Bible Strands
Exodus 34:13
Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Moses on Mount Sinai, commanding Israel to physically dismantle the Canaanite religious infrastructure before entering the land.
The words — The Hebrew מִזְבְּחֹתָם (mizbeḥōtām, "their altars") and מַצֵּבֹתָם (maṣṣēḇōtām, "their sacred pillars") are paired with active verbs תִּתֹּצוּן (titṭōṣūn, "you will tear down") and תְּשַׁבְּרוּן (təšabbərūn, "you will break"), specifying concrete destruction of foreign cultic objects.
The thread — This directive recurs in Deuteronomy 7:5 and Exodus 23:24 as a foundational covenant requirement, later enacted by King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18:4.
Why it lands — The text commands the eradication of rival worship sites to prevent religious accommodation, requiring readers to enforce exclusive allegiance to Yahweh over cultural compromise.
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
But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Deuteronomy 16:21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God,
- Judges 2:2 and you are not to make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall tear down their altars.’ Yet you have not obeyed My voice. What is this you have done?
- 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.
- 2 Kings 23:14 He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.
- 2 Chronicles 31:1 When all this had ended, the Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own property.