Exodus 34:13

Staten Vertaling

Maar hun altaren zult gijlieden omwerpen, en hun opgerichte beelden zult gij verbreken, en hun bossen zult gij afhouwen.

Parallel Translations

Gereviseerde Lutherse Vertaling
Maar hunne altaren zult gij omverwerpen, en hunne goden verbreken, en hunne bossen uitroeien;

Gereviseerde Leidse Vertaling
Integendeel zult gij hun altaren omverwerpen, hun wij-steenen verbreken, hun gewijde boomstammen omhouwen.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ye shall: Exodus 23:24, Deuteronomy 7:5, Deuteronomy 7:25, Deuteronomy 7:26, Deuteronomy 12:2, Deuteronomy 12:3, Judges 2:2, Judges 6:25, 2 Kings 18:4, 2 Kings 23:14, 2 Chronicles 31:1, 2 Chronicles 34:3, 2 Chronicles 34:4

images: Heb. statutes

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 16:21 - General Judges 3:7 - the groves 1 Kings 14:15 - beyond the river 1 Kings 16:33 - made a grove 2 Kings 17:10 - they set 2 Chronicles 14:3 - brake

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But ye shall destroy their altars,.... On which they had sacrificed to their idols; since, if they were allowed to continue, they might be temptations to offer sacrifice thereon, contrary to the command of God:

break their images: of gold or silver, wood or stone, which they made for themselves, and worshipped as deities; seeing if these continued, the sight of them might lead to the worship of them, and so bring under the divine displeasure, as a breach of the command of God given them:

and cut down their groves; which were clusters of trees, where they had their temples and their idols, and did service to them, and where, besides idolatry, many impurities were committed. Such places were originally used by good men for devotion, being shady and solitary, but when abused to superstitious and idolatrous uses, were forbidden. It is said n, the word for "grove" is general, and includes every tree they serve, or plant, for an idol.

n R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 72. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The precepts contained in these verses are, for the most part, identical in substance with some of those which follow the Ten Commandments and are recorded in “the Book of the covenant” (Exo. 20–23; see Exodus 24:7).

Exodus 34:13

Cut down their groves - This is the first reference to what is commonly known as grove-worship. The original word for “grove” in this connection אשׁרה 'ăshêrāh is different from that so rendered in Genesis 21:33. Our translators supposed that what the law commands is the destruction of groves dedicated to the worship of false deities Judges 6:25; 2 Kings 18:4; but inasmuch as the worship of asherah is found associated with that of Astarte, or Ashtoreth Judges 2:13; Jdg 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:4, it seems probable that while Astarte was the personal name of the goddess, the asherah was a symbol of her, probably in some one of her characters, made in wood in some conventional form.

Exodus 34:15-16

An expansion of Exodus 34:12. The unfaithfulness of the nation to its covenant with Yahweh is here for the first time spoken of as a breach of the marriage bond. The metaphor is, in any case, a natural one, but it seems to gain point, if we suppose it to convey an allusion to the abominations connected with pagan worship, such as are spoken of in Numbers 25:1-3.

Exodus 34:21

See Exodus 20:9; Exodus 23:12. There is here added to the commandment a particular caution respecting those times of year when the land calls for most labor. The old verb “to ear” (i. e. to plow) is genuine English.

Exodus 34:24

Neither shall any man desire etc. - Intended to encourage such as might fear the consequences of obeying the divine law in attending to their religious duties. Compare Proverbs 16:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 34:13. Ye shall destroy their images — See the subjects of this and all the following verses, to Exodus 34:28, treated at large in the notes on "Exodus 23:24".