Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 12:2
Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites on the plains of Moab, instructing them on the statutes they must follow immediately upon entering and possessing the land Yahweh has given them. The command is issued at the threshold of conquest, before settlement begins.
The words — The verb תְּאַבֵּדוּן (te'abedu/n) carries the force of "you will destroy" or "certainly destroy," marked by the accusative marker אֶת (et) to govern the direct object. It is paired with כָּל (kol), "all," to specify that every designated location must be removed.
The thread — The text commands the destruction of pagan worship sites on high mountains, hills, and under green trees, a directive repeated in Deuteronomy 7:5 and echoed in the land conquest instructions of Numbers 33:51. The identical geographic markers appear in 2 Kings 16:4 as the very sites where later Judahite kings illegally offered incense.
Why it lands — The text requires the physical removal of established idolatrous locations to prevent religious contamination during the transition into the promised land. A reader must apply the command by identifying and eliminating specific, tangible sites of foreign worship rather than merely rejecting abstract beliefs.
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
Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:
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.
- Numbers 33:51 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
- 2 Kings 16:4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
- Exodus 34:12 Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.
- 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.
- 2 Kings 17:10 They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
- Jeremiah 3:6 Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there.
- Ezekiel 20:28 When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, presented offerings that provoked Me, sent up their fragrant incense, and poured out their drink offerings.
- Exodus 23:24 You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.
- Numbers 22:41 The next morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see the outskirts of the camp of the people.