Deuteronomy 12:3 kjv
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.
Deuteronomy 12:3 nkjv
And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place.
Deuteronomy 12:3 niv
Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.
Deuteronomy 12:3 esv
You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.
Deuteronomy 12:3 nlt
Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods!
Deuteronomy 12 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 20:4-5 | "You shall not make for yourself an idol... for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..." | Fundamental prohibition against idolatry. |
| Exo 23:24 | "You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them... but you shall utterly overthrow them..." | Direct command to destroy pagan altars/images. |
| Exo 34:13 | "But you shall tear down their altars and break their sacred pillars..." | Reiteration of the command to demolish cultic sites. |
| Lev 26:1 | "You shall not make idols for yourselves, nor shall you set up for yourselves a graven image..." | Warning against setting up cult objects. |
| Num 33:52 | "then you shall drive out all the inhabitants... and destroy all their figured stones..." | General command to cleanse the land. |
| Deut 7:5 | "But thus you shall deal with them: you shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars..." | Mirroring of this command in Deut. |
| Deut 7:25-26 | "The graven images of their gods you are to burn... not bring into your house..." | Warnings against retaining idol fragments or gold. |
| Deut 6:13-15 | "You shall fear the Lord your God... not follow other gods... for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God..." | Exclusive worship and God's jealousy. |
| Josh 23:7 | "do not associate with these nations... or swear by the name of their gods..." | Warning against mingling with pagans and their gods. |
| Judg 2:2-3 | "you shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants... but you have not obeyed My voice..." | Consequences of failing to destroy idolatry. |
| Judg 6:25-27 | "Tear down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father... and cut down the Asherah..." | Gideon's destruction of his father's altar. |
| 1 Kgs 15:12 | "He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols..." | King Asa's action against cult objects. |
| 2 Kgs 18:4 | "He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah..." | King Hezekiah's reforms against idolatry. |
| 2 Kgs 23:4-14 | Detailed account of King Josiah's widespread destruction of idols and cult objects in Judah and Israel. | Comprehensive destruction during Josiah's reform. |
| 2 Chr 31:1 | "Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke in pieces the sacred pillars..." | Post-Hezekiah's Passover, destruction by the people. |
| Ps 97:7 | "Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, who boast themselves of idols..." | Judgment upon those who worship idols. |
| Isa 42:8 | "I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images." | God's exclusivity and refusal to share glory. |
| Jer 10:11 | "The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth..." | Prophecy of the demise of false gods. |
| 2 Cor 6:14-17 | "Do not be bound together with unbelievers... Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?" | New Testament call for spiritual separation and purity. |
| 1 Cor 10:19-20 | "What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons..." | Idolatry as communion with demons. |
| Col 3:5 | "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality... and greed, which amounts to idolatry." | Broadening the definition of idolatry to include internal sins. |
| 1 Jn 5:21 | "Little children, guard yourselves from idols." | Simple but profound New Testament command. |
Deuteronomy 12 verses
Deuteronomy 12 3 Meaning
Deuteronomy 12:3 issues a divine command to the Israelites to completely dismantle and eradicate all aspects of pagan worship found in the Promised Land. This includes the physical structures used for idolatry—altars, sacred pillars, Asherah poles, and graven images—and extends to the obliteration of the very memory and identity of the false gods from that place. The overarching purpose is to establish and maintain a singular, pure, and exclusive worship of the one true God, Yahweh, thereby safeguarding Israel from spiritual defilement and syncretism.
Deuteronomy 12 3 Context
Deuteronomy 12 marks a pivotal shift in Moses' discourse, moving from the historical review of God's covenant with Israel to specific laws and regulations for life in the Promised Land. The primary theme of this chapter is the centralization of worship at "the place which the Lord your God will choose." Before Israel can establish a singular, proper place of worship for Yahweh, they must first purify the land from all forms of pagan worship. Verse 3 directly follows the general command in verse 2 to "utterly destroy all the places" where the nations served their gods. Historically, Israel was about to enter Canaan, a land teeming with various polytheistic cults (e.g., Baal, Asherah) whose practices often involved child sacrifice, sacred prostitution, and grotesque rituals. This command underscores the radical nature of Yahweh worship as distinct from the surrounding paganism and is foundational to Israel's covenant fidelity.
Deuteronomy 12 3 Word analysis
- And ye shall overthrow (wa-abadtēm - וְאַבַּדְתֶּם): From the root ʾābhaḏ meaning "to perish, destroy, annihilate." This verb indicates complete and utter destruction, not merely dismantling. It signifies a decisive, forceful act of ruin.
- their altars (mizbechotām - מִזְבְּחֹתָם): Places of sacrifice where offerings were made to false gods. The command is to not just tear down but to "overthrow" them, implying their nullification and illegitimacy.
