Deuteronomy 16:21 kjv
Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
Deuteronomy 16:21 nkjv
"You shall not plant for yourself any tree, as a wooden image, near the altar which you build for yourself to the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 16:21 niv
Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the LORD your God,
Deuteronomy 16:21 esv
"You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the LORD your God that you shall make.
Deuteronomy 16:21 nlt
"You must never set up a wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build for the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 16 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before me... You shall not make for yourself any carved image..." | Command against idolatry/other gods. |
| Exo 34:13 | "but you shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim." | Explicit command to destroy Asherah. |
| Lev 26:1 | "You shall not make idols for yourselves or set up a graven image or a pillar, nor shall you place any carved stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God." | General prohibition of idols and cult objects. |
| Deut 4:19 | "And beware lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars... you are drawn away and bow down to them..." | Warning against cosmic idolatry. |
| Deut 7:5 | "But thus you shall deal with them: you shall break down their altars and smash their pillars and cut down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire." | Instructions for conquering Canaan, destroy idols. |
| Deut 12:2-3 | "You shall surely destroy all the places... where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods... and you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire..." | Command to destroy all pagan worship sites and objects. |
| Deut 12:4 | "You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way." | Prohibition against adapting pagan worship methods. |
| Josh 23:7-8 | "...you shall not mention the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them... but you shall cling to the Lord your God..." | Warning against entanglement with pagan deities. |
| Judg 3:7 | "And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs." | Israel's repeated sin of serving Asherahs. |
| 1 Kgs 14:15,23 | "...the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he will uproot Israel... for they made their Asherim..." | Consequence of Asherah worship. |
| 1 Kgs 15:13 | "(King Asa) also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron." | Example of a king purging Asherah. |
| 1 Kgs 16:33 | "(Ahab) also made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him." | King Ahab's great wickedness, including Asherah. |
| 2 Kgs 17:10 | "They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree." | Widespread Asherah worship by Israel. |
| 2 Kgs 21:7 | "(Manasseh) set the carved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, 'In this house and in Jerusalem I will put my name forever.'" | Placing Asherah within the temple, defiling it. |
| 2 Kgs 23:4,6 | "(Josiah) commanded Hilkiah the high priest... to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven... And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord... and burned it..." | King Josiah's righteous reform, removing Asherah from the temple. |
| 2 Chr 14:3 | "(King Asa) removed the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim..." | Asa's early reform removing Asherim. |
| Isa 27:9 | "therefore Jacob's guilt will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the altar stones to be like pulverized chalk, and no Asherim or incense altars remain standing." | Prophetic promise of the destruction of Asherah as part of repentance. |
| Jer 17:1-2 | "The sin of Judah is written with a stylus of iron... their altars and their Asherim are beside the green trees on the high hills." | Judah's ingrained sin of Asherah worship. |
| Mic 5:14 | "And I will cut off your Asherim out of your midst, and I will destroy your cities." | Prophecy of God judging by destroying Asherim. |
| 1 Cor 10:14 | "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." | New Testament warning against any form of idolatry. |
| 2 Cor 6:14-16 | "For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?... Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?" | Principle of not mixing worship/faith with idolatry. |
| 1 Jn 5:21 | "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." | Simple yet profound NT exhortation. |
Deuteronomy 16 verses
Deuteronomy 16 21 Meaning
Deuteronomy 16:21 strictly prohibits the planting or setting up of any cult object or symbol associated with the pagan goddess Asherah next to the altar dedicated to the Lord your God. This command emphasizes the unique, exclusive, and unblemished worship due to Yahweh, guarding against any form of syncretism or mixture with the idolatrous practices prevalent among the Canaanite nations. It underscores the sanctity and singular purpose of God’s altar.
Deuteronomy 16 21 Context
Deuteronomy chapter 16 focuses on the regulations for Israel's annual feasts—Passover/Unleavened Bread, Weeks (Pentecost), and Booths (Tabernacles)—which mandated pilgrimages to "the place that the Lord your God will choose." Within this larger discussion of centralized, pure worship, verses 18-20 address the appointment and integrity of judges, leading into specific prohibitions regarding cultic practices. Verse 21 and the subsequent verse 22 act as explicit safeguards against the very pagan influences Moses knows Israel will encounter in the promised land. They are practical extensions of the first two commandments, reinforcing the covenantal requirement for exclusive allegiance to Yahweh and condemning the syncretistic practices of surrounding nations. This particular verse specifically targets the readily recognizable pagan fertility cult symbol, the Asherah, prohibiting its presence near the holy altar.
