Study Desk

You shall not plant you an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the LORD your God, which you shall make you.

It happened the same night, that the LORD said to him, Take your father's bull, even the second bull seven years old, and throw down the altar of Ba`al that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it;

and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.

When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Ba`al was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built.

Then the men of the city said to Yo'ash, Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Ba`al, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.

Also Ma`akhah his mother he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.

Ach'av made the Asherah; and Ach'av did yet more to provoke the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, to anger than all the kings of Yisra'el who were before him.

Now therefore send, and gather to me all Yisra'el to Mount Karmel, and the prophets of Ba`al four hundred fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at Izevel's table.

Nevertheless they didn't depart from the sins of the house of Yarov`am, with which he made Yisra'el to sin, but walked therein: and there remained the Asherah also in Shomron.)

They forsook all the mitzvot of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the host of the sky, and served Ba`al.

He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: and he broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moshe had made; for to those days the children of Yisra'el did burn incense to it; and he called it Nechushtan.

For he built again the high places which Hizkiyahu his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Ba`al, and made an Asherah, as did Ach'av king of Yisra'el, and worshiped all the host of the sky, and served them.

He set the engraved image of Asherah, that he had made, in the house of which the LORD said to David and to Shlomo his son, In this house, and in Yerushalayim, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Yisra'el, will I put my name forever;

The king commanded Hilkiyah the Kohen Gadol, and the Kohanim of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Ba`al, and for the Asherah, and for all the host of the sky, and he burned them outside of Yerushalayim in the fields of the Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Beit-El.

He brought out the Asherah from the house of the LORD, outside of Yerushalayim, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and beat it to dust, and cast the dust of it on the graves of the common people.

He broke down the houses of the sodomites, that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.

Moreover the altar that was at Beit-El, and the high place which Yarov`am the son of Nevat, who made Yisra'el to sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and beat it to dust, and burned the Asherah.

Also Ma`akhah, the mother of Asa the king, he removed from being queen, because she had made an abominable image for an Asherah; and Asa cut down her image, and made dust of it, and burnt it at the brook Kidron.