions, either of wood or metal, or both, more or less imitative of trees, and regarded as emblems of the Oriental nature-deities, especially Baal and Astarte or Ashtoreth. The word translated "grove" (asherah) is a modification of the name Ashtoreth. The well-known "sacred tree" of the Assyrians is probably an asherah. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Rather,כִּ֤י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction you must tear down תִּתֹּצ֔וּן (tit·tō·ṣūn) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun Strong's 5422: To pull down, break down their altars, מִזְבְּחֹתָם֙ (miz·bə·ḥō·ṯām) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 4196: An altar smash תְּשַׁבֵּר֑וּן (tə·šab·bê·rūn) Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun Strong's 7665: To break, break in pieces their sacred stones, מַצֵּבֹתָ֖ם (maṣ·ṣê·ḇō·ṯām) Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 4676: Something stationed, a column, an idol and chop down תִּכְרֹתֽוּן׃ (tiḵ·rō·ṯūn) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant their Asherah poles. אֲשֵׁרָ֖יו (’ă·šê·rāw) Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 842: A Phoenician goddess, also an image of the same Links Exodus 34:13 NIVExodus 34:13 NLT Exodus 34:13 ESV Exodus 34:13 NASB Exodus 34:13 KJV Exodus 34:13 BibleApps.com Exodus 34:13 Biblia Paralela Exodus 34:13 Chinese Bible Exodus 34:13 French Bible Exodus 34:13 Catholic Bible OT Law: Exodus 34:13 But you shall break down their altars (Exo. 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