Deuteronomy 16 21 Word analysis
- You shall not plant (לֹא־תִטַּע – lo'-tiṭṭa‘): This is a strong negative command. The verb "plant" indicates setting roots, establishing, or growing something. This implies not just setting up a temporary structure, but initiating something that is intended to last or become part of the religious landscape. It forbids the institution or establishment of such objects.
- any tree as an Asherah (כָּל־עֵץ אֲשֵׁרָה – kol-‘ēṣ ’asherah):
- any tree (kol-‘ēṣ): While ‘ēṣ means "tree," in this cultic context, especially with "Asherah," it refers not to just any biological tree, but specifically to a sacred pole, grove, or wooden image associated with the worship of Asherah. It’s either a living tree consecrated for this purpose or a carved wooden pillar/idol.
- Asherah (אֲשֵׁרָה – ’asherah): This is a crucial term. Asherah was a prominent Canaanite mother goddess, consort of El or Baal, often associated with fertility. Her worship involved sacred poles, stylized trees, or wooden images (referred to as Asherim, plural). These cultic objects were integral to the pervasive fertility cults in Canaan, involving practices highly offensive to Yahweh's holiness, often including ritual prostitution.
- beside the altar (אֵצֶל מִזְבַּח – ʾēṣel mizbēaḥ): The Hebrew ʾēṣel signifies "at the side of," "next to," or "by." This specifies the forbidden proximity. The presence of an Asherah pole adjacent to the altar of the Lord implied a blending of worship or an attempt to honor Yahweh alongside a pagan deity, which was strictly forbidden. The sacred, pure, and singular altar of the Lord could not be contaminated by such foreign, idolatrous elements.
- of the Lord your God (יהוה אֱלֹהֶיךָ – YHWH ’elōheykha): This phrase emphasizes the exclusive covenant relationship Israel had with Yahweh, the personal, holy, and sovereign God. It highlights that this specific altar belongs to Him alone, and no rival or defiling symbol is to be associated with His worship. The command directly challenges syncretistic tendencies by clearly defining the boundaries of Yahweh's worship space.
- which you shall make for yourself (אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה־לָּךְ – ʾăsher taʿăśeh-llāḵ): This phrase refers to the altar of the Lord. It signifies that Israel is to be proactive in establishing true worship, but in doing so, they must also be vigilant in protecting it from defilement. It underscores human responsibility in adhering to divine standards.
Deuteronomy 16 21 Bonus section
The command in Deuteronomy 16:21 goes beyond merely prohibiting physical idols; it lays down a theological boundary. The worship of Asherah was often entwined with practices abhorrent to Yahweh, including ritual prostitution and child sacrifice in some Canaanite contexts. By prohibiting her symbol near the altar, the Law ensures the holiness and distinctness of Israel’s worship. This specific injunction against Asherah highlights how deeply ingrained and appealing these cultic practices were among the nations Israel was about to dispossess. The repeated instances of Israel erecting and worshiping Asherah poles throughout the period of the Kings (despite clear commands like this one) attest to the formidable challenge posed by syncretism. It's a testament to the allure of idolatry, often promising prosperity or fertility, that even kings like Manasseh would deliberately install an Asherah in the very Temple of the Lord (2 Kgs 21:7). The purification efforts of righteous kings like Hezekiah and Josiah involved the physical destruction of these Asherah symbols, underscoring the severity of the prohibition and the persistent need for reform in Israel.
Deuteronomy 16 21 Commentary
Deuteronomy 16:21 serves as a fundamental polemic against Canaanite polytheism and syncretism, reinforcing the core biblical principle of exclusive worship of Yahweh. The proximity of the forbidden Asherah to God's altar underscores the inherent incompatibility of true worship with any form of idolatry. This isn't merely about location; it's a profound theological statement that Yahweh permits no rivals and shares His glory with no one. The command is not against general trees, but specifically the "Asherah tree/pole," a notorious symbol of pagan fertility cults involving practices that were abominable to God. This injunction anticipates Israel's consistent struggle with idolatry throughout its history, vividly demonstrated in the Book of Kings, where even the Solomonic temple was defiled with Asherah poles. It speaks to the ongoing necessity for believers to maintain purity in worship and to resist any blend of biblical truth with foreign philosophies or practices. For example, for Christians, it translates into the principle that worship of God cannot be mixed with the pursuit of material idols, self-worship, or false teachings.