- and break (wā-shaphel - וְשִׁלֵּמְתָּם): From shabar, meaning "to break, shatter, tear." It emphasizes fracturing them into pieces, making them unusable.
- their pillars (matzevotam - מַצֵּבֹתָם): Sacred stones, often standing stones, used in Canaanite fertility cults, frequently associated with Baal or Asherah worship. They symbolized the presence of deities and fertility. Their breaking symbolized the destruction of the power attributed to these gods.
- and burn (wa-saraph - וְשָׂרַפְתֶּם): To consume with fire. This denotes a complete purification and utter elimination, especially for wooden objects that might otherwise be repurposed.
- their groves (asherēyhem - אֲשֵׁרֵיהֶם): This term refers not to literal groves of trees, but specifically to the Asherah poles or images. These were cultic objects (often wooden carvings or stylized trees) representing the Canaanite goddess Asherah, often depicted as Baal's consort. Burning them highlighted their worthlessness and prevented their reuse.
- with fire (bā-ʾēsh - בָּאֵשׁ): Emphasizes the intensity and finality of destruction. Fire was a common method of consecrating something to God by complete destruction, here applied in reverse to utterly de-consecrate pagan objects.
- and ye shall hew down (wa-geda - וּגְדַעְתֶּם): From gadac, meaning "to cut down, hew off, amputate." This applies specifically to things like trees or poles, indicating forceful removal and disfigurement.
- the graven images (pesīlēyhem - פְּסִילֵיהֶם): Idols carved from wood or stone, or molten images. "Hew down" suggests they might be made from wood, requiring axes or similar tools for their destruction.
- of their gods (ʾElohēhem - אֱלֹהֵיהֶם): Referring to the pagan deities themselves. The acts of destruction are not against inert objects but symbolic assaults on the supposed power and existence of these false gods.
- and destroy the names (wa-ibadtem et-shmam - וְאִבַּדְתֶּם אֶת־שְׁמָם): This is profound. Beyond the physical destruction of objects, it commands the obliteration of the very memory or identity associated with these gods. A name in ancient thought represented character, reputation, and even existence. To "destroy the name" is to deny their existence or validity as divine beings, effectively rendering them null and void from the consciousness and land of Israel. It’s an act of intellectual and spiritual eradication.
- of them out of that place (mippanēh hā-māqom - מִן־הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא): Specifies that the cleansing must be thorough, covering the entire physical territory designated for Israel. This geographical eradication signifies total spiritual purgation from the promised land, ensuring it becomes Yahweh's exclusive domain.
Deuteronomy 12 3 Bonus section
The intense command to destroy reflects God's profound jealousy for His unique glory and His desire for an unadulterated relationship with His people. The "jealous God" motif (Deut 4:24) explains the absolute nature of this decree; any shared worship implies a diminution of His supreme authority and identity. Furthermore, the commanded destruction was a preventative measure against apostasy. Had even small elements of pagan worship been tolerated, they would have acted as leaven, corrupting Israel's faith. The specific targets (altars, pillars, groves/Asherim, images) were core elements of Canaanite fertility cults, which were ethically debased (e.g., cult prostitution, child sacrifice). Eradicating them was also an act of moral hygiene, preventing the adoption of practices abhorrent to Yahweh's holy character. This spiritual and moral purging establishes the Promised Land not merely as a territory, but as a sacred space for a holy people under a holy God.
Deuteronomy 12 3 Commentary
Deuteronomy 12:3 presents a radical mandate for the newly formed nation of Israel: the total obliteration of Canaanite religious infrastructure. This command is not simply about conquest; it's about spiritual purification and preserving the absolute uniqueness of Yahweh's worship. By dismantling altars, breaking pillars, burning Asherah poles, and destroying images, Israel was to reject syncretism unequivocally. The meticulous detail in the command—employing diverse verbs like "overthrow," "break," "burn," "hew down"—underscores the thoroughness required, leaving no stone unturned or fragment of an idol remaining.
Most significantly, the command to "destroy the names of them out of that place" transcends physical destruction. It aims to erase the very identity, memory, and influence of these false gods from Israel's consciousness and from the sacred land God was giving them. This speaks to a profound monotheistic vision: Yahweh alone is God, and there is no room for other divine claimants. For the Israelites, failure to comply with this injunction often led to tragic spiritual decline, assimilation into pagan practices, and divine judgment, as evidenced repeatedly in the books of Judges and Kings. This mandate of spiritual cleansing finds its echo in the New Testament, calling believers to radically separate themselves from all forms of idolatry—whether literal worship of images or metaphorical idols such as greed, lust, or self-worship—purifying their lives and spaces for exclusive devotion to the true God (2 Cor 6:17, Col 3:5). Just as physical idols had to be removed from the land, spiritual idols must be removed from the heart.