Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 14:3
He removed the foreign altars and high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and chopped down the Asherah poles.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Asa initiates religious reform at the beginning of his reign, acting immediately after his initial declaration of doing what is good and right in the LORD's eyes. This moment precedes his subsequent command for Judah to seek the God of their fathers.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יָּ֛סַר (va/i.Ya.sar) literally means "he removed," while וַ/יְשַׁבֵּר֙ (va/y.sha.Ber) translates to "he broke down." These terms describe the physical destruction of foreign cultic objects.
The thread — This sequence of dismantling altars, smashing sacred pillars, and cutting Asherah poles echoes the commands in Deuteronomy 7:5 and Exodus 34:13, and parallels King Josiah's later reforms in 2 Kings 23:14.
Why it lands — The text demands the tangible removal of syncretistic worship before communal religious renewal can proceed. Readers must recognize that obedience requires concrete action against established idolatrous practices.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:
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.
- Exodus 34:13 Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.
- 2 Kings 23:14 He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.
- 1 Kings 15:12 He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
- 2 Chronicles 15:17 The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days.
- Leviticus 26:30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.
- Deuteronomy 7:25 You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God.
- Judges 6:25 On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
- 1 Kings 11:7 At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.
- 1 Kings 14:22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done.